By After a mammoth day of qualifying, attentions within the Cookstown 100 paddock turned towards race action.
Friday evening’s opening race, the Open (A) Invitational encounter, beginning just before 6:00 PM, promised much and did not disappoint.
Reduced in distance to eight laps from nine, surprise entrant, 25 times TT winner Michael Dunlop astride Fireblade Honda machinery, sprinted into the lead, holding at lap one’s finalisation an advantage of just under 1.3 seconds.
By lap three, Dunlop was almost four seconds ahead of race pole-sitter Dominic Herbertson.
At the race’s mid-distance, Dunlop led Herbertson by 5.260 seconds with third occupied by Michael Sweeney.
Laps five, six, seven saw ‘Maverick’ enter domination mode, moving over ten seconds clear. His final race winning margin stood at a mighty 15.267 seconds.
Race victory increases his Irish road race wins total to 119, now equal with his much-missed brother William Dunlop.
BE/RK Racing’s Herbertson consolidated second as national roads returnee Sweeney rounded out the rostrum finishers.
Neil Kernohan pipped on aggregate timing Sam Johnson for fourth, Richard Charlton attained sixth.
Keelim Ryan banked seventh as Ryan Whitehall, Dean Campbell, Dean Lacey concluded the first ten finishers.
Photo credit: Derek Wilson
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
