Riders of all ages, sex and abilities started hitting the track early on in the day, with the wind and slippery conditions catching many out. Riders and bikes were flying all over the place early on in free practice, with Giant Bicycle’s Ben Reid getting caught out on the slippery surface with a big fall on the step-down. The step-down and triple section proved from early on that it was going to be a big challenge as the wind was gusting across the track, throwing many riders off. The technique of the day was to keep it low and out of the wind!

Despite the awful conditions early on, many of the riders still committed themselves, and as you’d expect many entertaining moments arose as the competitors sized each other up. Number 42 Steven Beatie (Plush Cycles) riding a white Orange Patriot, Gregg O’Keefe (021Racing), Glyn O’Brien (Cove Bikes- In-Touch) and Christy Brown (XMTB) looked impressive from the start as they hit the course at speed, and it was clear that these would be the riders to watch come the Motos.

As the crowds grew around the track and the sun came out spirits rose and a great atmosphere developed, with riders ‘encouraging’ each other with constructive criticism. Glyn and Joe in particular had great respect and admiration for each other, on and off the course! A large crowd soon developed at the step-down and odds were flying around on the likely hood of a rider losing it on the step-down landing, in the end it was about 75% of riders that hit the deck. Good day for the punters! Luckily there were few with injuries .

Entertainer of the day award has to go MTBrider forum regular Captain Crammy who made a spectacular entrance to the proceedings with a massive wipe out on the step-down. He was sporting some sort of prototype head protection system- a comedy stick on Afro! I doubt this new technology will catch on in professional circles, as it seems to catch the wind a bit. Another MTBrider regular Jamie 46 did his best to entertain the crowds as well with some of the biggest air of the day.

The strong wind and occasional light shower damped spirits a bit leading up to the first round of Motos, but the weather didn’t interrupt the proceedings, despite it trying hard. The underages were the first off in the opening round of Motos, with the riders heading off in groups of four (obviously!) in plate number order. The first few rounds went cleanly; with the riders taking great care with most riders opting to keep to the ground, as the course was still slimy and the wind strong. It was obvious from the fist motos that Chris Murtagh and Christy Brown were in for a showdown in the final, assuming that things went according to plan, but this is 4X and nothing goes to plan!

The over age Motos proved to be more competitive with some close racing and big crashes. One of the faster riders of the day, No.42 had a fall at the start of his first round of motos, allowing the rest of the pack to speed away. The next race saw a close battle, with Number 47 getting the jump at the start but Number 46 slowly reeled him in for a close finish. Glyn O’Brien had a smooth and free route through the first Moto, winning comfortably.

The second round saw the competitors racing in a different order. By now they had got a grip of the course and the racing from here on in was going to be more frantic with plenty of spills and close racing, and some surprising fight backs and even more surprising winners.

The third and final round of Motos handed out the last points and set the order for the Quarterfinals. Race two in the last motos saw mtbrider.com forum regular and Buckeejit crewmember David Gordon (aka Gor) crashing out, needing the attention of the paramedics after a big fall on the triple. Luckily nothing was damaged but some torn shoulder ligaments will keep him off the bike (Doctor’s orders!) for at least a month. A real pity, as he looked like a contender in the under age category. Get well soon as they say.

The first Quarterfinal saw a massive pile up with three riders falling at the first double after Christy Brown wiped out! He fought back to reach the finals though. By now the track was drying quickly and the racing was getting serious. The Overage quarters went as expected, with Glyn taking the lead over O’Keefe on the inside off the start to win. The rest of the semis were also action packed, the highlight being a brilliant fight back by Joe Ward against Michael Cowan in Race 4 after a crash in the first part of the race to finish second, and reach the semi finals.

The underage semis saw the fastest eight riders battle it out. Christy Brown held off to win, with number 1 on a black Patriot coming a close second. In race two 17 held off 16 in a close race. The Overage semis saw some great action and a big upset; number 31 Jamie had a big, big crash on the first double that looked quite serious. Luckily he got up and walked away, with a few bruises and a disappointed expression.

The underage final saw Christy Brown, Jason Murphy and David Galvin from Killarney DH, and Chris Murtagh battle it out. A close start saw all the riders head into the stepdown with no more than half a second covering the riders. The spectators at the start saw them hit the step down, but none of the riders appeared out the other side of the triple! A wipe out by one of the riders took the whole field down, Christy Brown managed to get up first and thrash the rest of the course to take a brilliant win.


The over age final was cleaner than the under age but no less exciting. Glyn O’Brien was lined up on lane 1, normally an advantage into the first section. As the riders left the gate Steve Beatie managed to get a wheel in front of the rest of the riders and left Glyn in an unaccustomed fourth place by the step-down. Steve nailed the rest of the course to take a great and deserved win. Glyn also hammered the rest of the course, hitting the big doubles and managed to battle his way back to second place.

A great day’s racing in all, despite the weather! All the riders gave it there all, and it was great to see the young talent making an impact, there are some bright futures ahead for several of the riders. Stephen Maginn and his cohorts obviously put a lot of work into the course and on the day it all came together, well done. A big thanks also to the event’s sponsor, Real Cycles, who provided the prizes for the winners, Overall winner Stevo really seemed chuffed with his new Kona Scrap frame.

Looking forward to the next even at Moneyscalp 4X, 28th August, make it a date… riders ready!!!


Pics thanks to Reac Photography, more in the MTB Rider Gallery.