James Cowton claimed his first ever International road race win when he took victory in Saturday’s Supertwin race at the North West 200, the McAdoo Racing Kawasaki rider coming out on top after a major sort out in positions at the Juniper Chicane on the last lap.

Cowton, who missed out on a podium on Thursday evening, ran in the top three for the majority of the race and when Joey Thompson (ILR/Coverdale Paton) left a small gap approaching the exit of Juniper, Cowton needed no second invitation and dived up the inside to win by 0.602s.

Jerermy McWilliams (IEG/KMR Kawasaki) then rode round the outside of Thompson to take second, just as he had done on Thursday, with the 20-year old Thompson having to settle for third.

The trio had been locked in battle throughout the four laps, with Adam McLean and Martin Jessopp joining them in the early stages before dropping out, and Thompson thought he’d timed his run to perfection, moving up to second at Mathers Cross on the final lap and then taking the lead at Magherabuoy.

McWilliams ran wide at Metropole, as he had done the two laps previous, to slip back to third but it all changed at Juniper on the final lap with the podium positions filled by Cowton, McWilliams and Thompson.

Both McLean and Jessopp were forced to retire leaving Christian Elkin to take fourth ahead of Michael Sweeney and Victor Lopez. Denver Robb, newcomer Jonathan Perry, Xavier Denis and Marty Lennon completed the top ten.