Young guns show potential as stars of future at Magilligan MX Park

Omagh’s Lewis Spratt on the McCullagh’s Centra KTM was unstoppable in the B/W 85 class.

With the cancellation of the opening round of the MX Nationals in England the 14-year-old was a late entry and used the event as practice for this weekend’s Revo British championship at Oak Hanger, Hampshire, wrapping up three wins from three starts.

“It was freezing cold but the track was brilliant and I really enjoyed myself,” said Spratt.

Castlewellan’s Alfie Herron finished second overall with Ollie Holland from Armagh third.

Over 30 riders lined up behind the gate for the opening 65cc race.

Portadown’s Ethan Gawley, despite making a bad start and dropping down to 11th into turn one, took the Derryhale haulage/AK Motorcycles/Fluid Plumbing KTM to a comfortable win over Carter Williams. The ten-year-old went on to complete a treble by the end of the day.

Gawley said: “I had no issues today. It was a good run out and all the hard work over the winter paid off.”

In the 65 Cadet class Caleb Duffy and Cole McAuley shared the wins but Duffy, with two victories, was the overall winner from McAuley with Szymon Skuratowski completing the top three.

Hayden Gibson claimed his first career win in the S/W 85 class on the team GAR GasGas. The 12-year-old Magherafelt High School pupil, in his second season in the 85s, crashed early in the opening race but remounted to catch Markethill’s Jamie McKee on the last lap for his maiden win.

Gibson finished second in race two before going on to claim the overall after another second place in race three, 0.422seconds behind winner John McCann after early leader McKee crashed.

"I saw the leader crashing out, thankfully uninjured, and could see John McCann was now out front,” Gibson said. “I pushed hard to catch him but just couldn’t make the pass.”

There was a double celebration for the Gibson family as Hayden’s younger brother, eight-year-old Reece, claimed his first win in the auto 50cc class. After finishing third in his opening race behind Jack Quinn, who went on to claim the overall, the Magherafelt primary school youngster went on to win race two on the DF Sheds GasGas.

Second in race three was enough to see Gibson finish runner up to Quinn in the overall results with Jake Sayers third.

In the opening pit bike race there was only 0.6 seconds separating race winner Robbie McCullough and his brother Cole at the chequered flag.

Robbie was the initial leader from Alfie Herron but the Herron hit the front at the halfway stage of the six-lap race only to be caught out with backmarkers two laps from home, losing out to both the McCullough brothers.

Cole McCullough made no mistakes in race two, leading from start to finish from Robbie with Daniel Devine third.

Robbie made the best start in race three before Cole took the lead at the halfway stage of the race to cross the line just over a second clear of his brother and claim the overall with Herron third.

In the PW beginners class Freddie Dubios was the overall winner from Charley Wilkin.