It was a case of the Derek’s lighting up Open/Grand Final qualifying today at Faugheen, with Derek Sheils and Derek McGee setting a world class pace, at the front of the time sheets.
Cookstown BE Racing’s Sheils, in top form within the premier class category, lap time of 1 minute 14.083 seconds, was almost 1.8 quicker than nearest challenger McGee, as he maintained his 100 percent record of Superbike poles on big bike machinery in 2017 at the national meetings.
Evolution camping backed Paul Jordan lead the BMW Motorrad challenge, finishing third quickest, just in front of fellow BMW challenger Martin Jones Racing’s Michael Sweeney.
Next up on the time sheets, where Graham Kennedy, Faugheen returnee Davy Morgan, rising star Darryl Tweed, Raymond Casey, Andy Farrell and former Senior Support champion Kevin Fitzpatrick.
19 riders in total took part in a qualifying session, which saw the usual suspects set the pace, rapidly improving next generation road racers impress and experienced roads exponents a plenty show they can still mix it, with their younger counterparts.
Faugheen 50: Open/Grand Final Qualifying Results:
1 Derek Sheils 1.14.083
2 Derek McGee 1.15.874
3 Paul Jordan 1.17.845
4 Michael Sweeney 1.18.085
5 Graham Kennedy 1.18.683
6 Davy Morgan 1.20.877
7 Darryl Tweed 1.20.916
8 Raymond Casey 1.21.790
9 Andy Farrell 1.21.812
10 Kevin Fitzpatrick 1.21.926
11 Thomas Maxwell 1.23.032
12 Sean Connolly 1.23.080
13 Forest Dunn 1.23.331
14 Damian Horan 1.23.536
15 Stephen Casey 1.23.819
16 Paul Barron 1.24.063
17 James Chawke 1.24.470
18 Noel Carroll 1.25.457
19 Paul Fallon 1.25.902
Words by Stevie Rial