Belfast Newsletter
New Cookstown B.E. Racing signing Jamie Hamilton made a victorious start on John Burrows’ Suzuki at Kirkistown on Easter Monday.
The Ballyclare rider won the first Superbike race on a sun-kissed afternoon at the County Down track, battling all the way with BikeBitsNI Kawasaki rider Derek Sheils.
Dublin man Sheils, who won Saturday’s Enkalon Trophy meeting overall with a win and runner-up finish, made the early running before Hamilton took over at the front on the GSX-R1000.
Sheils, though, was playing a waiting game and took over on the final lap, but with Hamilton breathing down his neck, the three-time Enkalon champion got it wrong at the final chicane, crashing out to hand victory to Hamilton on a plate.
Stephen Thompson crossed the line in second place on the Penz13.com BMW with Alistair Kirk finishing third on the AKR McCurry Motorsport Kawasaki.
Hamilton and Sheils were at it again in race two, the feature Mayor’s Trophy event, but this time Sheils kept his nerve to clinch his third Superbike win in four races over the Easter weekend on the ZX-10R.
Kirk finished third, with Thompson fourth as he continues to get to grips with his new S1000RR.
Hamilton also stood on the top step in the Supertwin class on the Cookstown B.E. Racing Kawasaki after holding Christian Elkin at bay to win race one.
However, he was a denied a double by Elkin in the second race and had to settle for the runner-up place on the Kawasaki ER6.
William Dunlop, who was a comfortable winner of both Supersport races at Bishopscourt on Saturday, made a rare mistake in the first 600cc race at Kirkistown on the Chris Dowd/Ivan Curran Racing Yamaha.
Dunlop crashed out unhurt as Robert English went on to take the honours.
Ballymoney man Dunlop was back on the grid for race two but didn’t have things his own way as English proved a constant thorn in his side.
The pair couldn’t be split and English led on the final lap, although Dunlop pounced at the hairpin to make amends for his tumble in race one.