MOTOR SPORTS NEWS

Latest News

  • Nürburgring: World’s most challenging track opens 2021 WTCR season following calendar changes
  • #ONETRUCKFAMILY Esports Challenge Kick-Starts in Hungary
  • SPARCO triumphs at the Dakar rally 2021 with Peterhansel
  • Registrations open for new 2021 FIA RX2e Championship
  • Simply accelerating fast in a straight line is not enough for BMW
  • Home
  • News
  • Dakar
    • DAKAR 2016
    • Dakar 2015
  • Cross-Country Rally
  • Notice Board
  • Rally
  • Motorbike
  • Touring Cars
  • Circuit Racing
  • Events
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Pinterest
    • RSS Feed
    • Linked
    • Youtube

Exciting climax to 2018 Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship

Sep 30, 2018


Tweet

The 2018 Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship ended with a flourish at Mondello Park this weekend, September 29th & 30th, on the Mondello Park National Track. The high quality entertainment included a nail biting conclusion to the Superbike Cup battle, the race of the year in Superbikes and the closest finishes of the season in Supersport.

At the start of the weekend the battle for Superbike Cup honours was the big talking point as three riders entered the final event separated by seven and a half points. Chris Campbell led the way from Gary O’Brien and Michael Prendergast, but the series leaders’ challenge looked to be in jeopardy on Saturday when an accident in qualifying Injured his arm and damaged his bike.

Campbell’s qualifying crash left O’Brien as quickest of the cup riders. ahead of Prendergast and Campbell. A terrible start by O’Brien in race one dropped him to fifth in the cup as Superbike newcomer Keelim Ryan took over at the front. Campbell was next up, despite riding a hastily repaired bike and suffering from severe arm pain. At the flag Campbell was happy to get to the finish ahead of his rivals even though he was beaten to Cup honours by class rookie, Ryan, while Prendergast and O’Brien kept themselves in contention with third and fourth.

Having had the chance to rest overnight Campbell came back stronger for Sunday’s second encounter and was running second in the Cup standings when leader O’Brien crashed out on lap two, ending his championship challenge. O’Brien’s demise left Campbell to cruise home with Keelim Ryan as a buffer between himself and Prendergast, making the Cup title almost secure. The final race again saw the highly impressive Ryan take the win but Campbell’s second place was enough to secure the crown following the most competitive Superbike Cup championship in the history of the Masters.

In an effort not to be outshone by the Cup riders the overall Superbike races produced some frantic action. Richie Ryan won the first two races easily but behind him the battle for runner up spot in the championship raged. Peter Moloney took second on Saturday ahead of Luke Johnston with the positions reversed in Sunday’s first race. The Superbike racers then kept the best till last as Moloney and Ryan had a titanic tussle in the final race of the season.

Moloney led for the first ten laps, with the top two never more than a bike’s length apart. Ryan tried everything he knew to get by but was repelled at every attempt until the end of lap ten when he finally outbraked Moloney at the final corner to re-assert his dominance. Moloney continued to push and kept the pressure on right to the flag but had to give best to the 2018 champion. James Kelly got the better of Luke Johnston in a similar battle for third meaning Moloney secured second in the championship.

Emmett O’Grady was crowned Supersport champion following a third place finish in Saturdays opening Supersport race which was won by returning British Championship racer Aaron Wright from fellow BSB competitor Caolán Irwin. A coming together between O’Grady and Wright in race two put Wright out and allowed Irwin to take his first Supersport win, ahead of Ryan, with O’Grady fighting back from thirteenth place to snatch third.

The Final race saw Irwin lead until he fell off at the esses on lap three, leaving O’Grady to lead from Ryan. Wright meanwhile was battling from seventh on the grid and moved past Ryan at half distance before closing the gap to the leader. Going into the final corner the top two were nose to tail with O’Grady defending hard. Too tight an entry into the final corner for the race leader allowed Wright to get a better run off the turn and he then pipped O’Grady to the flag by one thousand of a second, the closest finish of the season. Ryan finished off his exceptional Superbike Cup campaign with another class win and overall podium in third place.


  • tweet
Related articles
  • Nürburgring: World’s most challenging track opens 2021 WTCR season following calendar changes
    Nürburgring: World’s most...

    Jan 23, 2021 Comments Off on Nürburgring: World’s most challenging track opens 2021 WTCR season following calendar changes

  • #ONETRUCKFAMILY Esports Challenge Kick-Starts in Hungary
    #ONETRUCKFAMILY Esports Challenge...

    Jan 23, 2021 Comments Off on #ONETRUCKFAMILY Esports Challenge Kick-Starts in Hungary

  • SPARCO triumphs at the Dakar rally 2021 with Peterhansel
    SPARCO triumphs at the Dakar rally 2021...

    Jan 23, 2021 Comments Off on SPARCO triumphs at the Dakar rally 2021 with Peterhansel

  • Registrations open for new 2021 FIA RX2e Championship
    Registrations open for new 2021 FIA...

    Jan 23, 2021 Comments Off on Registrations open for new 2021 FIA RX2e Championship

More in this category
  • Nürburgring: World’s most challenging track opens 2021 WTCR season following calendar changes
    Nürburgring: World’s most...

    Comments Off on Nürburgring: World’s most challenging track opens 2021 WTCR season following calendar changes

  • #ONETRUCKFAMILY Esports Challenge Kick-Starts in Hungary
    #ONETRUCKFAMILY Esports Challenge...

    Comments Off on #ONETRUCKFAMILY Esports Challenge Kick-Starts in Hungary

  • Registrations open for new 2021 FIA RX2e Championship
    Registrations open for new 2021 FIA...

    Comments Off on Registrations open for new 2021 FIA RX2e Championship

  • Simply accelerating fast in a straight line is not enough for BMW
    Simply accelerating fast in a straight...

    Comments Off on Simply accelerating fast in a straight line is not enough for BMW


Fleet Car Magazine

Notice Board

  • Lola Cars, Lola Technical Centre and Wind Tunnel Facility offered for sale
    Lola Cars, Lola Technical Centre and Wind Tunnel Facility...

    Jan 15, 2021

    TweetThe Lola Cars Brand, Trademarks, Extensive Technical...
  • Follow in the footsteps of Grand Prix legends and drive a Jordan F1 race car
    Follow in the footsteps of Grand Prix legends and drive a...

    Jan 09, 2021

    Tweet  Once driven by motor sport legend Takuma Sato...
  • WIN 1 of 3 ETRC TEAM T SPORT BERNAU PRIZE PACKS!
    WIN 1 of 3 ETRC TEAM T SPORT BERNAU PRIZE PACKS!

    Jan 02, 2021

    TweetIn association with T Sport Bernau and team sponsors...
  • FIA RX2e Championship Manual available for prospective competitors
    FIA RX2e Championship Manual available for prospective...

    Dec 29, 2020

    Tweet The official Championship Manual for the FIA RX2e...
  • ERC stars support FIA Volunteers & Officials Weekend on Rally Islas Canarias
    ERC stars support FIA Volunteers & Officials Weekend...

    Nov 28, 2020

    Tweet*FIA ERC season decider among events celebrating...

Categories

  • Africa Eco-Race
  • BRC
  • Circuit Racing
  • Cross-Country Rally
  • Dakar
  • Dakar 2015
  • DAKAR 2016
  • DAKAR 2017
  • DAKAR 2019 PERU
  • DAKAR RALLY 2018
  • EV Motorsport
  • Events
  • EverGreeens: Irish Abroad
  • Extreme E
  • Forestry Rally
  • Formula 1
  • Hillclimb
  • IndyCar Series
  • Interview
  • Middle East Rally Championship
  • Morocco Rally
  • Motorbike
  • News
  • Notice Board
  • Rally
  • RallyX
  • Related products
  • Review
  • Sportscars
  • Touring Cars
  • Tribute
  • Truck Racing
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • WRC
Tweets by @IrMotSportNews

Recent Posts

Cross-Country Champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah & WRC star Kris Meeke to compete in Qatar International Rally 2021

Cross-Country Champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah & WRC star Kris...

Jan 21, 2021

Tweet Defending FIA Middle East rally champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and WRC star Kris Meeke are the top seeds on an international 18-car entry with competitors from nine nations (subject to FIA...
Read More
FIA ETRC condemns the racist and sexist comments made during Dakar Rally 2021

FIA ETRC condemns the racist and sexist comments...

Jan 21, 2021

Akio Toyoda praises Toyota Gazoo Racing & Hino Sugawara Team on Dakar Rally 2021

Akio Toyoda praises Toyota Gazoo Racing &...

Jan 17, 2021

Honda 1-2 on 2021 Dakar Rally as Kevin Benavides wins & Ricky Brabec 2nd in the world’s toughest race

Honda 1-2 on 2021 Dakar Rally as Kevin Benavides...

Jan 16, 2021

5th place overall for Bahrain Raid Xtreme ‘Hunter’ driver, Nani Roma

5th place overall for Bahrain Raid Xtreme...

Jan 16, 2021

Copyright 2016 / All rights reserved