McKinstry racing!
“Welcome to the website of McKinstry racing. Owned and managed by Billy McKinstry, this small team has been involved in the sport of motorcycle racing for many many years and enjoy nothing better than to compete against and often beat much bigger and better funded race teams.”
Billy McKinstry - Owner/Manager/Mechanic
Billy McKinstry has been around the racing scene for more years than even he can remember assisting numerous racers including the legendary Phil Mellor. Please check out the shop page of the website for further info.
Ivan Lintin - Racer
After a very successful 2007 with the team, Ivan will return again in 2008 to race the McKinstry Yamaha TZ250 and a McKinstry racing/Barron Transport Superbike.
Jules Croft - Racer
Jules started racing in 1992 on a yamaha RD350YPVS where he did the Pegasus MCC club championship and won the 500cc production championship in his first year.
In 1993 he sold the 'powervalve' and bought a Yamaha FZR600 and again raced in the Pegasus MCC club championships winning the 600 Supersport and Open championships that year.
For 1994 he really wanted to move to national racing but to cut a long story short had no money so never raced that year apart from a couple of races on a FZR1000.
For 1995 Jules bought a cbr600 and did a couple of national 600 supersport rounds but destroyed his bike 3rd time out and that was him finished financially.
After buying a GSXR1000 K1 road bike in 2002 Jules decided to have 'a go' again in 2003, and raced that bike in the 2003 ACU Star 1300cc Open Championship, and won that championship that year.
In 2004 he raced a GSXR1000 K3 in the New Era Pro-Bike Championship and came 3rd that year. then in 2005 he again raced the New Era Superclub championship but broke his heal and finished 5th or 6th, but did win 11 races out of 16 at Cadwell Park that year in the New Era superclub, club and challenge meetings in the Pro-Bike & open classes.
In 2006 he sold his gsxr1000 K3 & bought a GSXR750 K4 as he wanted to do the Manx GP. He broke his collarbone 2nd time out at snetterton and missed the early part of the season, returning for his first taste of 'real road racing' at Jurby South in the IOM, at the July National meeting, where he came something like 10th & lapped about 106mph. Jules loved that circuit, and it was probably the most enjoyable racing he had ever done. He then did the Manx GP, where in his Newcomers practice everything was going good, Matts Neilson was setting the pace with Shane Connor with Jules, Michael Weldon & Wayne Kirwan all there abouts.
On race day Matts Neilson and Shane Connor set off 1 & 2 on the road and went for it from the off 115 lap 1. Jules set off no 6 on the road, he caught number 3 Trevor Ferguson at Bishopscourt & got past and then number 4 Wayne Kirwan at Ramsey, Jules got passed him at the Gooseneck and then the pair had a bit of a scrap over the mountain before Jules managed to break away by Hillberry. Jules then got his head down on lap 2 to try and get a flow as he now had clear track, things were going ok, he was in 3rd with 14 seconds over 4th placed Micheal Weldon, but on the run into Kerrowmoah on lap 2 he lost the front and that was him done and another busted collarbone meant no senior either, Jules said "I've never been so gutted racing".
Last year 2007, Jules again kept the 750 K4 and did the Derby Phoenix MCC club championhips in the thunderbike (750cc 4 cyl & 1000cc twins) class. Jules won that championship. He also did the Southern100, qualifying for the main superbike races and came 21st & 20th. He also did the July Jurby South meeting (after the S100) & came 5th in race 1 with 110.8lap, & did the ManxGP Junior race, with his main aim to get some race experience this time! & came 21st with a best lap of 114.7mph, on a GSXR600K4.
As for ambitions, to be honest i don't really like to say this or that, but im hoping if things go ok to be somewhere up front in the Irish 750 support championship. Also though this years Manx will be my 3rd, i've only done 1 race there, so my plan is to learn the place some more this year and see what i can do there in 2009.
Jules will race a Suzuki GSXR750 for McKinstry racing in 2008.
Noel Boyd - Rider/Mechanic
Noel Boyd has been with the team for a while now helping out with the spanners, but 2008 sees Noel make his race debut.
Noel will race a Kawasaki ZXR400 for McKinstry racing in 2008.
Leon Donaghy - Rider
Leon started racing in 2004, on short circuits with Derby Phoenix MCC. Leon was in second place in the Steel Frame Newcomers Championship until he broke both his wrists, elbow, and ankle at Mallory Park with three races to go so he ended up in 4th.
Leon's first race back was 2005 at Croft and he hadn't got his bottle back and decided to quit there and then. Towards the back end of that season he borrowed a friends bike for a one off race at Snetterton and wasn't far off the pace and as his ambition was always to get his National license and go road racing so decided to give it another go.
In 2007 he didn't really do many short circuits but concentrated on the Manx. It was his 1st year at the Manx and he managed to get 11th in the Newcomers A race after bad weather conditions stopped him from going any faster after a near highside at Kate's Cottage. His fastest lap of the race was 108.4mph from a standing start - earning him a replica. He was a bit disappointed as he felt he should have been inside the top 10 but wasn't prepared to push hard after that scare.
In the Junior Manx he set off with another 108mph lap from a standing start then on lap two slowing for the pits he lapped at 108.919mph. Sadly on lap 3 he got caught up in the Shane Conner crash and Keith Williams who started with him ran into the back of him at Alpine Cottage after he didn't see the waved yellow flags. Leon managed to stay on but Keith had taken off his left hand rear-set so had to retire.
Leon Donaghy will compete on a Yamaha R6 with McKinstry racing in 2008.
Russell Brown - Rider
Russ also started racing in 2004 alongside Leon and together they have raced with Derby Phoenix, Croft, Wirral and Aintree championships as well as the Manx Grand Prix. Russ will compete on a Yamaha R6 with McKinstry racing in 2008.
Russ went on to do the Manx Newcomers in 2005 and finished 14th with a fastest lap of 103mph.
In the 2007 Junior Manx Russ went on to finish 54th with a race average of 107.797mph earning him his 2nd replica.
Mike Russell - Rider
Mike first started racing in 2004 and competed in the 600 Hornets with New Era, only being able to afford to compete in Two rounds, at Cadwell and Snetterton. But in his second ever race he came in 2nd place and was only ever going to be happy with one better.
Mike competed the following year in the New Era Superclub, setting numerous fastest laps and many wins, only to have his championship taken from him when he had bike problems at Brands Hatch and could not afford to compete in the last round at Cadwell Park.
He then set himself a goal of the British Superstock in 2006 and after setting the fastest lap at Brands in the first round, he found it was far too expensive and tried in vein to race the whole season on a shoestring, buying old tyres off other racers but in hindsight "i should have thought about it and got out of it. But nevermind, you live and learn as they say".
In 2007 Mike had planned to do MRO powerbikes but due to work commitments he could not do that, and wrote the year off until it turned out he would be back in the UK before the Manx GP. After a late entry and trying to sort out a lot of things without being in the country over the Internet and on a 30 minute phone card a week it was hit and miss wether or not he would be ready for it, but managed it only just.
The Manx GP is somthing Mike always wanted to do, but for some reason never got round to it. The first time he cocked his leg over a bike in over a year was to ride down Bray Hill behind the Marshall! It was a little bit daunting as he had never seen the place before but "I can honestly say it is the best experience of my life and i am completly hooked on road racing. In all honesty i cannot see any point in circuit racing anymore, other than for a bit of testing but it blew me away and i cannot wait for the this year to start and my road racing career to bloom. I am very excited about this year, I am looking forward to meeting the challenges that come with road racing, meeting new people and getting down to business.".