Carl Phillips toasts Sunflower Trophy glory after stunning last-lap overtake to pip Eugene McManus at Bishopscourt
Ulster Superbike champion Carl Phillips capped a dream season by winning the prestigious AJ Plumbing Supplies Sunflower Trophy for the first time on Saturday at Bishopscourt in Co Down.
Phillips trailed Eugene McManus going onto the final lap but pulled off a stunning move at the final corner to snatch a last-gasp victory on the SBT Ireland Kawasaki, with 2024 USBK champion Jonny Campbell finishing third on his BMW.
Lisburn man Phillips earlier crashed out of the Jim Finlay Memorial Superbike race but was able to take his place on the grid for the 12-lap feature event, which was restarted after a red flag.
On a bitterly cold day at Bishopscourt, pole man Phillips took the lead on the first lap in the autumn sunshine and was 0.6s clear of Randalstown’s McManus on the MasterMac Honda after the first lap.
Phillips led the way until the half-way mark, with McManus – who won the earlier Superbike race – moving into the lead on the sixth lap.
Campbell was giving chase after leaving himself with work to do at the start of the race, while National Superstock 1000 rider Dan Brooks was fourth on the second of the Hawk Racing MasterMac Honda machines.
McManus had pulled a slight gap of 0.424s over Phillips after the seventh lap, with Campbell a few seconds back on his own in third.
Phillips closed the deficit slightly to a few tenths of a second on the penultimate lap, but British Supersport contender McManus – making his competitive debut on the MasterMac Honda this weekend – appeared to have the upper hand.
However, in a sensational finish to the race, Phillips squeezed past McManus on his outside at the final corner on the last lap to secure a dramatic victory by 0.436s, with Campbell five seconds further adrift on the 155 Racing BMW.
Phillips was celebrating a double after winning Friday’s opening Superbike race and joins an illustrious list of past winners of the Sunflower, including Joey Dunlop – the first winner in 1977 – plus Alan Irwin, Johnny Rea, Ron Haslam, Steve Hislop, Michael Rutter, Michael Laverty, Glenn Irwin, Richard Cooper and Charlie Nesbitt, who was a late withdrawal for this year’s race after winning the trophy in 2023 and 2024.
Brooks finished fourth ahead of double Supersport race winner and British champion Rhys Irwin, who was riding his Gearlink Bike Performance 15 Suzuki 750.
Ryan Gibson finished sixth on the Firewood Supplies BMW ahead of Ross Irwin (Magic Bullet Honda) and Mark Hewitt (Dent Boy Ltd BMW).
Donegal’s Irwin won the 10-lap Supersport race by a huge 21.460s from McAdoo Racing Kawasaki’s Korie McGreevy, who was crowned Ulster Supersport champion. McGreevy retired from the Sunflower race.
Caolan Irwin completed the rostrum on the Burrows/RK Racing Yamaha ahead of Ballymoney man Darryl Tweed (KTS Racing by Stanley Stewart Triumph).
Jack Dunabie narrowly held off Jack Burrows to seal a double in the Moto3 class after the British Talent Cup duo battled it out to the finish, with Burrows leading out of the last corner, only for Dunabie to draft past on the run to the line on his RS Racing Honda.