That's Sam comeback!

BALLYMENA rider Sam Wilson returned to racing at the weekend, after breaking both wrists at Kirkistown at the start of June.

In a day where the record books took a pounding, Sam was immediately back on the pace, and won his first race. He finished .9 of a second ahead of Conor Parkhill, with series leader Jason Lynn third.

Lynn broke the lap record for the GP125 Newcomers, slashing an amazing 2.7 seconds off the previous best. Young Parkhill, son of former Classic racer Stewart, took revenge in race two, pipping Wilson by .4 of a second. Jason Lynn lost a little bit of ground to both Wilson and Parkhill, by taking another third. Sam Wilson broke the record, set earlier by Jason Lynn, lapping .072 faster.

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Run concurrently, Korie McGreevy also broke the class record in the 125 Production race. He lapped .421 faster than Ahoghill's Luke Johnston's August 09 time.

McGreevy didn't win, though. That honour went to Aaron McBride, the first time McGreevy has been beaten, when he finished, all season. Third place went to Reece Davidson, from Dromore.

It was back to winning ways for McGreevy in race two, finishing 22.7 seconds ahead of Co. Down lad Davidson. Aaron McBride was third.

There was a shake up in the Pre97 race, where James McCann was under pressure from Aiden Fitzpartick for much of the race. On the penultimate lap Fitzpatrick slid off but McCann, not realising his rival was down pushed a bit too hard, and followed suit, leaving a surprised James Kelly to take the race win. Craig Ringland was a distant second with Liam Crotty third. Aiden Fitzpatrick had a consolation of a new lap record, taking 1.5 seconds off the old one. James Kelly took the race win in the second outing, beating Liam Crotty and Ronan Kerrigan comfoprtably.

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Malcolm McKinney grabbed the lap record in the Supertwins race. With the new, and not very popular layout being used, where the riders have a wee pokey loop to negotiate after Dunsfort, McKinney set the fastest lap in the first race, thus setting a new record. it had never been used for the Clubmans Supertwins class before.

Stephen McAdoo absolutely rode the wheels off his 400 Kawasaki to take a 400 class win, also setting a new lap record in the process. McAdoo pipped Paul Truesdale by .3 after riding under the Ballynahinch man at the afore mentioned wee pokey loop. McKinney again took the race win in the second outing, and again set a new lap record. McAdoo took second, with a new lap record, while Truesdale finished third.

Derek McGee won both the Supersport 600 races, not content with taking his first ever race win, but following it up with his first ever double. It was a day when the entire Supersport 600 table was upset. In the first race, both series leader Sean Hurley and second placed Timmy Elwood scored non finishes, while Nico Mawhinney finished third behind McGee and Carl Phillips.

In the second race, Hurley, who has led the overall championship for much of the season, could only manage 6th place, while Elwood was again a non finisher, due to his R6 developing a mystery electrical complaint, that left the Lisburn lad’s bike with a flat battery. Nico Mawhinney was second and Steven Beers third. The big winner out of the day was young Mawhinney, who jumped to second, ahead of Elwood.

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The Senior class was blown out of the water to a certain extent as well. Daniel O'Connell was a single point ahead of Noel Dornan before racing on Saturday. Anthony Rogan led the first race for a few laps, but couldnt sustain his pace. Dornan got through to take the race win. O'Connell could only manage third, behind Rogan.

There was worse to come for the likeable Dublin man. Despite setting the fastest lap of the race, Daniel could only manage second place, with Dornan again taking the race win. Rogan took third. It leaves a 13 point deficit for O'Connell to pull back at Mondello's final round.

In the two National races, Gary Jeffers grabbed the win in the first, from David Haire and Rory Clarke. Dunadry's Jonny Buckley took the second, pipping David Haire and Gary Jeffers.

A fantastic day’s sport, with lap records galore. Well done to all concerned.

SUNDAY ISB MEETING

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It was the second day of racing at Bishopscourt on Sunday, with this time the ISB series taking centre stage.

Marshal Neill upped the lap record in both Superbike races. In the first Portadown man Neill led more or less from the start, but was being closed down at a great rate of noughts by Waterford man Brian McCormack, who was only .9 behind at the line. David Haire was a distant third.

Neill repeated the lap record breaking in race two. This time he took a further .6 off his days best, winning by 4.8 seconds over David Haire. McCormack was third this time out.

Newtownards man Kirk Jamison and Jonny Buckley served up a fantastic race in the first Supersport 600 event. More than once Buckley was in a position to grab the lead, but when poised to take the race win, the Dunadry man fired the Module Road & Race R6 away at something like 140mph. He walked away, but although I didn’t see the bike at close quarters afterwards I’m told its well battered.

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Gary Jeffers was also within pouncing distance of the leader, but Jamison was able to hang on at the line, winning by .9. Glenn Irwin, on his 3rd different bike of the weekend, came home third. Former Supermoto rider Jordan Bonar broke the 'Cup' lap record while Jonny Buckley raised the SS600 one.

There was yet another race win for Kirk Jamison in the second race. He pipped Irwin, who was riding Terry Bradleys R6. Buckley was third on a bike borrowed from Clubmans rider Mark Nixon.

The combined SS400 and Supertwins race was red flagged on the first lap, due to a couple of crashes. On the restart, Marty Lennon, who lives almost within sight of former World champion Brian Reid demolished the opposition to take the race win in the Supertwins class. He was 11.4 seconds ahead of Antrim’s Mark Glasgow.

Joseph Loughlin, the Castleblaney teenager, took the class win in the SS400 category, a whopping 26.1 seconds ahead of second SS400 man Bernard Nolan. Lennon again took the race win in the second outing. Again it was Glasgow who finished in second place and Malcolm McKinney third. Joseph Loughlin, a lad who has ability well beyond his 17 years, again walked away with the race win in the SS400 class, and broke his own lap record for good measure. The likeable young lad was 31.1 seconds ahead of Johnny McCay at the line, with Bernard Nolan third, right on McCay’s back wheel.

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Thomas Lawlor was in great form in the GP250 class, beating Antrim's Mark Hanna by 5 seconds to take the win. Randalstown's Nigel Percy, who had problems with his rear shock in practice, borrowed for the race, and on a GP125, finished a brilliant 3rd place on the track. He won the 125 class by 4.6 seconds over Ahoghill's Robert English.

There was a fantastic win from Mark Hanna in the second race, and in doing so, he broke the lap record, upping the time set earlier in the day by Thomas Lawlor. Lawlor took second and Richard Glasgow third. Nigel Percy took the 125 class from Robert English.

Newtownards' George Kennedy/Colin Smyth won the two sidecar races. In the first they best Alex Johnston/ Paul Carvill and Scobby Killough/Paddy Marley. In race two, the top two remained the same, but this time it was Kark and Stephen Mullan who filled third place.

James Higginson, who told me earlier in the morning that he had fitted a few more go faster parts to his R6, took a couple of race wins in the Clubmans 600/1000cc events, breaking the lap record in both races. He won the first from Jonathon McKelvey and Drew Jamison, while it was McKelvey and Alan McClean who completed the podium.

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A brilliant weekend’s sport. Cheers to my oul mate Stevie Wilson who lent me his big Mercerdes van so I could take my son with me. Some experience for both of us. Don’t ever try to make a fry with plastic knives and forks. I know a guy who did, and it is really hard, I understand.

THIS WEEKEND

Having looked through the calendar, we have this weekend off. The season resumes the weekend after, and is then flat out up till the end of the season.