Centenary triple for super Sweeney

MICHAEL Sweeney was the man to beat at the centenary KDM Cookstown 100 road races on Saturday when he claimed a hat-trick of wins and claimed the man of the meeting accolade in the process.

The Skerries rider won both superbike races, including the feature event, as well as claiming top supertwins honours on a day of sunshine, drama and excitement.

Most of the drama involved local racers, with Adam McLean, who rides for Cookstown’s McAdoo Racing, crashing out of both the supertwin and feature superbike races, fortunately suffering no injuries, while Paul Jordan and Burrows Engineering/RK Racing’s Mike Browne both ended up in hospital following a first lap incident in the opening superbike race.

Unfortunately Browne sustained two broken ankles and has been ruled out for the foreseeable future.

Saturday’s hectic schedule of 14 races concluded a week long festival off all things motorcycling as the Cookstown and District Motorcycle Club marked its centenary in style with daily events and spectacles.

But the real action got underway on Friday with practice, qualifying and three races, the first of which was the Mid Ulster District Council Supersport B race, won by Julian Trummer from Toby Shann and Liam Chawke.

Ryan Whitehall was the next racer to step onto the top of the podium after sealing victory in the Super Seal Windows Senior Support B, while the action on day one concluded with Darryl Anderson winning the Steelweld Fabrications Open B race from Czech racer, Michal Dokoupil and third placed local rider, Paul Gartland.

Saturday got underway with Jack Oliver winning the Super Seal Windows Senior Support A race from Keelan Ryan and Michael Gahan, before Browne dominated the Moto3 race on his Burrows Engineering machine from Eoin O’Siochru and Nigel Moore. Barry Davidson claimed the Supersport 300 honours from Darryl Tweed and Steve Moody.

Kris Duncan won the Lightweight Supersport race from David Howard and Alan Johnston, while Chris Meyer was the top 250GP finisher ahead of Gareth Arnold and Richard Ford was the fastest of the post classics.

McLean took the Supersport honours on his McAdoo Kawasaki by over six seconds from Browne, with Jordan third and Sweeney fourth in an entertaining six lap race following a red flag and that was followed by wins for Ivo Ladde and RJ Woolsey in the Supertwin/Supermono B event.

Sweeney claimed his first win of the day in the Supertwin race, beating Dominic Henderson by almost five seconds, with Paul Williams third, while Eoin O’Siochru won the Junior Support A race from Michael Gillan and Daniel Ingham.

Woolsey was the victor in the Junior Support B race from Chris Meyer and Dave Walsh before Philip Shaw won the Classic 250cc outing and Barry Davison did likewise on his 350. The Junior Classic B race saw Richard Ford beat Woolsey to the line in the 250 outing, while Robert McCrum did likewise in the 350s. John Leigh Pemberton won the classic 500cc race, with Andy Hornby claiming the 1000cc honours.

The Steelweld Fabrications Open A superbike race went Sweeney’s way on his MJR Racing BMW from McLean’s McAdoo Kawasaki and Thomas Maxwell after Jordan and Browne’s crash on lap one, while Toby Shann won the Cookstown 100 B race from Matthew Rees and Darryl Anderson.

And Sweeney completed his hat-trick in the KDM Hire Cookstown 100 A race from Maxwell and Michael Charlton to conclude a sensational day for the Skerries man.