Motorcyclists thrilled crowds at 50th anniversary Faugheen 50 races
The two-day time-trial style sprint racing meet took place on a 1.3 mile circuit on the roads around Faugheen village
Fifty motorcycle racers whizzed around the roads of Faugheen last Saturday and Sunday vying for honours in the Faugheen 50 RR Club's 50th anniversary sprint competition.
The two-day event attracted racers from all over the island of Ireland and as far as Canada along with a legion of motorcycle racing fans many of whom stayed in Faugheen over the weekend in a campsite organised by the club.
Faugheen 50 Road Racing Club Secretary Paul Power was delighted with the turnout of spectators to the races, the first staged by the club in four years.
“We got really, really good crowds, more than the club expected. It was great to see. It went really well and we had such positive reaction from all the riders and spectators,” he said.
The race meet, marking 50 years of motorcycle racing in Faugheen, was a time-trial style event with riders completing the race circuit solo as fast as they could.
Paul reported the hot weather on both days was an added challenge for the competitors, who were kept hydrated by Faugheen 50 hospitality volunteers ferrying lemonade and water to them as they waited to compete. The racing began earlier than originally planned on Sunday due to the heat.
Three practice runs and one timed run took place on Saturday and two timed runs took place on Sunday.
One of the Faugheen 50 Club's top racers Brian McCormack from Tramore won the Open Class and Fastest Club Rider competitions. He raced the 1.3 mile circuit in a blistering 53.34 seconds and was one of the only riders in the competition to complete it in under a minute.
He was presented with his Fastest Rider award by Anthony O'Carroll from Kerry, who was seriously injured in a motorcycle racing accident in 2024.
Paul said it was the first time Anthony attended a motorcycle road race meet since his accident. “It was great to have him and his family in Faugheen.”
Another Faugheen 50 Club winner was Ian Prendergast in the Classic Superbikes and Senior Support classes. His brother Michael placed second in the Classic Superbikes.
International visitor Dallas Reynolds from Alberta in Canada won two classes - the Junior Support and Super Twins.
Paul paid tribute to the local residents and landowners for their support and all the club members and volunteers who helped organise the races. He also thanked the competition's sponsors, particularly the main sponsor Premier Engineering, without whom the club wouldn't have been able to stage the event.
Results:
Junior Classic: 1st Paul McMahon, 2nd Sean Henry, 3rd Colum McCann; Open Race: 1st Brian McCormack, 2nd Noel Carroll, 3rd Aaron McCann; Junior Support: 1st Dallas Reynolds, 2nd Ronan Waters, 3rd Michael Sheeran; Senior Classic: 1st Liam Crotty, 2nd Philip Murphy, 3rd Mark Connolly; 600cc/Next Gen: 1st Brian McCormack, 2nd William Grealy, 3rd Pat Healy; Classic Superbikes: 1st Ian Prendergast, 2nd Michael Prendergast, 3rd Liam Crotty; Lightweight Supersport: 1st David Broderick, 2nd Michael Sheeran, 3rd Chris Gray; Supersport 300: 1st Davey Chambers, 2nd Daire O'Flynn; Senior Support: 1st Ian Prendergast, 2nd William Grealy, 3rd Shane Harding; Super Twins: 1st Dallas Reynolds, 2nd Ronan Waters, 3rd William Roberts.=; Fastest Club Rider: Brian McCormack.
Check out more photos from the Faugheen 50 Sprint Races in this week’s edition of The Nationalist now on sale in local shops