Masters Junior Cup Champion Coyne Stays with JHR & Megabikes for 2020

In February 2019, Jim Halligan Racing (JHR) announced that, in association with Megabikes, they would be running 14 year old grasstrack racer Reece Coyne in the Mondello Masters series. A former top racer and now part of the Masters commentary team, Halligan was keen to nurture young talent and had selected the youngster with this in mind. The mission statement at the start of the season was that “The goal is to take riders with little or no road racing experience and get them to the level where they are capable of winning here in Ireland before making the trip to the BSB paddock- when both speed and experience permit.”

Halligan’s faith was justified when, after a hugely successful season, Coyne was crowned Mondello Masters Junior Cup Champion. Unsurprisingly, the association continues into 2020. Reece will move up to the Junior Supersport class and will tackle the Ulster Superbike and Mondello Masters championships with the possibility of a couple of British Superbike rounds, should funds and pace allow.
Major upgrades will be carried out on the Yamaha R3 for the 2020 season and a substantial testing programme is planned which includes a pre-season visit to Spain for a 3 day test early in the new year.
Reece would like to convey a huge thanks to Brian McCormack for his tuition and support all year and to the long list of people who helped him as he is fully aware that without this, the project would not have been possible.
The team are also delighted to continue their partnership with Dublin based motorbike shop, Megabikes into 2020 as they couldn’t have done it without Ciaran Hayes’ help.
Others who helped Reece in 2019 include the Bolster Group, Ellickson Engineering, William Bolster, Van Fleet Transport, Ambrose Murphy Strength Training, Aidan McNamara Crash Repairs, and Danfay Yamaha.

After a hugely impressive debut season, few would bet against this rider and team making even more headlines in 2020.

The Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship is Ireland’s biggest Motorcycle Racing Championship. The championship attracts the best of Ireland’s short circuit racers, many of whom regularly compete on the support package of the British Superbike Championship, along with occasional appearances by top Road Racers backed up by an impressive line-up of local stars and up and coming young riders. The series has run since 2011 and is seen as the ideal proving ground for young Irish riders looking to build an International Motorcycle Racing career.

Header Image from Stuart Castles/Two Brothers Photography