Bruce Anstey clinches double at Dundrod
Malcolm Offline
Administrator
*******

Posts: 20,579
Threads: 18,390
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation: 0
#1
Bruce Anstey clinches double at Dundrod
[Image: ulstergplogo2014.jpg]

Bruce Anstey has brought his haul of career Ulster Grand Prix wins to 10 by clinching Superbike and Supersport wins at the Dundrod road racing meeting.

Anstey earned a thrilling Supersport win after long-time leader William Dunlop suffered a late engine blow-out.

New Zealander Anstey then produced a dramatic late move to finish ahead of Guy Martin in the first Superbike race.

Earlier, Isle of Man rider Dan Kneen earned his first Ulster Grand Prix win as he took Superstock victory.

Martin led at the end of every lap in the opening seven-lap Superbike race bar the closing circuit.

Lincolnshire rider Martin, 32, was followed closely by Anstey and Lee Johnston over the opening three laps before Michael Dunlop started to challenge the three leaders.

Anstey and Martin then swapped the lead on laps five and six but the Englishman appeared to be in control early on the final circuit as he forged a lead of around 200 metres.

However, the Tyco Suzuki rider was hindered by back markers which allowed Anstey to get back into contention.

Anstey then out-braked Martin late in the final lap to regain the lead and take a tremendous victory with Johnston, Dunlop, Peter Hickman and Daley Mathison completing the top-six positions.

[Image: bansteywinatugp2014.jpg]
Bruce Anstey

In Supersport Race 1, Anstey caught Dunlop on the penultimate lap but the Ballymoney man had regained the lead before his late misfortune as his engine failed.

The win gave Anstey his ninth Ulster Grand Prix win as Fermanagh rider Johnston and Martin completed the podium spots.

In the closest finish in Ulster Grand Prix history, Kneen, 27, edged out England's Dean Harrison by a mere one-thousandth of a second with Anstey a further tenth of a second further back in third.

The opening Supersport race, eventually won by Anstey, had to be halted after less than half a lap after a spill involving three riders in damp and windy conditions.

Race organisers said that the riders involved had not suffered life-threatening injuries.

James Cowton repeated his Dundrod 150 Lightweight class win on Thursday as he finished ahead of John Ella and Ian Morrell with Daley Mathison pipping Christian Elkin in an exciting Ultra Lightweight duel.

The wins gave Cowton and Mathison their first Ulster Grand Prix victories.

Elkin led for most of the Ultra Lightweight race but was hindered by a backmarker on the final corner which allowed Mathison to take his first Ulster Grand Prix victory with Paul Jordan taking third.

[Image: dkneenwinatugp2014.jpg]
Dan Kneen edged out Dean Harrison in a thrilling opening Superstock race at the Ulster Grand Prix

In the opening Superstock class, Harrison was leading by five seconds when the race was halted after one lap because of rain.

When the class was re-started as a five-lap race, Harrison was unable to break clear of the field and he became involved in an exciting battle with Kneen and Anstey.

Crumlin man Stephen Thompson was the best Northern Ireland finisher in fourth with event newcomer Peter Hickman in fifth and Guy Martin sixth.

Michael Dunlop retired early in the re-started race after his visor problems had led to a brief delay.


[Image: bbcsport.gif]
.
16-08-2014, 04:47 PM
Website Find Reply




Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)