Dunlop Masters Superbike battles rejoined on Mondello Park International Track
The Masters Superbike Championship battles will be re-joined this weekend, July 27th and 28th at Mondello Park as Ireland’s top Motorcycle Racers take to the Kildare venue’s International Track for the second time this season.
Entries in the Superbike and Supersport classes at the Masters are well up on last years levels and a field of more than thirty Superbikes and forty Supersport machines is expected. The quality of the field has also improved, particularly in the Superbike class, where up to a dozen Pro grade riders will be on the grid, many on the latest superbike machinery with Yamaha, Suzuki, BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Ducati and Aprilia all represented.
The last visit to the longer Mondello Park layout, in May, proved to be a turning point in the season. A crash for Richie Ryan while leading the first race of the weekend left his Yamaha R1 struggling to match the pace of the front runners and saw him lose top spot in the championship for the first time since May 2018.
Replacing Ryan at the top was BMW mounted Luke Johnston who took three second places behind fellow BMW rider Brian McCormack, on a track that seems to suit the German machines. With renewed confidence Johnston went on to take two more wins at the June event, on the National Track, and now sits twenty one points clear of Ryan. With the races back on the long circuit this weekend Johnston will feel he can consolidate his lead even though McCormack will once again be on the entry list.
The Supersport regulars will not be happy to see the Waterford rider back in action as he will also compete in the smaller engined class. Back in May McCormack’s brand new Yamaha dominated the field as he sailed to three wins and he will be back this weekend looking to do the same again. Since his last visit the level of competition has increased substantially with Rhys Irwin, Mike Browne and Dave Butler all taking their maiden wins at the last event along with the arrival of former Superbike star Andrew Murphy on a Yamaha loaned to him by Twins championship sponsor PCRS Bikesport.
Also set to entertain this weekend are the best of the supporting championships with Pre-Injection and Twins heading the list. The Principal Insurance Pre-Injection series has produced some phenomenal racing this season with four riders having tasted victory and three of them tied together at the top of the table. Colin Murphy currently leads the way from Mark Culleton, with former champion Darryl Sharkey lurking in thud place despite missing the previous event.
The PCRS Twins championship has also seen some incredible battles at the head of the field with the front runners from the Production and Supertwin classes evenly matched. Ross Irwin leads the faster Supertwin class, with seven wins from nine races, but faces stiffer competition this weekend as Dave Butler returns to the series. In the Production class Jamie Collins and Jason Cash have shared the wins with Collins leading the championship due to his five victories to Cash’s four.
Also featuring this weekend will be Moto400 and Classic Superbikes, the combined grid for which will run once on Saturday and twice on Sunday, Sidecars, racing twice on Saturday and once on Sunday, and Junior Cup and Junior Supersport who will race on Saturday only.
The full weekend timetable and all the other event information can be found on www.masterssuperbike.ie where tickets can also be purchased at reduced prices.
