By This years Steve Henshaw international gold cup started in dry conditions all round but with rain looming in the background. At the start it was 17 times TT winner John Mcguinness who was first into Mere hairpin on the Padgetts Honda superstock bike in front of Dean Harrison and Guy Martin with Jamie Hamilton in close attendance. By the end of the first lap it was Mcguinness leading Martin now in second with Harrison in third with the three of them being in close proximity together. Lap 2 saw Mcguinness continue to lead but now Harrison was in front of Martin and was close behind Mcguinness. Jamie Hamilton occupied now fifth place whilst Michael Dunlop was up to fourth place on the Michael Dunlop racing Honda Fireblade.
On lap 3 Dean Harrison moved to the front of the race on the RC Express racing Kawasaki with John Mcguinness now second with Guy Martin in third place but getting faster as the race went on and soon Martin was past Mcguinness mid way through lap 3 of the race. Michael Dunlop still was in fourth place as Mick goodings and Ian Lougher battled it out for a place in the top six. The 4th lap saw positions at the front remain mainly the same although Martin was now reeling in Harrison with his Tyco Suzuki by TAS superbike having a power advantage over the superstock bikes around the Oliver’s Mount circuit.
Martin at last hit the front on lap 5 with Harrison now second still giving it everything in pursuit of winning the Steve Henshaw international gold cup race. Mcguinness and Dunlop where now closely matched in terms of sector times around the circuit but positions stayed the same between them on lap 5. Lap 6 saw Martin open up around a 1.2 second lead over Harrison with Mcguinness now 1.4 seconds in front of Dunlop who was still in fourth place with Jamie Hamilton completing the top five on the KMR Kawasaki superstock bike. By lap 7 Martin was now over 2 seconds in front of Harrison and had control of the race whilst Mcguinness was getting faster as the race went on setting his fastest lap of the race so far on lap 7.
So the final lap of the race beckoned with Guy Martin still in complete control of the main race of the day the Steve Henshaw international gold cup road race. To the line positions stayed the same as on lap 7 with Martin taking his 8th gold cup win at Scarborough, Oliver’s Mount and the first win at Scarborough for the TAS racing team now known under the team name of Tyco Suzuki by TAS racing. Dean Harrison crossed the line on lap 8 to claim a superb second place finish on the RC Express racing Kawasaki superstock bike to add to what had already being a great meeting for him. Third place went to the TT legend that is John Mcguinness on the Padgetts Honda superstocker who thoroughly entertained the large crowds at Oliver’s Mount.
4th place went to Michael Dunlop on his Honda Fireblade, perhaps not the result Michael wanted but there was no doubting that he gave it everything during the most important race of the weekend. Jamie Hamilton finished in 5th place on the KMR Kawasaki superstock bike to round up what has been a fantastic first full season racing on the roads for him. The top 6 in the race was rounded up by Mick Goodings with Ian Lougher taking seventh place on his teams Ian Lougher racing Kawasaki superstock bike. The top 10 was rounded up by Jules Croft, David Hewson and Mark Goodings. But the race belonged to Guy Martin who enjoyed without any shadow of doubt his most comfortable international road race of the season on a track that he has made his own over the last 10 years of racing at Oliver’s Mount.
