By After Junior Support, 125/Moto 3, Supersport 300, combined 250 GP/Lightweight Supersport race wins for Kevin Lavery, Chris Meyer, Lee Osprey, Barry Davidson, the next race on today’s colossal Armoy racing itinerary was the second next-generation Supersport rendezvous, sponsored by Ducati Antrim.
Early morning damp conditions had given way to satisfactory conditions through the fabled Armoy roads.
V2 Panigale Ducati equipped Conor Cummins got the hole shot before Michael Browne (Boyce Precision Engineering by Russell Racing – Yamaha) grasped P1.
Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing Powered by Prosper – Honda), joined Browne in overtaking IOM roads royalty Cummins.
As the race reached mid-distance, Browne, Jordan getting faster lap on lap, had vaulted away from the hardy opposition.
With two laps to go, below 0.8 of a second covered Browne and Jordan.
The gap between them narrowed to 0.688 on lap six, with Jordan inching nearer Michael Dunlop’s existing Supersport lap-record, setting the fastest lap of the race, 1.43.198 seconds.
Seventh, final lap proceedings saw the race leaders pace dip, having encountered lower leader board riders.
At the line, Browne held on to make it successive Supersport triumphs, three middleweight class Armoy race wins in two years. Jordan second, philosophical in defeat, finished 0.523 in deficit to Browne.
A ding-dong battle for third between Michael Sweeney, Jamie Coward (KTS Macadam Triumph Factory Racing) and brief race leader Cummins, ended with Sweeney clinching P3.
Joe Yeardsley finished sixth behind Coward (P4), Cummins (P5) with Erno Kostamo (Parker Transport Racing) lead overseas newcomer in seventh place.
Photo credit: Tommy Vennard
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
