Dundrod 150 Challenge

Lee Johnston took his second win of the day on Thursday when he won a thrilling Dundrod 150 Challenge race by two seconds from Rob Barber. Riding the Millsport Racing Ducati Panigale, Johnston led in the early stages but a new lap record by Barber of 129.147mph on his BMW saw him close right up and there was just 0.133s between the duo with just two laps to go. That was when Johnston upped the ante and with backmarkers coming into play, he was able to edge away slightly and eventually took the chequered flag by two seconds.

Dean Harrison, like Johnston, lapped in excess of 128mph to become the second and third fastest newcomers in the history of the event, but he wasn't able to stick with the leading duo and he took a comfortable third. Further back, there was a superb battle for fourth and it was sealed on the final lap by Michael Sweeney with Russ Mountford and William Davison crossing the line just a few tenths further back. Meanwhile, Dan Cooper took seventh on the 675cc Centurion Triumph.

Dundrod 150 National

Former National Superstock 600cc Champion Lee Johnston dominated today's 5-lap Dundrod 150 National race, leading from start to finish. Riding the Millsport Racing Honda, the County Fermanagh rider made the break from the start and with a lead of over two seconds after the first lap, he was able to control the race and, aided by the fastest lap of the race at 123.198mph, he ran home winner an eventual 4.2s clear of Dean Harrison.

"The plan was to make a break from the start as it's slipstream city round here", said event newcomer Johnston "and thankfully for me it worked. The track's awesome and I don't know why I've never been here before. It's a bit like a mini-TT, only it's not as bumpy and you can see where you're going a bit more so it's definitely been a case of so far, so good."

Harrison was embroiled in a battle with Russ Mountford in the early stages, with the latter holding sway for the first two laps. Bradford's Harrison briefly reduced the gap to Johnston but with backmarkers coming into play on the final lap, he had to settle for second with Mountford holding onto a good third. Further back there was a superb battle between Ivan Lintin, Ryan Kneen and Sam Wilson and with positions changing all the time, the result was in doubt right up until the chequered flag.

Lintin dropped back on the final lap and it was Kneen who got the verdict for fourth, just four tenths of a second ahead of Wilson with Lintin safe in sixth.