Mar-Train Yamaha's Jack Kennedy took the victory in a dramatic Motorpoint British Supersport race, involving two red flags and consequently a decision to award half points.
It was Ben Wilson who took the holeshot from the start and didn’t look back. He opened up a 2.3 second lead after just the first lap and this was extended to 4.6 by the fourth lap. As the green Gearlink Kawasaki of Wilson disappeared into the distance, Kennedy and Pauli Pekkanen were battling for second place. First it was Kennedy, driving past the Finn along the Cooper Straight but Pekkanen made an immediate reply, riding around the outside of Kennedy at Clearways.
Yesterday’s sprint race winner, Sam Warren, posted the fastest lap of the race two laps later, as Warren and Billy McConnell began to close in on Kennedy. Warren then got the run on Australian McConnell and passes him into Paddock Hill Bend to take fourth.
Pekkanen then entered Clearways on the seventh lap and the back end of his 777 RR Triumph let go, and he lost his second place. Pekkanen then ran back to his bike and with the help of marshals re-joined the race. A psot-race inspection showed it to be fuel-tight however.. It took just one lap until Ben Field, David Jones and Paul Jordan crashed as they entered Paddock Hill Bend and then race leader, Ben Wilson, had his front end wash out as tipped into Surtees. Almost immediately the red flag was brought out.
After a long delay and extensive cleaning of the entire track, race director Stuart Higgs, declared that the race would continue as a nine lap dash. Wilson was in pole position but spun up as the lights went out and dropped back to about fifth by the time he entered Paddock Hill Bend. It was Kennedy out at the front as they dropped into Graham Hill Bend but catastrophe struck at Wilson lost the front. The Gearlink Kawasaki of Wilson then collected up McConnell and behind them Dean Hipwell went down hitting Deane Brown with Dan Cooper, Sam Hornsey and several others crashing out. The red flag then quickly followed and the race declared a result from part one with half points awarded.
Dubliner Kennedy took the win with Warren, now Championship leader, and McConnell second and third. Christian Iddon put his supermoto skills to good use to take fourth followed by Deane Brown, Richard Cooper and Luke Jones. The top ten was rounded out by Glen Richards, Kev Coghlan and James East.
