Carl Phillips eager to secure Ulster Superbike title ahead of Brands Hatch return in October for National Superstock 1000 bid

Phillips is bidding to win the championship for the second successive year and now leads Jonny Campbell by 32 points with three rounds to go.

The Lisburn rider never put a foot wrong as he won both races on the Bell Bikesport/B&W Racing BMW, fresh from impressing in the National Superstock 1000 Championship in August.

The former 2016 Junior Superstock 600 champion clinched a best result of seventh place at Thruxton last month and led the race in the early stages.

Phillips has confirmed he will return to the British championship for the final Superstock 1000 round in October, but first he wants to wrap up his third USBK crown.

“I’m getting another go in the Superstock championship at Brands,” he said.

“I haven’t been there in eight years, but I know what to expect now and I’m up for it.

“When I took the lead at Thruxton the pace was quite slow and I thought, ‘I’m going to have a go at leading it’. The Hondas didn’t seem to hold back and once Mossey came past it was like a shock to the system and I had to go a second quicker.

“I got beat up a bit until I got settled, I had quite a few moments, but I learnt a lot and it was a valuable experience with the bike and team.

“It was unreal, absolutely mega,” he added.

“The team has put so much effort in and it was great to put on a show because the effort that Bell Bikesport has put in is absolutely unreal, and they’ve been first class with everything.

“The plan is to get the championship sewn up in the next three weeks and then we’ll focus on Brands Hatch.

“We’ll get dialled in at Brands, then get up to speed and hit the ground running for the Sunflower and fully focus on bringing that home again.

“I’m well up for that and the more the merrier – I’m as good as any of them.”

Phillips won the opening Ulster Superbike race on Saturday at the Belfast and District Club’s Big3Series finale by 2.79s from chief title challenger Campbell (155 Racing BMW).

Ryan Gibson finished 0.9s back on Campbell in third to complete the top three on his Gibson Motors/Firewood Supplies BMW.

Mark Hewitt was on his own in fourth on his BMW, while Dean McMaster (Air NI Kawasaki) and Superbike Cup rider Johnny Allen (Kernohan Racing Yamaha) rounded out the top six.

In the second race, Phillips took the lead from pole and was never headed throughout the 10-lap finale, taking his 11th win overall in the championship this year by 1.743s from Campbell.

Gibson completed the podium places in an unchanged top three from the first race.

Hewitt finished fourth on his Dentboy BMW ahead of Dean McMaster (Air NI Kawasaki) and Jamie Lyons, who was riding the SBT Racing Ducati in a change from his Honda Fireblade.

Christian Elkin (Bell Bikesport/B&W Racing Ducati) held off Adam Brown (Yamaha) to seal victory in the Supersport opener, with Caolan Irwin only two tenths of a second adrift in third on the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Suzuki.

Moto4 British Cup contender Jack Burrows was an impressive fourth on the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Yamaha ahead of Alex Duncan (Ducati) and Ross Moore (Honda).

In the restarted second Supersport race, 16-year-old Burrows held off Brown by just 0.310s to secure a sensational first victory in the class.

Dungannon teenager Burrows, who is one of the leading contenders in the Moto4 British Cup series, was making his Ulster Supersport debut at Kirkistown.

Elkin, who won the first race, was third, only 0.349s further adrift in a thrilling finish as he secured the Crown Prince of Kirkistown title.

The Ulster Superbike Enkalon Trophy meeting, postponed from April because of a weather warning, takes place at Bishopscourt on Saturday, September 12.

The Davy Wood Memorial races will be the penultimate round of the championship from September 19-20 before the end-of-season Sunflower Trophy weekend, also at Bishopscourt in Co Down, from October 24-25.