By Quickly, following Shaun Anderson’s dominant Classic Superbike race triumph, attentions turned towards the five-lap Rapid International Supersport encounter.
Pole-sitter Michael Browne, would make it back-to-back middleweight category victories, post another polished, ultra-competent display.
Browne had a relatively smooth passage to race victory, with top chaser throughout on aggregate timing Michael Dunlop (Milwaukee Ducati), having to navigate his way through the field from his starting grid position of seventeenth.
The final margin, covering Russell Racing’s Browne and 33 times TT winner Dunlop was 3.545 seconds.
On the fifth and final lap, Dunlop blasted his own existing Supersport lap-record, setting a record new time of 2 minutes 56.045 seconds.
A race long fight for third between BE/RK Racing’s Conor Cummins and Darryl Tweed, went to IOM international roads star Cummins, who finished under 0.25 ahead of full-time IRRC competitor Tweed.
Shaun Anderson (Fire and Evacuation Services Suzuki) was fifth, Andy Farrell rolled back the years with a strong run to sixth, holding off the attentions from hungry, next generation road racers, Kevin Keyes (P7) and Ryan Whitehall (P8).
Stephen Tobin attained ninth with the evergreen, hugely respected Paul Cranston scooping the final top ten leader-board position.
Michael Gahan (P11), Dan Ingham (P12), Graham McAleese (P13), Andy McAllister (P14), Owen Monaghan (P15) swept up eleventh to fifteenth place finishes.
Seven extra competitors reached the race’s conclusion, Liam Chawke (P16), Anthony McColgan (P17), Kieran Brockie (P18), Dennis Booth (P19), Richard McLoughlin (P20), Emmett Burke (P21) and Darragh Trappe (P22).
There were no race retirements although on the warm-up lap, outright lap-record carrier Michael Sweeney, challenge came to a halt.
Photo credit: Tommy Vennard
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
