Cookstown 100 hosts Irish road racing curtain-raiser in Co Tyrone

Practice gets under way around the 2.1-mile Orritor course on Friday, with roads closed from 11am-9.30pm.

The line-up includes Tobermore’s Adam McLean, a double winner at the event on the McAdoo Racing Kawasaki machines in the Supersport and Supertwin races in 2020 and 2021.

McLean warmed up for the curtain-raiser by competing in the Ulster Superbike Championship over Easter at Bishopscourt and Kirkistown.

The Cookstown 100 is not only McLean’s home event, it is also the McAdoo team’s local meeting, with team owner Winston McAdoo residing on the circuit.

“It’s my local event and in the 600 class we’ve had four wins out of the last five years, and I’ve the lap record in that class,” said McLean, who broke Michael Dunlop’s lap record on his way to victory last September.

“I also got the Supertwin lap record and won that race in the last couple of years, although it was disappointing not to get a Superbike win last year – we just had a bit of bad luck.

“I’m looking forward to it and we’ll just go and do our usual, and give 100 per cent – that’s all we can do.”

Cookstown heralds the onset of a full Irish national road racing calendar for the first time since 2019, with the Covid-19 pandemic wiping out almost every race in 2020 and 2021.

The Cookstown Club managed to run its race meeting in 2020 and again last year, when Armoy also went ahead in the summer.

McLean’s opposition this weekend includes Skerries man Michael Sweeney, whose chances of a Superbike win last year were thwarted when he was involved in a spectacular crash in the Supersport race.

Sweeney returns for another tilt on the MJR BMW and is also among the leading contenders in the Supersport and Supertwin classes on his Yamaha and Kawasaki machinery.

Cork’s Mike Browne edged out McLean for a Superbike victory last year and the improving Burrows Engineering/RK Racing rider will be targeting more success on the team’s Suzuki GSX-R1000. Browne also lines up on a Yamaha in the Supersport race and is set to compete in the Moto3 class on a Honda.

Magherafelt’s Paul Jordan, a Supersport podium finisher last September, is entered on his own Yamaha R6, while Dominic Herbertson, Thomas Maxwell, Davy Morgan, Neil Kernohan and Darryl Tweed will also be on the grid.

Forest Dunn, who won the headline Superbike race at Cookstown in difficult conditions seven months ago, also returns.

On Saturday, roads will be closed from 9.30am for the main race programme and will reopen no later than 7.30pm.

Meanwhile, free practice takes place on Friday for round two of the World Superbike Championship at Assen in the Netherlands.

Jonathan Rea is currently second in the standings after the first round at Aragon in Spain earlier this month.

The Kawasaki rider, who trails Alvaro Bautista by only three points, has a stellar record at Assen, where he has won a record 15 times.

Race one tomorrow is scheduled on Saturday for 13:00 BST.