Cookstown 100: Fantastic four-timer for Dominic Herbertson after narrow victory in feature Superbike race from Michael Sweeney

Herbertson, who won the Open A Superbike, Supersport and Moto3 races at the Co Tyrone meeting for Dungannon team Burrows Engineering/RK Racing, was pushed all the way by Skerries rider Sweeney on his MJR BMW, who was denied by only a tenth of a second on the line in the showpiece race at the 2.1-mile Orritor course.

Pre-race favourite Michael Dunlop, who won Friday’s Superbike invitation race by 15 seconds from Herbertson, was absent from the line-up after he withdrew from the meeting.

Dunlop crashed in Friday’s Supersport invitation race but was unhurt in the incident on his MD Racing Triumph.

Hexham’s Herbertson took the lead from pole on the BMW M1000RR but was only 0.3s ahead of Sweeney after the first lap.

Sweeney had moved to the front on the second lap but only by a tenth of a second, while Ryan Whitehall (Yamaha) was into third ahead of Ballymena’s Neil Kernohan.

By the end of lap four, Sweeney had opened a slight advantage of 0.9s from Herbertson as the leading duo pulled a massive gap over the chasing pack.

Herbertson slashed the gap on lap five to just 0.2s and took the lead into Gortin corner at the start of lap seven with a pass on the brakes.

The 33-year-old was 0.3s ahead of Sweeney as they began the eighth lap.

Richard Charlton was on the move and had now climbed into third on his Yamaha R1, 28.7s behind Sweeney, with Whitehall and Kernohan next.

The lead changed hands again on lap eight with Sweeney now back in front by two tenths of a second.

Once again, though, a determined Herbertson pounced on the brakes into Gortin at the beginning of lap 10.

The English rider set the fastest lap in 1m 24.196s to extend his advantage to 0.4s with two laps to go.

In the battle for the final rostrum place, Whitehall was back in third ahead of Charlton.

Sweeney responded with another fastest lap in 1m 23.383s to pile on the pressure but Herbertson led by 0.435s going into the 12th and last lap.

On a frenetic final circuit, Herbertson dug deep to fend off Sweeney and bagged his fourth win of the day by only 0.175s.

Whitehall was 48.86s back in third as he pipped the late charging Keelim Ryan (Trison McMullan Kawasaki) to the final rostrum place by 0.092s.

Charlton finished fifth with Lincolnshire’s Sam Johnson in sixth on his Suzuki.

Kernohan retired from the race in the closing stages on his 1000c Yamaha.