Brian is the Master at Mondello

The popular Tramore man was never headed, as he took a start to finish race win over his nearest championship rival, Marshal Neill, from Portadown. Neill pushed hard, but in the end the Tag Racing rider got the better of the Portadown man. Neill had a hard time from Supersport 600 mounted Glenn Irwin.

Carrick rider Irwin had held second place for a couple of laps, but the faster Superbike of Neill was always going to be more than a match for the smaller capacity machine. In the end, McCormack took the race win, finishing .4 ahead of Neill, while Irwin, a faller during the Masters practice, was just over 2 seconds adrift.

There were a set of races on Saturday afternoon, as well. In the Supersport 600 class, there was a surprise win for Michael Dunlop. He beat Glenn Irwin by almost 12 seconds, with Gary Jeffers third, over 4 seconds back. Sean Hurley, the Cork man recently crowned as the Supersport 600 Clubmans champion, took the first race win in the Superbike and Supersport 600 B race.

He finished 6.6 seconds ahead of Lisburn's Gareth Evans, while Frank Smyth was a further 3.3 behind. Michael Sweeney was in great form in the Supertwins races. He won Saturday's race by over 9 seconds with Emmett O'Grady finishing as runner up. O'Grady, who is a regular in the Triumph series across the water, was riding the bike raced on the roads this year by Dean Harrison, and finished under a second ahead of Sean O'Neill.

In Saturday's 2 stroke race, Thomas Lawlor ran out as winner, but was always under pressure from Cookstowns Richard Glasgow. Glasgow got the better of Ronan Shanaghan in the closing stages of the race, to take third place. In the 125 category, the amazing run of wins for Ballymena's Robert English continued, the local lad taking the flag .7 of a second ahead of elder brother Christopher.

Randalstown's Nigel Percy was third. Castleblaney rider Joseph Loughlin trounced the opposition in Saturdays Lightweight Supersport, aka SS400 race. Sporting a new paintjob on his little Honda Joe blasted away from the line, and was never under any kind of pressure as he took the win, 27.7 seconds ahead of Brendan Merrigan. Merrigan just managed to hold of Noel Bertran for second place.

Former road racer Jonathon Ralph has returned to racing after a few years out of the sport. He was in unstoppable form all weekend in the Pre97 class. In Saturday's race James Kelly came as near as it got, finishing 1.5 seconds adrift of Ralph, while Melvin Hollingsworth was a distant third.

Kyle Young and Clive Russell from Lisburn won Saturdays sidecar race, that was better than normally supported. Keith Walters and standin passenger Alan Thomas were second, while Dylan Lynch and Joe Newton were third.

After the heavy rain and changeable conditions that ruined Saturdays racing, Sunday dawned bright and sunny. There were a few warm up sessions and a Masters practice session and then straight into racing before the lunch break.

In the first race of the day, for 2 stroke bikes, there was a cracking four bike dice for the entire distance. Thomas Lawlor took the race win, with his best mate Ronan Shanaghan right in his wheel tracks. At the line Shanaghan had closed to within .01 of a second of the race win, while Antrim's Mark Hanna came home third, and still only .3 back of the race win. Spare a thought for Richard Glasgow. He was well in touch with the leaders, but his bike went sick on the final lap and he took fourth place, although he was a bit back. Robert English again took a race win in the 125 class. He was a country mile ahead of Paul Robinson, while Nigel Percy finished third.

In the final 2 stroke race of the weekend, Ronan Shanaghan grabbed the race win. He beat Thomas Lawlor into second, with Mark Hanna again taking third place. In doing so, Mark tied up his 250GP Irish championship. Well done to him and his team. It leaves them going to the final meeting of the year with no pressure.

Nigel Percy inflicted the only defeat on Robert English that the Ballymena 16 year old has had all year at the Kildare track. Percy led away from the line, but was soon relegated to second by English.

The Randalstown rider hit back and went ahead, holding on to take the race win by .8 of a second. For young English it was 11 starts, 10 wins and a second place. Not a bad record. Jason Lynn, the 2010 GP125 Newcomers champion, took third although he was a bit off the pace.

After a few years racing in MRO, Portadown's Clifffy Hamilton has returned home to race. He took his first ever double in the B races for Superbike and Supersport 600 bikes. Hamilton had a sluggish start in the first race, but soon went ahead of early leader Damien Horan. Yannick Galindo from Cork finished second, after grabbing the place from big Damien with a couple of laps to go. Horan finished third. In the final race for the B Superbikes and 600's, it was more of the same, as Damien Horan led from the start.

He was put under presure by Hamilton, until the likeable Co. Armagh man hit the front. Horan overshot a corner trying to get back on terms, but although he didn’t fall, he left himself well out of contention for the lead. Sean Hurley, the new Clubmans champion finished in second place, comfortably ahead of Yann Galindo.

After his race win of Saturday, Skerries man Michael Sweeney took a win in the first race of Sunday. In one of the closest finishes of the day, Micko won by just .1 of a second, with Banbridge's Marty Lennon third, a further .8 adrift.

In the Supersport 600 class, Carrickfergus' Glenn Irwin came to the line, probably still smarting from Saturdays defeat by Michael Dunlop. He was taking no prisoners here, beating Ards man Kirk Jamison back to second place by .6 of a second. Marty Nutt, a BSB regular, took third place, just .2 behind Jamison. It was again Irwin in the final race, but this time he finished 2.2 ahead of Nutt, with Jamison just over a second behind.

Ryan Maher took his maiden SS400 race win in the first race. Joe Loughlin gave his fresh new paintjob the used look when he slid off his Honda on lap 2, leaving Co. Cavan rider Ryan Maher to take a win, by just .2 from Brendan Merrigan. Merrigan, from Lattin, Co. Tipperary got the better of James Chawke in the latter stages of the race, the Rathkeale lad wisely settling for third. It was back to normal for the final race of the weekend for the SS400's. Joe Loughlin grabbed the race win, but this time by just 5 seconds. Brendan Merrigan finished second with Daryl Duffy third, although well back.

There was a double for Jonny Ralph in the Pre97 class. He won the first race by 3.7 seconds from Melvin Hollingsworth with Paul O'Donaghue third. James Kelly finished just 1.4 seconds behind Ralph in the final race, again Hollingsworth taking third.

The Willie Moore Racing team of Alex Johnston/Paul Carvill and Kyle Young/Clive Russell finished first and second in the opening chair race. They didnt get it easy, however, as demon braker Karl Mullen and brother Stephen fired their short outfit under the F1 machines of the leaders at every corner. Braking for the hairpin, the final bend on the circuit, the Stradbally duo were able to take yards out of the leaders, but the long outfits had the power to blast to the line ahead. The win went to Johnston/Carvill, who were 5.1 seconds ahead of Young/Russell at the finish. The Mullans were just outpaced at the finish, ending up 1.4 adrift in third.

The Willie Moore team were agin holding sway in race two, but at about half distance Young/Russell retired with what, to the best of my knowledge was clutch trouble. It gave the race win to Alex Johnston/Paul Carvill, and with it the Mondello title. Lisburn man Scobby Killough/Paddy Marley overcame a slow start, passing the Mullan brothers with a couple of laps to go, and taking second place. The Mullans were third.

A very enjoyable weekends racing. It just shows that racing simply has to go to a 2 day format. The practice on Saturday, with a set of races, and then a short warmup period on Sunday morning. They has a set of races before lunch, and then another complete set after the break. The only negative thing I could say about the weekend was that they should have used the long track. Its far better for riders and spectators(and photographers) Well done to all concerned.

DUNLOP LEAVES CHRIS DOWD RACING

After some two and a half years, William Dunlop has decided to split from Randalstown man Chris Dowd's team.

The split, which is an amicable one, comes as Dunlop has been offered backing to form his own team to target the big three International road race meetings, the TT, NW, and the Ulster GP.

Dowd has offered Dunlop the use of his 600 for the Sunflower, but the offer has been declined. I understand that William plans to build his own team, centered round a Superbike and a Supersport 600 machine, and may also take in some race meetings in England next year.

It’s still unsure who will ride the Dowd bikes at the end of season Sunflower meeting, coming up in a couple of weeks, but I have heard a number of names mentioned. As yet I haven’t had a chance to speak to Chris himself, so I won’t say what I have heard.

LOANENDS AWARD NIGHT

Always first with the awards, the locally based Loanends club are having their prizegiving this Saturday night. This is for the Loanends Road Racing Support Championship, and also a few other special awards.

With Shanogue being closed, the awards will be presented in the Allen Park Restaurant, on the Randalstown Road out of Antrim. They are due to get under way about 8pm. I'll have coverage of that in next weeks Times.