New Season Blasts Off At Tullyroan Oval

The National Hot Rods and 1600 Rookie Bangers headline an exciting race meeting which heralds the start of the 2026 race season at Tullyroan Oval on Saturday, March 21st (6.30pm).

National Hot Rods
For the National Hot Rods it is the start of the second half of World Series NI, with the drivers focussing in making the all-important cut for the World Championship final at Ipswich in July. British and Ulster Champion Glenn Bell (Portadown) was the form man over the latter stages of 2025, and he will be one to watch in his Ginetta.

Cork brothers Jeff and Ian Riordan will be two more contenders, with reigning NI Champion Jeff hoping to get his title defence back on track after a torrid time in late 2025. National Champion Ian is always on form in his Lotus, whilst others to watch will include Crumlin pair John Christie and Adam Maxwell, Ballymena ace Shane Murray and Dungannon's Derek Martin.

1600 Rookie Bangers
The contact element of the programme will be headed by the 1600 Rookie Bangers, who are set to field another big grid of cars as has been the norm of late. Spins, bashes and crashes will be the order of the day as the drivers chase the Tullyroan Challenge Cup. Irish Champion Lucas Goligher (Limavady), his Ulster Champion brother Josh Goligher and Irish Open Champion Stephen Boyd (Garvagh) will be ones to watch, whilst Greg Liggan impressed at the January meeting and could be one to watch in 2026. The exciting and incident packed racing makes picking a winner nigh on impossible, but the entertainment level will be superb.

Support Racing
After a sensational 2025 campaign where he won World, European, Best in Britain and NI Points Championships, Birches star Steven Haugh will be hoping to pick up where he left off in the Superstox formula. His biggest threats will come from British, Internations Cup and Irish Champion Jordan Robinson and local Loughgall man Jamie McCann, whilst Dean Catherwood and Stephen Stewart will give their all as always to try to unseat the top stars.

World Cup holder Mark Corry (Portadown) and European Cup winner Ross Houston (Waringstown) head the Lightning Rods entry, which should see a very welcome return to racing for former World Champion Ricky Shaw from Antrim. Tipperary favourite Padraig Palmer will also be making the trip north to bolster the line up.

Completing the line up will be the young 6-11 year old chargers in the Ninja Karts, where the racing will be fast and furious as always. Irish Champion Jack Murphy will be one to watch alongside Ollie Williamson and Jackson Cairns, whilst visitors Quinnleigh Felton, Elliot Lake & Ralph Payne (England), Jayden Jeffrey and Alfie MacLeod (both Scotland) plus Tadhg Coonan (Tipperary) will all be in the mix.

The first race of the new season leaves the Tullyroan Oval grid at 6.30pm.