Bann Valley Classic

This year’s premier event in the Bann Valley Road Club (M Clarke & Sons Contracts) season, the Sizzlers Restaurant sponsored Bann Valley Classic road race was run off in perfect conditions on Sunday 24th April on the Ballynease course.
The race was started at the Bellaghy end of the Downings road and it became obvious from the off that the race would be fast and furious. On the second lap the speed through the start finish line was 36 miles per hour. At the front, the race was marked by many attempted breaks, none of which lasted until that is the last of the eight laps when a group of approximately eight riders got away on the back leg of the course and at the finish had a ten second gap to two riders with a further ten seconds to the bunch.
The sprint for the line started at 200 metres out and was taken by Clann Eireann’s Michael Murray with a bike length to spare over second place Stephen McKenna (East Antrim Audi). The lady’s race was won by Roberta Stewart (Ards) first unplaced Vet went to Brian Marshall (Toyota North Down) and the junior prize went to Ronan McLaughlin (Planet X). First unplaced third cat. went to Jonathan McGlade (Apollo).
Collie Lynn won the club race from Michael Clarke with Lawrence Diver third.
Thanks must go to the the PSNI for providing traffic control and allowing the change of course at very short notice, without this there would have been no race. The marshals for amazing work because of heavy traffic at times, the club members and wives who supplied the food for the tea afterwards especially to Geraldine and Grainne for their good work setting up the teas for the over ninety riders who came back to the hall.