Mawhinney, McElveen & McCarthy to contest in EMX150 series!
This weekend the first round of the EMX150 series takes place in the hard pack track of Teutschenthal in Germany. The riders have been announced for the 2017 which continues to improve every year. This will mark the fifth year the championship has been going for and it’s a fantastic opportunity for some of the younger generation to race on the same weekend as the best riders in the world.
This year there are three Irish (two from the North and one from the South) riders that will compete in the series which is great news. This is the first year that there will be more than the one Irish rider behind the EMX150 start gate. Cailum Meara and David Robson have competed in the series before but this year there are more young guns to keep an eye out on in the class.
Ryan Mawhinney from Dundonald was set to compete in the full series last year but unfortunately fractured his shoulder blade and ankle. As this was the case he only managed to compete at the first two rounds and his best moto finish was a respectable thirteenth. As he has competed in the series before he has a taster and knows what to expect.
He did compete at Teutschenthal last year so at least he won’t have to learn the track. Hopefully he can stay fit for the entire season and get some top ten results. However, he will be forced to miss one round this year as his parents will be getting married the same weekend as Assen takes place!
Joining Ryan is Cain McElveen, the fourteen year old from Hamiltonsbawn, Co-Armagh who has only been riding motocross for two years! However, it is great to see another young rider from this country taking advantage of such a great opportunity provided by Honda.
Cain was a spectator at the Assen MXGP round last year with the EMX150 class in action so he knows what he’s up against. He will learn lots throughout the course of the year.
Last but not least is Charlie McCarthy from Kinsale, Co Cork. Charlie ‘Mac’ is another new comer to the class. Charlie is just twelve years old so that makes him the youngest out of the trio – he has the option of another few years in the class which will help him grow. He will be the first rider from the Republic of Ireland to compete in the class – hopefully the first of many!
All three riders have been part of the training camp before the series starts this weekend so will know their competition from that. Valentin Guillod and other top Honda EMX riders were also in attendance at some of the training days.
Ryan Mawhinney: “The training camp in Boves went very well, I really enjoyed the track and getting back on the 150. This season I’d like to be sitting in around the top ten but expect the competition to be as tough as last year with very talented riders from all over the world”.
Cain McElveen: “The training camp was a fantastic experience, it was amazing to meet so many riders from different countries and to be made feel part of the Honda Family so quickly. The FIM assessments were a very worthwhile part of the camp and I have took away a lot from these which I have used in my preparation for racing here at home. Having only been riding for 2 years and a late comer to MX as most have went the route from Auto, 65, SW and then BW I have kept my expectations of race results realistic and to learn each session and improve each time on track. To finish inside the Top 20 would be amazing and with race finishes and few DNF’s could be achievable. For me the experience will be invaluable and I can’t wait for Teutschenthal to get the season going”.
Charlie McCarthy: “I really enjoyed the EMX150 training camp. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for a kid my age to go and do the EMX150 series”.
Pic: Martin Plesnik
