The Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship heads to Mondello Park for the third instalment of its 2021 championship this coming weekend, August 28th & 29th, where three more rounds will be contested.
The event will see the Master’s Championship riders tackle the full International Track for the second time this season, while the FIM MiniGP Ireland Series riders will go head to head on a much-shortened version of the circuit.
Dubliner Michael Sweeney has been the most improved rider in the Dunlop Superbike championship this season. Having taken his first podium in the class at the opening race of the season, he then followed up with a run of five consecutive second places to lead the series, ahead of former Superbike Champions Derek Sheils and Richie Ryan.
Sheils and Ryan have both suffered non-finishes to hand the advantage to the consistent Sweeney. In the Superbike ‘Cup’ championship Evan O’Grady leads Dean O’Grady, but both will have to watch out for the hard-charging Shane Connolly who took all three wins at the July event.
Supersport
The Supersport ranks will be boosted this weekend by the first appearance for a number of years by Michael Dunlop. The Road Racing Superstar has been improving his results on Short Circuits significantly in recent years and will be looking to break up the dominance shown so far this season by Kevin Keyes and Mike Browne.
Keyes and Browne lead the way in the championship chase well clear of Andrew Murphy. The Supersport Cup battle is very tight, with Jamie Collins just ahead of three riders in joint second place, Robert O’Connell, Eoin Ó’Siochrú and Stephen Tobin.
The Principal Insurance Pre-Injection category will have some new competitors joining the ranks this weekend as the new 1000cc class attracts its first entries of the year. The one-litre bikes will run alongside the traditional 600cc machines, which have provided so much entertainment this season with Ian Prendergast, Darryl Sharkey and Noel Dunne all taking wins.
Supertwin and Production Twin
The combined Supertwin and Production Twin grid has been the biggest category in the Masters in 2021 and the usually oversubscribed class is set for a further boost this weekend as the newly formed Masters Supporters Club, a band of local Motorcycle Racing enthusiasts will provide a prize fund for both classes. €750 will be handed out to the two divisions across the weekends’ three races.
The winner of each class will receive €200 with second getting €100 and third €75.
Also on the busy event timetable will be two championships for up and coming young riders, with the DM Groundworks and FJS Plant Junior Championship tackling the full International Circuit, while the FIM MiniGP Ireland riders will race on a specially designed shorter track, encompassing parts of the National and International Track layouts.
The remainder of the programme will be filled by Classic Superbikes, Moto 400 and Sidecars.
