By 
WHEN Jamie Lyons decided he wanted to take a break from racing in the Pirelli National Superstock Championship in England and Scotland, his dad, Steven thought he would be able to take a break from motorcycle racing.
There will be no pipe and slippers for the Omagh man, however, as Jamie has entered the Ulster Superbike Championship on his Ability Energy Honda Fireblade and a newly purchased Honda CBR 600 Supersport machine, while Lyons Racing has also added a new rider and gone in a new direction too.
Alongside Jamie’s short circuit campaign at Kirkistown and Bishopscourt, the team, which will again be backed by loyal sponsors, Ability Energy and Donnell and Ellis Heavy Haulage Ltd, will take its first steps into the world of road racing after current International Road Racing Superbike champion, Darryl Tweed joined the team.
The Ballymoney rider won the IRRC title at the Frohburg round in Germany last September, becoming he first rider from Northern Ireland to win the crown and this season he will compete in the National and International road race events on the Lyons Racing machine in the Superbike and Superstock classes at the North West 200, the Isle of Man TT Races and the Southern 100, while also competing in the entire national calendar, including the opening round at Cookstown in April.
Linking up with Tweed and entering the road racing scene came completely out of the blue, and while initially sceptical, Lyons senior admits he’s looking forward to the challenge.
“At first, we were going to do absolutely nothing but then a friend of Darryl’s phoned and asked if we’d run him on the road and, genuinely, I bust out laughing!,” Steven explained.
“It was a nice pat on the back for a rider of his calibre to approach us, but to be fair, maybe people have looked at the job we did as a small team in England for six years and looked at Jamie’s track record of finishing races and the bike finishing races, we’ve managed to put out a decent bike, so hopefully that continues.
“It’s going to be a big learning curve for us. Obviously I’ve been involved in the Enniskillen club running a road race and Cookstown I’m obviously involved with the safety car.
“And I’ve grown up, since I was a kid, with Dad dragging us to Cookstown, Tandragee, the North West and all the races. It’s something I’ve always loved.
“[Darryl] is a good, steady pilot, he’s no mug, so we’re going with someone who has a bit of experience on the roads and I think it’s one of those things, if I was going to do it, Darryl was one of the few people I’d do it with.
“He’s one of those riders, who doesn’t have a huge budget, but he has a huge talent and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’m looking forward to it.”
Looking ahead to the season, Lyons is looking forward to getting a taste of the big international events like the North West 200 and the Isle of Man TT he admits there is a little additional pressure having Tweed coming on board after the County Antrim man enjoyed such success in 2025.
“From my point of view, you just want to make sure that the bike is out and working for him and then it’s up to him when he gets on the thing,” he said.
“It does probably add a wee bit of pressure. It would possibly be different if you were going with someone who is new to the thing when there would be no expectations.
“With Darryl, he was man of the meeting at Cookstown last year, so he’s not used to rattling around at the back, so it will be nerve wracking, it will be a big change but we’ll see how we go!”
