Enniskillen and District Motorcycle Club members where back in action at the weekend at the recent round of the Ulster Superbike Championship, this time hosted by The Temple Motorcycle Club who are in their centenary year. The one-day racing event was affected by poor weather which did see a lower number of locals making the 100-mile trip to Bishopscourt racetrack.
Déjà vu
Two local riders, Derek O’Donnell and Andrew Brady were again dominant in the Pre-Injection class. So far both riders have been taking the top step on the podium in both of their classes, O’Donnell in the 600cc, and Brady in the 1000cc, which run in the same race.
This weekend was no different as both men continued their winning streak with two wins in each of the respective classes. Both men are leading the championship in their classes. Fivemiletown’s Trevor Quinn was all getting to grips with the wet conditions in the same class but despite qualifying well under the conditions, Quinn retired in race one due to mechanical issues which also ruled him out of race two.
No Qualifying for Lyons
Jamie Lyons, who has been making progress on his Supersport 600 machine, was disappointed on Saturday when a last-minute tyre change didn’t go to plan causing him to miss the 12-minute qualifying session.
After completing the required number of laps with another class Lyons was permitted by the Clerk of the Course to start form the back of the grid. In normal circumstances the qualifying times would have dictated if the riders race in the ‘pro’ class or the Cup B class. As Lyons was unable to qualify, he was ruled out of the ‘pro’ group. The Cup race was run under dry conditions, over the eight-lap race Lyons showed some class technique to wind and weave his way around the other 21 riders in the field to finish in an impressive first place. In race two conditions were very wet and with all riders a little more tentative, Lyons took it easy and finished in fourth position, keeping in mind that next race will be in Donington this weekend. Other results from the Supersport cup class saw Enniskillen Club member Adrian Heraty bring home an eighth and sixth place finish.
Steady results
In the production Twin class Fintona’s Michael McKernan was the only local out in this class finishing his races in ninth and fifth position. Michael Carr, who was representing the locals in the Lightweight 400 class, struggled on the grid with a throttle issue resulting in race one being a non-starter, in the second race of the day he was back on track and finished in sixth place. In the Senior classic race newcomer Alan McCaffrey was out on his 750cc Honda machine and finished both his two races in fourth position.
Superbike
The Temple 100 Cup Superbike race was the feature race for the day. Aaron Armstrong from Lisnaskea who is currently sitting in seventh place in the Superbike championship put in some flying laps in race one only to be forced to retire in lap seven. Alastair Seely, Ali Kirk and Stephen McAdoo where the top three finishers in the first of the superbike races. In race two Armstrong crossed the line in seventh position with Seeley taking the second win.
In other racing news
Enniskillen man Michael Huey continues to keep pace at the No Limits Racing Endurance championships. The latest round in Donington Park was a 5.5-hour endurance race. Huey and his team members finished in first place in the Rookie Team Class and sixth place in the Clubman championship.
Racing continues
Next in the racing fixtures is the next round of the Ulster Superbike Championship at Kirkistown Racetrack on September 4, followed by the Cookstown 100 Road Race on September 10-11.
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