By After earlier intermittent bouts of rain, gradually improving first rate conditions greeted competitors for today’s opening timed practice sessions of this years MCE Insurance Ulster Grand Prix.
Logan Racing’s Neil Kernohan (4.04.859) headed in dominant style the Lightweight 250/400 time sheets, finishing fastest by almost 4 and a half seconds.
Photo by Rod Neill
400 specialist Stephen Morrison (4.09.716) was the nearest challenger to the flying Kernohan, whilst six times International road race winner Lee Johnston (4.09.716) a late class entry, showed his proven quality in his maiden outing aboard the Padgetts 250 Honda, on route to finishing third quickest.
Prior to being involved in an incident with Seamus Elliott in Superstock/Superbike practice, Enniskillen, Walderstown, Faugheen feature race winner Derek McGee looked in quite formidable form within the 125/Moto 3, Super Twins practice sessions.
Quickest in both sessions by over the 3.5 second mark, the Mullingar racer looked at one aboard respectively the Joeys Bar MCC Moto 3 Honda, and the KMR Kawasaki twin that he took to a fine second place finish at TT 2018.
Tobermore’s Adam McLean provided the strongest opposition to McGee in Twins practice, whilst nearest pursuer to the reigning Irish road race Superbike champion when it came to 125/Moto 3 machinery, was perennial class front runner Christian Elkin.
We must mention as well the good Super Twins practice pace, of the Austrian Kramer Motorcycles machines, taken to seventh, twelfth fastest times by Shaun Anderson, Davey Todd.
Practice results per class, are as follows:
Lightweight 250/400:
1 Neil Kernohan 4.04.859
2 Stephen Morrison 4.09.349
3 Lee Johnston 4.09.716
4 Gareth Keys 4.15.774
5 Joe Thompson 4.24.106
6 Dave Walsh 4.26.559
7 Matt Donaldson 4.27.038
8 Paul Owen 4.27.278
9 Peter Fletcher 4.27.758
10 Darryl Tweed 4.29.130
11 Paul Gartland 4.29.138
12 Lloyd Collins 4.32.641
13 Bryan Harding 4.33.411
14 Dave Woolams 4.40.508
15 Johnny McCay 4.40.742
16 Kenny Ruddy 4.42.500
17 Fabrice Faivre 4.46.859
18 Yvonne Montgomery 4.47.236
19 Malcolm Love 4.47.913
Ultra Lightweight:
1 Derek McGee 4.08.047
2 Christian Elkin 4.12.764
3 Paul Robinson 4.17.661
4 Michal Dokoupil 4.22.977
5 Chris Meyer 4.25.206
6 Nigel Moore 4.27.469
7 Melissa Kennedy 4.28.169
8 Christopher Eder 4.29.332
9 Gary Dunlop 4.30.303
10 Lorenzo Tiveron 4.38.456
11 Sarah Boyes 4.53.470
12 Peter McKillop 4.53.823
Super Twins:
1 Derek McGee 3.44.691
2 Adam McLean 3.48.283
3 Dan Cooper 3.49.269
4 Christian Elkin 3.51.123
5 Dominic Herbertson 3.55.613
6 Jonathan Perry 3.56.223
7 Shaun Anderson 3.56.280
8 Joe Thompson 3.56.842
9 Michael Sweeney 3.57.017
10 Ian Lougher 3.57.032
11 Darren Cooper 3.57.509
12 Davey Todd 3.57.781
13 Neil Kernohan 4.03.897
14 Stephen McKnight 4.04.833
15 Xavier Denis 4.05.356
16 Barry Furber 4.06.348
17 William Hara 4.08.330
18 Dan Harrison 4.08.877
19 James Tadman 4.11.453
20 Maria Costello MBE 4.12.106
21 Paul Gartland 4.12.116
22 Eoin O’Siochru 4.16.460
23 Thomas Molloy 4.19.567
24 John Byrne 4.21.791
25 Brian Appleton 4.23.258
26 Johnny McCay 4.26.527
Words by Stevie Rial
