Ivan Lintin opened his account at the Ulster Grand Prix Bikeweek in stunning style on Thursday evening when the RC Express Racing rider took eighth place in the Dundrod 150 Superbike race and also lapped in excess of 131mph, the first time he'd broken the magical 130mph barrier.
Riding the Kawasaki ZX-10R, the Lincolnshire rider completed the first lap in 13th place but by the third lap, half race distance, he was up into tenth place and closing in on the group of riders in front of him. Indeed, as the race entered its second half, he was part of a thrilling four-rider battle for sixth place.
On the fourth lap, he posted a new personal best lap of the 7.4-mile public road circuit at 131.072mph, comfortably quicker than his previous best, and he was circulating in close company with former Ulster Grand Prix winners William Dunlop and Keith Amor as well as former RC Express Racing rider Dean Harrison.
Going into the final lap, less than a second covered the quartet and the battle for sixth was wide open but long time race leader Guy Martin crashed out at Ireland’s which brought out the reg flag, thus ending the race prematurely. With the result going back to the end of the fifth lap, it meant Ivan was awarded eighth place, a great start to his week at Dundrod.
Ivan Lintin:
“Coming into this year’s event, one of my aims was to break the 130mph mark so to lap at more than 131mph in my first race is brilliant and I’m over the moon. It was good to get more mileage in on the Superbike and I felt really comfortable in the race so to finish eighth is really pleasing. It helps getting pulled along a bit by a group of riders but I wasn’t hanging on, I was sitting there with them and with a bit more confidence, I feel that I could have made a few overtaking manoeuvres. It’s a great start to the week though and all of the bikes were working brilliantly in qualifying so I’m looking forward to a good day on Saturday.”
Ben Constable:
“Today has been Ivan’s first proper race on the Superbike and the whole team is over the moon with what he’s achieved today. To run with the company he was running with and to lap in excess of 131mph is stunning and it’s a great start to the week. He was sitting comfortably with the group of riders battling for sixth and we know improvements can be made to make him even more comfortable on the bike. There’s definitely more to come and we’re all really looking forward to Saturday.”
Ivan has a busy day in Saturday’s Ulster Grand Prix with outings in the Superbike, Supersport, Superstock and Supertwin races.
Picture by Jon Jessop Photography
Lintin excels in Dundrod 150 Superbike race
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