There was some frantic action during the 2L National Bangers Tullyroan Challenge Cup race, with some huge hits handed out all around the circuit. Jonathan Compelli broke clear early on to move ahead, with second man Leonard Dunn eliminated late in the race on the home straight. As Jonathan took the win, his brother Paul Compelli came through for runner up ahead of Paul Stafford.
The Allcomers race was another hard hitting affair, with Dunn somehow managing to return to the grid after some sterling efforts in the pit area. He even had a spell out front early on before Mike Flaherty took over, but it was Jonny Murdock who got the win at the flag over Stevo McGrath. The Destruction Derby again saw Dunn take to the grid when it had looked as though his day was over, and he played his part in a great event with McGrath and Murdock. McGrath got the verdict and the win at the death with Dunn’s heroics, both on and off track, earning him the Entertainer of the Day.

A four car battle right to the line in a fantastic Ninja Kart opener saw Ryan Abernethy just get the verdict ahead of Ryan Berry and Noah Teggart, before newly crowned British Champion Leyton Hughes won the second heat with Berry and Teggart the placemen once again.
The Tullyroan Challenge Cup final turned into a tremendous dice between Hughes and Berry, with absolutely nothing between them all the way. They swapped the lead time and again, but it was Hughes who got ahead when it mattered to take the win despite Berry’s best efforts on the final turn. Ryan should be very proud of his efforts, as the ‘Ninja Master’ Leyton added yet another trophy to his collection.

A very good entry of Lightning Rods was boosted by welcome visitor Adrian Gleeson from Tipperary, with Mark Corry making good use of his drop to blue grade with a fine heat one victory over Ally Neill. Neill then went one better in heat two, taking the chequered flag in front of Ronan McNally and European Champion Aaron Stewart after a great run around the outside line.
Peter Wehrly and then Dylan McCann had spells out front in the final, before Corry’s speed carried him onto the tail of the leading car. Mark worked his way onto the outside line chasing the lead but McCann totally misjudged his line out onto the back straight and ran Corry up the wall and out of the race. McCann too had damage, and that took him out of the race before the Stewards could intervene. Suddenly Mark McCambridge found himself ahead, and he withstood late pressure from Aaron Stewart to take a win that looked so unlikely only a few laps previously.

The Junior Productions were racing for the Irish Open Championship, with Ballymena ace Aaron Ward taking the opening heat win ahead of Scotland’s Koddi Wright. Jack Morrow made short work of the second heat to take the honours over Sam Percy and Callum Magill. With similar results in the heats, Morrow won the toss with Ward for pole position in the Irish open final, Jack then racing clear to take the title in style. Percy finished second on the road but was docked two places for contact, handing the runner up slot to Wright with Ward taking third.

On Sunday Ward took victory in the Tullyroan Challenge Cup after a penalty was handed down to on the road winner Morrow. That elevated Ward, who had earlier shared the heat wins with Andrew Woods, to the top step of the podium, with Chelsy Rainey taking second ahead of the demoted Morrow.

On the sun drenched Tullyroan bowl on Sunday the National Hot Rods produced some great racing, with Adam Hylands powering past Nigel McCauley to take the opening heat win. There was a great finish to heat two, with a popular win going the way of Andrew Stewart just ahead of Hylands and McCauley. Hylands then stamped his authority all the final of Round 2 of the Simpson Race Exhausts World Series NI, taking a decisive win over Shane Murray, John Christie and Glenn Bell.

Support action at Aghadowey on Saturday saw NI Points Champion Drew McKeown from Portadown take the honours in the second round of the 2.0 Hot Rods Hoosier Tyres Series in a superb wet weather drive, after Broughshane’s Davy Kernohan has scored a brace of heat wins. In the Lightning Rods there was also a double heat winner in Ballymena’s Daniel Rodgers, before Portadown’s Ronan McNally came through to take the feature race honours.

Sunday at Tullyoan also saw the Rookie Bangers in action, with Garvagh’s William McFaul grabbing a heat and final double amongst a big field of cars. The other heat fell to Josh Goligher amidst the carnage, with McFaul then getting the better of long time leader Matthew Milliken in the final.