THE curtain came down on the 2015 Irish road racing season on Sunday at the ever-popular Killilane meeting.
In the Open Championship race, Michael Dunlop on the MD Racing BMW took the win comfortably over Dubliner Derek Sheils on the BikeBits Kawasaki with William Dunlop taking third on the Tyco Racing BMW.
William Dunlop took the Supersport 600 victory on the CD Racing Yamaha. Dunlop, who had already wrapped up the Irish Supersport Championship title, beat Mullingar’s Derek McGee on a Kawasaki with Ballymena’s Seamus Elliott third just in front of John Walsh and Davy Morgan.
William continued his 600 dominance in the 600 Invitation race with another win ahead of Seamus Elliott and Derek McGee.
In the 125cc class, Sam Wilson on the Joeys Bar 125 Honda came in ahead of Sam Dunlop and Nigel Moore.
In the Supertwins 600 Championship race, Mullingar’s Derek McGee topped off a fine season with another victory with Conor Beham second and newly crowned Irish 400cc champion, Michal Dokoupil from the Czech Republic, in third place.
At Oulton Park in Cheshire yesterday, the British Superbike Championships continued with the final places for the top six shoot out for the final two rounds up for grabs.
Josh Brookes on the Milwaukee Yamaha set the Oulton Park circuit alight with a new lap record in race three.
In race one, it was defending champion Shane Bryne on the PBM Kawasaki who claimed victory with Brookes in third place after starting from the rear of the grid.
Brookes however turned the tables in race two with a start to finish win, having eight seconds to spare over runner-up Danny Buchan on the BeWisher Kawasaki and Dan Linfoot third on the Honda Racing Fireblade.
Shane Byrne, who was shadowing Brookes in the race, pulled out with one lap remaining with machine problems while Toomebridge rider Michael Laverty on the Tyco BMW finished in seventh place after his team-mate Tommy Bridewell crashed out heavily on lap five.
In race three, not even a new lap record by Brookes could stop Bryne as he put on a masterful display to beat Brookes in the run to the finish for his second win of the weekend with Bridewell in third.
Michael Laverty finished in 12th place on the second Tyco BMW machine securing his place in the top six shoot-out which will determine the 2015 MCE British Superbike champion. The six in the shoot-out will be Josh Brookes, Shane Bryne, Tommy Bridewell, James Ellison, Michael Laverty, and Dan Linfoot.
In the National Superstock 1000cc race, it turned out to be a cracking battle between Carrickfergus rider Alastair Seeley on the TYCO BMW and Fermanagh’s Josh Elliott on the Morrell Kawasaki with Seeley taking the win with just 0.003 seconds splitting the pair as they crossed the line.
Former Superstock champion Hudson Kennaugh was third, while Castledawson rider Nico MaWhinney ran a fantastic race to take the final point in 15th place on the Polaris Racing Kawasaki.
In the British Supersport 600 Race, it turned out to be a thrilling affair between Antrim’s Andy Reid, Luke Dixon, James Rispoli and Luke Stapleford with this quartet dominating the 15-lap race.
Reid on the Team Traction Control Yamaha, who had won the sprint race on Saturday, looked to be on for a double only for the Yamaha rider to crash out in spectacular fashion with the finish line in sight on the final lap while leading, handing the victory to Luke Dixon on the Smiths Truimph with James Rispoli second and Stapleford third. Carrickfergus rider Glenn Irwin just got the better of his Gearlink Kawasaki Team mate Ben Wilson to take fourth place.
