By With conditions still favourable, the big one, the main event of this year’s Cookstown 100, the Cemcor sponsored grand final opened at nigh-on 5:40 PM.
Race pole-sitter Dominic Herbertson led on lap one but by lap two’s finalisation, it was Michael Sweeney, lapping in the high 1:24 seconds bracket, moving into first.
Under half a second covered BMW pilots Sweeney, Herbertson as lap three dawned.
Post lap three, the dice for victory between the cheerful front-runners intensified further, with just 0.092 separating them.
With eight laps still to take place, Sweeney at lap four’s end, had opened a modest 0.914 second advantage over 2024 Cookstown hat-trick hero Herbertson.
On lap five though, the pair had closed together again with Herbertson setting a new fastest lap of 1:24.336 seconds.
As mid race distance arose, Sweeney, Herbertson were 24.76 seconds to the good over third place holder Richard Charlton who in turn was only 0.380 in front of Trison McMullan Racing’s Keelim Ryan.
Herbertson hit the front on lap seven whilst the duel for P3, continued to be topped on aggregate timing by Yamaha powered Charlton.
Sweeney would re-take the lead on lap eight, the see saw battle between him, and Herbertson looked set for a truly grandstand finish.
Re-grabbing P1 across lap nine, BE/RK Racing’s Herbertson led onto the twelfth and final lap and just did enough to maintain No.1 status to the chequered flag.
Sweeney, the 2022 Grand Final winner, finished 0.175 in arrears.
Meanwhile the race for third ended in scintillating style as under 0.1 of a second separated eventual third, fourth place finishers Ryan Whitehall, Keelim Ryan.
Prior third place attainer Charlton dropped back to fifth whilst Sam Johnson ended a very productive Cookstown tenure, with a top six placing.
Outside the top six, seventh-tenth place finishes went respectively to Jacque Foley, Open B race winner James Chawke, Lightweight Supersport victor Darryl Tweed and Dean Campbell.
Photo credit: Derek Wilson
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
