Lee Johnston stopped Alastair Seeley’s dominance of the International North West 200 road races on Saturday evening when he won a superb Superstock race by just 0.1s from his fellow BMW rider. Ian Hutchinson was only a couple of tenths further back in third as he set a new lap record of 121.680mph on the final lap.

It was Seeley who led into York Corner from Martin Jessopp but by the end of the opening lap it was Johnston as Michael Dunlop moved up to third and Hutchinson, who started from the fourth row, slotted into fourth. Bruce Anstey was an early retirement and fellow Honda rider John McGuinness was also out of luck with a holed radiator.
 
At the head of the field, Johnston, Seeley and Dunlop had opened up a small gap over Hutchinson and it was the Yamaha of Dunlop that hit the front on the run down to University on the third lap although Johnston was back in the lead when they crossed the start and finish line. The gap between the top four was just 1.5s as William Dunlop moved ahead of Jessopp for fifth.
 
The front four were nose to tail going into the final lap as Hutchinson clawed his way back into contention and at Ballysally it was all change as Seeley grabbed the lead and Hutchinson pushed Dunlop back to fourth. Johnston regained the advantage going into Mathers Cross but Seeley outbraked him into the Metropole with just the coast road to negotiate.
 
Johnston was close enough to make a challenge though and timed it to perfection going into the Juniper chicane and he successfully held off Seeley to claim his third NW200 win and first on a big bike. Hutchinson’s lap record saw him take third with Dunlop slipping back to fourth.
 
Brother William had a good ride into fifth just ahead of Jessopp with James Hillier getting the better of Keith Amor on the final lap to claim seventh. Conor Cummins took ninth with David Johnson rounding out the top ten.

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