You are all invited to the start of the 2025 RRUK Motorcycle Relay in Northern Ireland…
By now, our Northern Ireland riders would have noticed our starting point for the 2025 RRUK Motorcycle Relay on Saturday 28th June. It is of course Joey’s Bar & Ducati Antrim (aka Millsport Motorcycles) in Ballymoney.
On Wednesday 14th May, Ashley Knowles (Regional co-ordinator, Mental Health Motorbike) and Mary Doll Patterson (County Down Marshalls) and Myself (Mark Smallman) met with Linda & Joey’s daughter Joanne, to go over plans for the NI start of the 2025 Relay.
For the start of the Relay, Joey’s bar will be open, where you can quench your thirst (here’s hoping for good weather), you can also view Joey’s bikes and other memorabilia and maybe purchase some Joey’s bar goodies. You can also make your way across to Millsport to ogle at the delectable Ducati’s.
You will have your choice of food & refreshments before we head off on the first leg of the relay (at 12:30pm sharp). We would suggest arriving at Seymour Street, Ballymoney no later than 11:30am to allow yourself time to meet other riders, grab a snack, a drink (non-alcoholic of course), or perhaps place your order for a new Ducati sled.
It’s a hectic time for Joanne & the bar and we thank her for taking the time to chat with us. With the recent NW200, the upcoming “Joey 25” on May 24th where the whole town will turn yellow & black for the day. For “Joey 25” There will be a display of Joey’s bikes and the chance to meet past & present racers, including a parade lap of the town by the riders on Joey’s bikes.
The first leg of the Relay will see Ashley having the honour of carrying the bear from Joey’s Bar, past the Memorial Garden. Before heading down the Garryduff Road, passing the Joey Dunlop Leisure Centre, and past Garryduff Presbyterian Church, where Joey, his brother Robert and Roberts son William are laid to rest.
Ashley will complete his leg of the Relay in Antrim, before it sets of on a complete circuit of the North, visiting 7 counties (not a typo – check the handovers!).
The Northern Ireland legs of the Relay will pause the following night. Then on the 3rd July. It will re-start when the bear catches the ferry over to Cairnryan to start leg B2-034 heading to Dumfries.
The bear will then cover Scotland, with 39 handovers & riders before going on to meet with the other bear on 7th July at the Angel of the North. Then both bears carry on, zig-zagging their way around England & Wales. And for the first time ever… to the Isle of Man and the Isle of White. Eventually the bears will finish on 19th July at the The Old George Inn, Broad Ln, Sykehouse, Goole DN14 9AU.
We couldn’t allow the chance to pass us by, to take ‘Bear 1’ to visit Ballymoney one more time before the start of the Relay. Attending the Joey 25 celebration on 24th May to join the thousands of other Joey fans to watch the bikes navigate the puddles around a rain soaked Ballymoney ‘Toon’. ‘Bear 1’ and his yellow helmet were quite popular.
