CARRICKFERGUS rider Alastair Seeley completed a super Mondello Masters hat-trick in Co Kildare yesterday to claim a handsome winners' cheque for 12,000 euros.
The JMF Millsport ace won the third and final race of Ireland’s most lucrative short circuit series to pocket 7,000 euros for his victory in the feature race plus an bonus cheque for 5,000 euros in recognition of his clean sweep of triumphs in the in
augural Masters mini-championship.
Seeley crossed the line to win the 10-lap Masters event on his Yamaha Superbike by five seconds from Portadown’s Marshall Neill in second, with Jack Kennedy taking the final podium position.
Lisburn’s Ian Lowry, who made his competitive debut on the Relentless TAS Suzuki Superbike normally raced by Michael Laverty in the British Superbike Championship, was a credible fourth, with ISB regular Gerard Kinghan completing the top five. Late entry, Michael Dunlop finished 11th.
Seeley also won Saturday's Superbike race from Kennedy, Denver Robb and Brian McCormack, and he emerged on top again during yesterday's second Irish Superbike outing, which he won from Kennedy and Lowry, with Kinghan, Brian McCormack and Neill rounding off the first six.
It was Dubliner Kennedy who took the honours in the opening ISB race from McCormack, Lowry and Neill.
Going into the weekend, Robb – from Ballymena – had been topping the ISB table – but the title is now poised to go down to the wire at the Sunflower Trophy showpiece later this month.
“I had a bad day at the office,” said a dejected Robb.
“I had major handling problems with the bike and now I’m ten points down on McCormack, so I need a good run at the Sunflower.”
In the Irish Supersport class, Kennedy was a double winner, taking the first from Seeley and Declan Swanton and the second from Alistair Kirk on the Mar-Train Racing Suzuki, with Swanton again third.
Newtownards rider Kirk Jamison was fourth in both Supersport races.
The order in the single 600cc race on Saturday was Seeley from Swanton, Kirk and Jamison.
Ballymoney’s Paul Robinson claimed a double in the 250cc races, finishing as runner-up in the third race, while Patrick Jocobsen was successful twice in the 125cc class, with Mark Lunney also bagging a victory.
Gary Matthews and Keith Meere shared the spoils in the Mini-Twins races.
The Irish Superbike Championship will reach a conclusion at the annual Sunflower Trophy meeting at Bishopscourt in Co Down on October 19.
The full article contains 423 words and appears in News Letter newspaper.
