By 
TYRONE duo Daniel Devine and Lewis Spratt brought a positive end to a motocross season that ultimately frustrated due to injury and mechanical issues when they shone for Ireland at the Coupe de l’Avenir in Belgium.
Omagh’s Spratt, who turned 17 on Tuesday, competed in the open class on his 125cc machine against bikes with much larger capacity engines at 250, 350 and 450cc, earning two 21st placed finishes and one 20th, while Newmills lad, Devine, who was making his debut at the event, took three top 20 finishes in the 85cc class as the Irish team came home seventh overall against Europe’s best young motocross riders.
For Devine, it was a definite high point of a season that was blighted early on due to a broken arm sustained at the first round of the Ulster Championship, which ruled him out for several months.
But he bounced back in style, winning the Irish MX Masters title, while impressing in both the MX GB and Bridgestone Masters Championships. He also finished seventh at the Nora92 British Cup and represented Ireland at the World Junior Championships where he finished 27th before signing off for the season in style in Belgium last weekend.
“It was definitely another one to tick off the list,” Daniel’s Dad, Sean beamed. “It lets us know what we’re up against for next year!
“He enjoyed it and we’re home in one piece which is the main thing because it was a tough track that got very bumpy and choppy because there were that many races on it. But it was definitely good, a good experience.”
Spratt, meanwhile, also suffered a painful early season injury following a horrific crash at Desertmartin before a series of mechanical issues left his season’s plans in tatters. He had started the year brightly during the Arenacross UK Tour and he subsequently shone at the World Junior Championships and the French Masters event before enjoying his fifth outing at the ‘Coupe’ which signalled the end to his life on 125cc machinery, with a step up to a 250 on the agenda for 2026.
“Lewis’s lap times were very good [at the Coupe], to give him the perfect end to the season,” Lewis’s Dad, Mark, said. “He rode his heart out and he’s definitely got the buzz back. The bike has probably never gone as well and Lewis probably never rode it better.
“The conditions were great, he had consistent finishes, good team morale and overall he took fourth or fifth in his class.”
