Sport

Dynes heads all-star cast

For motorcycle fans, the focus tomorrow is on the Skerries 100 races over the 2.92 miles Mil ver ton Circuit

By BRIAN FOLEY
Fri Jul 03 1998 - 01:00

For motorcycle fans, the focus tomorrow is on the Skerries 100 races over the 2.92 miles Mil ver ton Circuit. First held in 1946, the event is the classic road race meeting in the Republic, attracting crowds of more than 25,000.

The line-up for the Coca Cola-sponsored nine-race programme is headed by Gary Dynes, who last year set a lap record of 102.82 mph on a 250cc Honda. Bob Jackson, Jason Griffiths, Owen McNally, James Courtney and Courtney Junk are all potential winners.

Leading the home challenge are Dublin riders Emlyn Hughes, Mark Curtin and Brian Coogan; David Murtagh (Skerries), Pat Bradley (Swords) and Balbriggan's Declan Lynch and Liam McAteer. The Isle of Man is represented by Barry Wood and David MadsenMygdal.

The big attraction undoubtedly will be the mid-afternoon parade of the champions over five laps, which will include South African Jim Redman on a 250cc Honda-4 (winner of 45 grand prix races, six Isle of Man TTs and six world championships); England's Phil Read on a 350cc TZ Yamaha, (winner of seven world championships, eight TTs and 52 grands prix, and a former works rider for Gilera, Yamaha, MC Agusta and Honda); Belfast's Ralph Bryans on a 305cc Honda Twin (Honda rider from 1964 to 1967, became Ireland's first world motorcycle champion when he won the 50cc title in 1965); and Sammy Miller on a 500cc Benelli-4 (rode for NSU Team before turning to professional trials competitions and winning well over 1,000 major events).

READ MORE

The event is also round four of the Loughshinny club road racing championship, in which the points standings are: 1, Mark Curtin 75; 2, Phillip Benson 52; 3, Declan Lynch; 4, David Murtagh Jnr 36.

There is more motorcycle racing on Sunday, with rounds of the Irish Clubman and MCUI Southern Centre Short Circuit Championships at Mondello Park, where more than 150 riders will compete.

Gordon Percy (Cloughjordan), at the wheel of his remarkable Kawa saki Special, and Ger Brennan (Killarney), driving his powerful Chevrolet Special, fought for fastest time in last Sunday's Killarney Autocross, with Percy the winner, his lightweight motorcycle-powered car providing a David versus Goliath performance against the mighty Chevy V8 of Brennan. They race at Taghmon, Co Wexford, on Sunday in a round of the National Autocross Championship.