Racing great Ray McCullough honoured with celebration day at Queen's University

McCullough, who was part of the legendary ‘Dromara Destroyers’ famed for their rivalry with the Armoy Armada, received a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours this month.

The celebration day, attended by Jeremy McWilliams, Trevor Steele, Denis Todd and Johnny Rea snr, was held fittingly at Queen’s, where McCullough helped to design and build the ground-breaking machines he rode to so many victories.

Event organiser Paul McClean, author and photographer, presented two copies of his book ‘Ray McCullough - the Dromara Destroyer’ to QUB Chief Librarian Irene Bittles, and it will now be placed on permanent display in the McClay University Library to showcase McCullough’s illustrious career.

The unassuming former road racer was reunited with two of his QUB work colleagues and close friends, Professor Robert Fleck and Doctor Robert Kee, and also had the opportunity to reacquaint himself with his Belfast-built QUB 500 motorcycle on which he claimed 17 wins in the early 1970s. This unique 2-stroke machine was the brainchild of the late Professor Gordon Blair and is a reminder of how far the QUB’s Mechanical Engineering Department was ahead of its time.

Professor Blair and sponsor Mick Mooney were both very instrumental in the success of McCullough’s career.

A valuable member of the highly skilled team in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in Queen’s University for 38 years, McCullough worked on cutting edge engine development for manufacturers such as Yamaha as chief technician with Professors Blair and Fleck.

McCullough famously rode a QUB-prepared motorcycle to beat the works machines of world champions Phil Read, Jarno Saarinen and Dieter Braun with relative ease on an historic day in 1971 at the Ulster Grand Prix at Dundrod. He also defeated another world champion, Barry Sheene, twice in the space of a year.

His biggest rivals on the home front were the brilliant duo of grand prix regular Tom Herron and the 26-times Isle of Man TT winner Joey Dunlop, but in the 1970s Ray was the man to beat in the ultra-competitive 250cc and 350cc classes, whether it was at the Ulster Grand Prix, North West 200, Southern 100 and all the national road races and short circuits across Ireland.

He won an incredible 175 races during his sparkling racing career.

Earlier this year a DVD on his life – Ray McCullough – Held in Admiration – was released, raising thousands for the Children’s Kidney Fund NI charity.

Author and photographer McClean said: “It was my privilege to write a book about the life and achievements of my hero, Ray McCullough.

“Like thousands of others, I was very fortunate to watch this motorcycling legend beating all comers during the golden era of the sport in the 1970s. It was just a brilliant time for racing and Ray was No.1

“Ray McCullough represents all that is good about sport and Northern Ireland and to see him sitting on the QUB 500 at the front of the world-renowned Queen’s University, Belfast where he worked for so many years was a very emotional experience for us all.”