Cookstown 100: Guy Martin in Superbike double

Tyco BMW star Guy Martin steals show as Irish road racing season blasts off, Michael Dunlop unhurt after crashing Milwaukee Yamaha Superbike
Cookstown 100: Guy Martin in Superbike double

Tyco BMW's Guy Martin followed up his Spring Cup triumph at Scarborough with a Superbike double at the Cookstown 100 in Nor🉐thern Ireland on Saturday.

Martin, who missed the Irish national roads event last year, warmed up for the onset of the international meetings with a brace in the feature class on his S1000RR Superstock machine as rival Michael Dunlop endured a disappointing day on his first local appearanc𒁃e of the 𝓰season.

Dunlop had to settle for second best behind Martin in the first Superbike race, albeit by only 0.114 seconds at the finish, but crashed out of the big race of the day on his Milwaukee Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike while leading ♚with three la𒅌ps remaining.

The 11-time Isle of Man TT winner walked away unhurt, leaving Martin to take full advantage as he completed a brace in front of a huge crowd at the Orritꦫor circuit ahead of runner-up Derek Sheils and Dean Harrison on the Mar-Train Yamaha.

"I could have smoked a Woodbi🅘ne in that last race, the Superstock BMW was so stable and working just mint," said Martin.

"I was never under any pressure and when Dunlop came past, I thought, 'this will give me a chance to have a look at what he is doܫing and plan my pass for the last lap'.

"We certainly had an advantage on the back 🍒part of the circuit and definitely t⭕he speed on the front straight to make the pass.

"It didn't nee🅷d to happen, but a good day all round and just what we needed."

William Dunlop on the secon💖d 🙈of the Tyco BMW machines, Jamie Hamilton (Burrows Suzuki) and James Cowton were the top six.

Michael Dunlop was 💜also out of luck in the Supersport clas♊s as he made his debut on his MD Racing Yamaha R6, twice retiring as older brother William stormed to a double.

In race one, Dunlop was a start-to-finish winner on the Chris Dowd/Ivan Curran Racing Yamaha by almost five-and-a-half seconds from Harrison, who was making his second visit to the event f🌺ollowing♎ his debut in 2013, with Hamilton third.

The 29-year-old made a similar fast start from pol🦩e in the second Supersport 600 race but soon came under threat from younger brother Michael, who close🧜d in and looked set to throw down a challenge at the halfway point of the race until he was forced out with a technical problem.

Dunlop won by 0.7 seconds in the end from new Wilson Craig recrui𒁃t Derek McGee with Harrison completing the༺ top three.

On an otherwise low-key day for TT star Dunlop, the Milwaukee Yamaha rider did manage to c🦩ome out on top in the Supertwin race on the♔ McAdoo Kawasaki by half-a-second from Michael Sweeney with Hamilton on the podium again in third.

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