MOTORBIKES: Coates gearing up for Easter races at Bishopscourt

The meeting hosts the 40th Enkalon Trophy Race and top Ulster and Irish Short Circuit champions, National and International road racers will compete on one of the UK’s best prepared race circuits.

Netwownabbey rider Nikki Coates, on the Kingsbury Kawasaki, will challenge last year’s Enkalon Trophy winner, Derek Sheils, who will ride the Burrows Engineering superbike as he aims to be the first rider to lift the famous trophy four times. With £1,000 going to the winner of the ten-lap race and prize money paid down to tenth, the action should be hot and heavy.

The Superbike class has almost a full grid with Reigning Irish Superbike champion Ryan Rainey leading his team-mate and reigning Irish Supersport Champion Robert English, both riding for IFS Global Logistics racing team on Yamaha YZF R1 machinery.

Walter Bell & Son Oil Fired Boilers, from Carrickfergus, again sponsor the supersport class. David Wood Memorial Trophy winner Coates leads a strong young entry of talent in this class.

The supertwin and production twins classes will be supported by St Patricks Slemish Water & Coolers and like most classes, have full grids.

Two East Antrim lads, Scott Swann and Aaron Wright, will ride their British Championship KTM 390sin the joint Moto 3 and supersport 400 classes.

On Easter Monday the whole thing happens all over again - this time at Kirkistown when it is the Belfast and District club who have control.