• Headlines
  • Listen Live
  • About
  • Advertise
Scoreline.ie
  • GAA
  • Camogie
  • Soccer
  • Rugby
  • Podcasts
  • Other Sports
No Result
View All Result
KCLR
Scoreline.ie
No Result
View All Result
Scoreline.ie
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT

Kilkenny’s Richie Ryan back on the podium as Dunlop Masters Superbike battle intensifies

Former Champions, Richie Ryan from Kilkenny and Derek Sheils shared the wins but had to fight harder than ever to take their victories

Stephen Byrne by Stephen Byrne
Wednesday 1 September, 2021
in Motorsport
Reading Time: 4 mins read
Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship reveals 2021 plans

Derek Sheils leads Richie Ryan and Luke Johnston at the Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship at Mondello Park

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Rounds seven, eight, and nine of the Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship produced the closest Superbike racing of the season as the championship battle intensified on the Mondello Park International Track.

Former Champions, Richie Ryan from Kilkenny and Derek Sheils shared the wins but had to fight harder than ever to take their victories as the gap to their main challengers continues to close.

Despite the closeness of the Superbike battles, it was Supersport that produced the tightest result as a photo finish was required to separate Kevin Keyes and Michael Dunlop in their final race of the weekend.

Returning from injury, Antrim’s Luke Johnston was instantly back to his best as he took pole position for race one, ahead of Kilkenny native Richie Ryan and Dublin’s Thomas O’Grady. Championship leader Michael Sweeney took fourth place to line up on row two.

Race One

The first attempt at a start only got as far as turn one as a coming together between four of the front runners brought out the red flag. Luke Johnston initially led the shortened re-run but was passed by Ryan at half distance. Going into the final lap Ryan led from Johnston with Thomas O’Grady third and Derek Sheils fourth, having moved through from last on the grid following problems in qualifying. The action was not over, however, as both O’Grady and Sheils found a way past Johnston on the final lap to pick up second and third, with the top six bikes separated by three seconds at the flag.

Race Two

Race two produced an even closer battle despite losing Johnston to a Sunday morning warm-up crash. Ryan lead initially but he could not open a gap as Sheils, Thomas and Emmett O’Grady, Michael Sweeney and Carlow rider Edd Comerford closed right in. The group swapped places almost every lap with the biggest changes coming on the penultimate one. Comerford crashed out at the first turn just as Sheils grabbed the lead from Ryan who was then under pressure from Thomas O’Grady. O’Grady slipped past on the final lap and then almost caught Sheils on the line to finish off the best Superbike race seen at the Masters Championship for many years.

The top two were separated by two tenths of a second at the flag, with Richie Ryan holding on to third ahead of Emmett O’Grady, Michael Sweeney and Antrim’s Ross Irwin.

Race Three

The competitiveness of the grid was demonstrated by the line-up for race three. Fastest lap in race two gave Sweeney pole, with Emmett O’Grady taking his first front row start of the season in second and the two race winners, Ryan and Sheils, only managing third and fifth. Sweeney and Sheils made the best starts to sit one and two at the end of the opening lap ahead of Emmett O’Grady, Ryan and Thomas O’Grady. Sweeney’s first Superbike lead lasted two laps before a lack of rear grip saw him gradually drop back to fifth. Sheils took over as Sweeney slowed but the recovering Ryan worked his way to the front on lap four and proceeded to take his second win of the weekend from Sheils.

Thomas O’Grady completed a hat-trick of podiums while Emmett O’Grady rounded out his best weekend of the season with another fourth place.

Stand out Superbike ‘Cup’ performer Shane Connolly from Cavan spent his weekend battling with the Pro racers as he took three Cup wins to move up to second in the points and back into championship contention. The Championship top two were left in Connolly’s wake with Kerryman Dean O’Grady’s trio of runner up places not enough to hold on to second spot, while two third places for Evan O’Grady meant he stayed just ahead of Connolly. Meath’s Andrew Whearty took his first ever Superbike Cup podium in race two.

Supersport

The presence of Michael Dunlop on the Supersport entry list was a big attraction for many of the fans in attendance and he did not disappoint. Having made a very slow start to race one the Ulster rider was seventh at the end of lap one, but a string of near-record pace laps moved him to within a second of race and championship leader, Offaly man Kevin Keyes, at the flag. Andrew Murphy came home third ahead of Thomas O’Grady and Michael Owens with the Supersport Cup winner, teenager Scott McCrory, sixth.

In race two Keyes got away in the lead but Dunlop once again closed him down and gabbed the victory with an impressive move at the final corner.

Mike Browne came home third with Jamie Collins taking the first of two ‘Cup’ wins.

Keyes and Dunlop kept the best till last as they were never separated by more than a bikes length throughout race three. Keyes led for a lap before Dunlop took over. Going onto the final lap they were still nose to tail and Keyes waited till the very last opportunity to make his move, diving up the inside at the final corner. The Offaly rider ran wide and was slower than he wanted to be down the straight allowing Dunlop to pull alongside but the Series leader was given the verdict by the width of a tyre in a photo finish.

Andrew Murphy again took third having grabbed that position from youngster Oisin Maher on the final lap. The results mean that Keyes has extended his lead over Browne at the top of the championship and could clinch the title at the penultimate event in September.

The Principal Insurance Pre-Injection races were dominated by Ian Prendergast who won all three from relative newcomer Carlow’s Noel Dunne Jnr. Dunne led races one and three but could not hold his more experienced rival back as the Tipperary man took three victories and extended his championship lead over former champion Darryl Sharkey and Dunne.

Building on his impressive recent appearance in the Junior class at the British Superbike Championship, Tramore’s Rhys Coyne dominated the DM Groundworks and FJS Plant Junior Supersport division once again taking three wins over Ulster rider A Jay Carey. Jack Whearty and Darragh O’Mahony were the only other riders to make the podium.

In the concurrent Moto 1 class, Lee Hara took two wins from fellow Ulster teenager Reuben Sherman-Boyd.

The Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship returns to Mondello Park for its penultimate event on September 25th and 26th, where the championship will have three more rounds on the shorter National Track layout.

Latest podcast from Scoreline.ie

Follow for free on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Latest Updates

Tom Mullally & Carlow announce their 2023 Senior Hurling Panel
Hurling

Tom Mullally & Carlow announce their 2023 Senior Hurling Panel

by Shane O'Keeffe
1st February 2023
0

Tom Mullally's hurlers will begin their National Hurling League campaign with a home clash versus Kildare this coming Saturday. Carlow...

Read more

Week 14: Training with Davy Jones

Newbridge College Cruises Past Kilkenny College in Opening Senior Cup Match

“If we play our best, we’ll win” Evergreen’s Mikey Drennan calls on the team to make that next step to Leinster success

“They don’t want to get exposed to a bad start in the league” Two-Time All-Ireland winner Michael Walsh expects Derek Lyng to start a strong side against Antrim

Latest Podcasts

Full Time

Full Time #69: Thyestes recap, ladies rugby in Kilkenny, Carlow v Wicklow and more

31st January 2023
Hurling

Scoreline Extra #111: Carlow postmatch, Kilkenny legends Paul Murphy & Anne Dalton, Irish international Ellen Molloy & lots more

29th January 2023
Big Game Live

Big Game Live: Listen back to Carlow’s football league-opening draw with Wicklow Netwatch Cullen Park

28th January 2023
Podcast

The Knock On Season 2 E18: J1 bragging rights for Tullow over Carlow, Kilkenny drop down the table, Towns Cup draws, Womens & Youths rugby and more

27th January 2023
Scoreline.ie

Scoreline is KCLR's sports brand, bringing you the latest sporting news from Kilkenny, Carlow and around the country.

Listen live on-air and online weekends from 2pm.

Follow us on social media:

Show Times

  • Monday 6.10pm
  • Friday 6.10pm
  • Weekends 2-6pm

Podcasts

  • Podcasts Home
  • Camán Caint
  • The Football Manager Football Show
  • The Clash Act
  • All Things MMA

Contact Scoreline.ie

KCLR Sport
Leggettsrath Business Park
Carlow Road
Kilkenny R95 YTD5

E: [email protected]
T: 1800 909696

© 2023 KCLR · All rights reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • GAA
  • Camogie
  • Soccer
  • Rugby
  • Podcasts
  • Other Sports

© 2023 KCLR · All rights reserved