A Bit About Who We Are

Back in 1954 a group of enthusiasts in the Larne area of Co. Antrim decided to form a Motor Club and explore the idea of staging events and so Larne Motor Club was formed.

Our first event was one year later and was so called the Starlight Rally, which consisted of regularity sections and
cross road autotests held throughout the night.

The Suez crisis meant that there were no further events held until 1957. A stage format emerged in
60's and in the 70's the name became the Texaco Rally. Billy Coleman was the last to win the event in 1974.

In 1974, Larne Motor Club staged its first national event in Boyd's Quarry and it was britain's first ever european
rallycross champion, John Taylor who took the honours. With the help of the famous Boyds, Adrian and Derek, the Boyd's Autodrome was created and became the home of N.Ireland's rallycross. The venue soon became famous with its incredible "yump" which was a talking point in the sport throughout Europe.

The club can reasonably claim that we had the first properly sponsored motoring event in Ireland, as the Starlight Rally in its first year had backing from Regent Oils. In the 70's the club had regular slots on television with BBC N.Ireland. We still actively seek sponsors for all our events and are one of the very few who have had televised events shown on the BBC, Eurosport, UTV and TV3. In 1987 we organized a "Made for TV" event, a Rallycross Challenge, which attracted britain's top competitors. Other made for TV events have included tandem
autotests.

In 1987 the club moved Rallycross to Nutts Corner Motorsport Centre, with the assistance of the circuit owners Antrim Borough Council. Here we have staged many successful events from a European Challenge to a round of the British Rallycross Championship, the Ulster Rallycross Grand Prix. It was for this event that the BTRDA awarded them the Andy Sargent Trophy for the best organised and promoted event.

Over the years the club have organised autotests, sprints, and hillclimbs, these events are variously rounds of the
N.Ireland and RAC Championships. The latest addition is a rally time trial event to give the clubman and opportunity to enjoy competition at as low a cost as possible. We also appear regularly at the local Civic Week parade, (now Larne Alive) with an array of cars and the heavily sponsored club caravan and trailer. During the week of the civic festival we have added to the excitement with an autotest which has been held on the Main Street.

Being from Northern Ireland and with a hospitality reputation to live up to we can advise you that our annual prize giving dinner dance is an experience on its own.

Many famous names have competed in the clubs events such as Paddy Hopkirk, Adrian and Derek Boyd, Beattie Crawford, Russ Swift, Martin Donnelly (his first competitive event after his horrific accident in Spain was a Larne Motor Club event), Martin Schanke, Will Gollop, John Taylor, John Welch, the Iversons from Norway, Dimi Mavropoulos, Barry McGuigan the boxing world champion, Denis Biggerstaff, Kenny McKinstry, and indeed the WRC star Colin McRae who began his career in autotests at a Larne event, so the list goes on.

The club epitomises what motorsport is all about, we promote motorsport at all levels, encourage young competitors and officials, promote safety, are involved in the local community, actively involve sponsors, attract television, and last but not least we enjoy doing this.