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Mago
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« on: August 19, 2009, 07:04:05 am » |
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It's 14 Ulster Grand Prix wins for Ian Lougher as he took the honours in the 125cc race at Dundrod on the Barnes/Jackson Racing 125.
The race forms part of the Dundrod 150 programme and carries full Ulster Grand Prix status and as in the 2008 event, it was Ian and William Dunlop who again set the pace.
At the end of the first lap it was Dunlop out in front, but with Ian in close contention, less than a second back. Michael Dunlop was third, seven seconds back, with Darren Burns, Christian Elkin and Nigel Moore rounding out the top six.
On the next lap Dunlop went all out to break the tow and it took a lap record of 113.111mph to try and do so. Another record lap was posted by William on the next circuit at 113.369mph as he began to stretch his advantage, with Ian meanwhile riding comfortably and conservatively in second, setting a steady pace on the bike and waiting for an opportunity to seize the initiative.
That opportunity came on the last lap as Dunlop was reported to have stopped at Cochranestown, this left Lougher well clear of second placed man Michael Dunlop and at the flag it was Ian by over 35 seconds from Dunlop with Christian Elkin third.
Ian said afterwards:
'I felt the piston nipping up on the last two laps of the race and thought the bike was going to seize'.
Earlier in the day Ian was well on the pace as practice resumed for the Stoneyford Concrete International Ulster Grand Prix. Riding the team's Yamaha R6, Ian was always in the hunt for pole position in the Supersport class. At the end of the session it was Keith Amor from Ian and William Dunlop, all three were well within the old 125.4mph lap record with Ian posting a lap of 126.305mph.
In the second session for Superbikes Ian was eighth quickest and ninth combined and he followed this up with a fine seventh and first Yamaha rider home, in the Dundrod 150 Superbike race in the afternoon.
Ian was on the 2008 Superbike and went through the speed trap at 189mph on lap two of the race and improved on his previous best lap time when he circulated at 130.409mph on the fifth lap.
The Team Blackhorse Yamaha boss therefore went into Saturday race day on the back of his 125cc race win and strong qualifying performances.
With the five-race ruling in place, Ian opted to sit out the opening Superstock race, his initial outing being the first Supersport race where he was confident of a good run on the very capable Team Blackhorse Yamaha R6.
At the end of the opening lap Ian went through in third and at the end of the second lap just two seconds covered the first group of ten riders. Farquhar, Amor and Hutchinson led the way, separated by 0.1 secs. Behind this trio came Bruce Anstey, Conor Cummins, Ian Lougher, William Dunlop, Guy Martin, Gary Johnson and Michael Dunlop.
A lap later it was Farquhar, Cummins and Amor together followed by Hutchinson, W Dunlop, Lougher, Anstey. M Dunlop, Martin and Johnson.
At the conclusion of lap 4 Hutchinson led by 0.2 secs with the top five riders covered by just one second. Anstey meanwhile was a retirement at the pits.
On the last lap Farquhar led from Amor and Dunlop at the Windmill but at the chequered flag Hutchinson and eventual winner Farquhar crossed the line together with Dunlop third and Ian fourth, just 0.135 seconds behind Dunlop and 0.7 seconds behind the winner. Ian's best lap of 126.907mph was the second quickest of the race and just outside Hutchinson's new lap record mark of 126.962mph.
Unfortunately for the large crowd of spectators around the circuit, the much anticipated battle between Ian and William Dunlop for the 250cc honours failed to materialise as Ian was forced out on the sighting lap with a broken conrod on the Barnes/Jackson Racing machine.
Undaunted Ian then brought the '08 spec Team Blackhorse Yamaha R1 Superbike to the line for the first Superbike race and here he was the best placed Yamaha thanks to a battling seventh place, just 0.328 seconds away from a top six finish, a placing he relinquished only on the last lap.
Next up was the second Supersport race where Ian took the fight to eventual race winner William Dunlop, Ian led the race on the second lap and eventually finished fourth, again a fraction away from a podium placing. As in the first Supersport race, Ian recorded the second fastest time of the race with a lap of 3:29.825 (126.982mph), a time bettered only by race winner Dunlop who raised the lap record to 127.588 mph. Ian's busy afternoon concluded with a typically honest ride for fifth place in the second superbike race where he got the better of Adrian Archibald after a close, race long battle between the two.
First Yamaha rider home in the three Superbike races, Ian Lougher came away from the 2009 Ulster Grand Prix Bike week as the joint second most successful rider ever in the history of the event in terms of race wins and joint second in the all-time list of most wins round the Dundrod Circuit .
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