Dubliner Derek Sheils is another step closer to clinching back-to back Irish National Superbike Championships with a double win at the Faugheen 50 Road Races on Sunday.

He produced another dominant performance on his Cookstown B.E. Suzuki GSX-R100 winning both the Open Championship and the Grand Final races and setting a new outright lap record around the 2.2-mile County Tipperary circuit.

In the open race he led from the off eventually winning the six-lap race by six seconds from Derek McGee on his Kawasaki with third-placed Michael Sweeney, MJR Racing BMW, a further four seconds adrift with the ever improving Paul Jordan fourth on the IMR Evolution Camping BMW a further 0.2 seconds behind Sweeney.

In the eight-lap Grand Final Sheils  was even more dominant, setting  a new lap record on his way to victory with an average speed of 106.464mph around the narrow twisty Faugheen course. This time the winning gap was even greater taking the flag 15.8 seconds in front of his closest rival Derek McGee, Sweeney a further six seconds behind after him and Paul Jordan had a close fought battle for the final podium position.

The Supersport 600 produced some of the best racing of the day. Jordan having finished on the podium on his IMR BMW at Skerries and in the Supersport race at Walderstown fought his way from fourth position on the opening lap to take his maiden road race victory in the ever competitive 600 class 0.7 seconds ahead of Derek Sheils with Michael Sweeney a further 3.2 seconds adrift with early leader Derek McGee dropping back to fourth.

In the Supertwin race Joe Loughlin showed his win at Walderstown wasn’t a fluke, repeating his stunning performance and taking another victory beating McGee and Sheils to the flag. Loughlin also destroyed his rivals in the senior and junior support races.

McGee had his fourth second place of the meeting in the Moto 3 (125) race which was won by Paul Robinson, Neil Kernohan filling the third step on the podium following his earlier victory in the 250GP/400cc race.