Well, after an absence of six years it’s back…. and what can we say except sorry……… sorry to all the people who came to the event and couldn’t get in through the gates due to it being a full house, with pre-booked tickets having priority. We’ll all learn a lesson for next year – pre-book your tickets. Thanks to the generous support of our headline sponsor, Porsche (and in particular Porsche Centre Belfast) and our several other sponsors, the event returned as the Cultra Motorsport Festival, incorporating the historic Cultra Hillclimb. What did they miss, well, a cracking day of…
Author: Graham Baalham-Curry
On Saturday 6th May, Larne Motor club hosted round 3of the SW Adair Tyres Northern Ireland Sprint Championship at Kirkistown. As usual Larne run a fabulous event for us, but todays just seemed to be extra good. Paddy Haveron stepped up to the clerk’s role and he ran a super tight ship and all the hard work by the rest of Larne Motor Clubs members was abundantly apparent as the day went like clockwork. For once the weather was superb and for most of the day you could even say it was warm which has been unusual for this season…
There are many types of vehicles that drive around our vast roads network completely unannounced, The City car segment is one which few people if any would blink an eyelid at and the Picanto from Kia is no exception. Face lifted a couple of years ago, the smallest passenger vehicle from the Korean manufacturer is priced from 13,415. Affordable motoring it most certainly is, with fuel consumption of up to as much as 58.9 mpg, and an unrivalled 7 years / 100,000 miles warranty. The most basic Picanto ‘1’ is well-equipped featuring daytime running lights, USB port and Bluetooth connectivity…
First run in 1905, Cultra Hillclimb is the worlds oldest active speed hillclimb and it is set to return on Saturday 10 June 2023 in the grounds of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, at Cultra Manor and is supported by Porsche Centre Belfast who will celebrate 75-years of Porsche at this iconic and historic event. Organised by the Thoroughbred Sports Car Club of Northern Ireland, who reignited the event twenty-three years ago, around 100 drivers will don their race suits and helmets to charge up the 640-metre-long course against the clock in the most eclectic array of machinery. From…
Robb Takes Maiden Win in New Car at Craigantlet Almost 70 ‘local’ entries hotly competed for points in the second round of the newly sponsored Motorsport Supplies Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs (ANICC) Hill Climb Championship, seven of whom finished in the top 20 overall. Chris Fair presented Dan Campbell with the Commentators Award for a new fastest time in Class 9A. Dan shaved 0.48s of the previous time set by Seamus Morris in 2004. The ANICC Championship Sponsor, Alan Cassells from Lurgan, entered his ‘new’ (ex Will Hall) Force HRC which can output up to 800bhp, and was…
Alex Summers arrived in Belfast last Friday with his DJ Firestorm for scrutiny at Campbell College along with 19 other competitors from the Avon Tyres Motorsport UK British Hill Climb Championship (BHC) to entertain us all on Patterson Electronics Hytera Craigantlet Hill Climb, kindly supported by Belfast City Council. Alex was runner up to Wallace Menzies BHC battle here at Craigantlet in 2022. He wasted no time in getting to grips with the slippery surface on the hill in his practice runs. Alex set the fastest time of the day, 39.97 seconds on his first timed run, just 0.85 seconds…
The Mazda CX-60 is a new SUV by Mazda UK that offers both plug-in hybrid and diesel options. It is the first PHEV model by Mazda and it features a range of new technologies and design elements that aim to create a fantastic experience for the driver and their passengers. The PHEV version of the CX-60 has a 2.5-litre petrol engine and an electric motor that work together to deliver a combined power of 327ps. The battery can provide up to 39 miles of pure electric driving when in Normal or EV mode, and it comes with a guarantee of…
Cars and Coffee is a global phenomenon that has gripped the local car scene in recent years. Gone are the days of heading out at midnight to catch up with your friends in the local car park until the wee hours, replaced today with a leisurely lie in before tagging onto a convoy to wherever the Sunday morning cars and coffee event might be held. The Thoroughbred Sportscar Club of Northern Ireland I believe kick started this trend here in Northern Ireland, with its regular event held at Down Royal Racecourse. Various other car clubs, Facebook groups of like-minded enthusiasts…
When it comes to pick-up trucks many manufacturers offer them somewhere within their line-up of passenger vehicles but for Isuzu pick-up’s are all they do. Self-named the pick-up professionals, Isuzu has been the go-to for hard-working fleets for many years. Focusing solely on just one vehicle, their multi award winning D-Max offers something for everyone. The range starts with a utilitarian model which suits the needs of a farmer or the likes of Northern Ireland electricity perfectly. D-Max then offers progressively more as you move up the range towards a nicely styled family-friendly model with much more tech. If budget…
Samdec Security International ITRC Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan successfully defended their Rally of the Lakes crown to take their second Irish Tarmac win of the year by a well-managed 25.1 seconds. The Volkswagen Polo R5 crew fought back from a puncture on Killarney’s Moll’s Gap opener to grab the rally lead on stage four. Despite continued threats from Robert Barrable and Rob Duggan, Devine’s grasp on first was unrelenting as he showed the same class that clinched his Circuit of Ireland win earlier this month. Hometown hero Rob Duggan set a blistering time through stage one to grab an…
GREER EXTENDS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD WITH VICTORY AT RACE AND RALLY BISHOPSCOURT STAGES! Jonny Greer and Niall Burns claimed a start to finish victory at today’s Race and Rally Bishopscourt Stages, round two of the McGrady Insurance Motorsport UK Northern Ireland Rally Championship. Driving their Citroen C3, Greer laid down the marker from the outset, quickly edging out a lead over the chasing VW Polo GTi belonging to Derek McGarrity and Graham Henderson. McGarrity’s only glimmer of hope came on the third of six stages when he set fastest time, reducing the gap to less than three seconds. However, it soon…
There has been an outpouring of grief from around the world after one of Ireland’s leading rally drivers, Waterford’s Craig Breen, was tragically taken from us after an accident during testing ahead of the Croatian round of the World Rally Championship. Craig’s co-driver, Cavan man James Fulton, was uninjured. My thoughts are very much with James, Craig’s family, friends, and all within this tight knit community at this very sad time. Aged just 33, Breen’s smile was nothing short of infectious. His eyes glistened with joy at even the thought of driving a rally car. A shining light of Irish…