World Champion Christie leads the way

Northen Ireland's four World Champions at the Tullyroan Oval recently. The drivers, Nigel Jackson, Ryan Abernethy, Shane Murray and John Christie from Crumlin, turned out with their title winning cars and trophies in a meet and greet for fans.

The drivers, John Christie from Crumlin, National Hot Rod World Champion, Nigel Jackson, Lightning Rods World Champion, Ryan Abernethy, Pro Stocks World Champion and Shane Murray, 2 ltr Hot Rod World Champion, lined up their cars and brought along their trophies for supporters to have their chance to have photographs taken and have autographs signed in an amazing celebration of short oval racing success by local drivers in 2013.

The on track action, sponsored by Ross Hyndman Motors of Londonderry, centred around the Ligtning Rods Irish championship, won by Gordon ‘Gordy’ McKee, whilst the National Hot Rods contested round 5 of the 2014 World Championship qualifying campaign as well as contesting the final of the Cirrus Plastics Tullyroan Oval track points championship.

Going into the event Mark Heatrick led the Cirrus championship by four points from Glenn Bell with World Champion Christie in third five points further back. A tense night’s racing meant that the points title quite rightly was going down to the wire, and would be decided in the evening’s final race.

As the race finally got underway, Mark was stuck on the unfancied outside line and was quickly railroaded to the rear of the pack, and out of contention, whilst Bell and Christie held their line and made good their efforts of winning the title.

In the closing stages Bell was tempted to the outside in what would have been a title deciding move but again had to give up the attack, as the cars crossed the line at the chequered flag, Bell finished fourth and Christie sixth, calculators were needed to work out the final points which confirmed that the two drivers were level, Glenn Bell no doubt regretting getting docked two places for contact in the earlier heat 2. The prize of four new tyres (two each) was therefore shared, whilst a toss of the coin decided that Bell would take the trophy on offer for the winner. In the world qualifying series Fergal McNally was the night’s big winner and won all three races from his privilged front of the grid starting position, World Champion Christie leading the points going into the night finished seventh, third and sixth in a solid night’s performance, and his performance on the night means that going into the final World Championship qualifying round (round 6) he retains his lead with 245 points and Andrew Murray second on 232 points.