Dominant Derek Sheils wraps up Superbike double at Kells Road Races

Sheils streaked clear on the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Suzuki and was never challenged as he brought the GSX-R1000 home almost 15 seconds clear of Paul Jordan, who was riding his 600 Yamaha.

Jordan sealed the runner-up spot by 5.5 seconds from Thomas Maxwell in third after Michael Sweeney – the runner-up behind Sheils in the Open race – failed to finish on his MJR BMW.

Forrest Dunn took fourth by two seconds from Kevin Fitzpatrick, with Gareth Keys completing the top six.

Jordan won the Supersport race after a battle with Sheils around the undulating Crossakiel course.

The pair were disputing the lead when Sheils was forced to retire on his Roadhouse Macau Yamaha.

Jordan went on to seal victory on his 600cc Yamaha by 4.7 seconds from Sweeney (MJR Yamaha), who was well clear of Tweed in third. Fitzpatrick, Andy Farrell and Ray Maher were the top six.

In the Moto3/125GP race, Ballymoney’s Gary Dunlop clinched his maiden win in the class at Kells on the Joey’s Bar Honda.

Dunlop edged home by 1.5 seconds from Kevin Fitzpatrick, with third going to Melissa Kennedy, who was less than one second further behind.

Sam Grief, who had been hanging on to the rear of Dunlop’s Honda earlier in the race, eventually finished fourth on ex-racer Paul Robinson’s Moto3 Honda machine ahead of Wayne Kennedy.

With some rain beginning to fall in the afternoon, the Supertwin race was a close-fought encounter, with Andy Farrell getting the verdict by only 0.8 seconds over Kevin Baker.

Vinny Brennan completed the top three, 7.3 seconds adrift, followed by Eoin O’Siochru.

Earlier, Pole man Sheils eased to a comfortable victory in the Open race.

He hit the front and gradually pulled clear on his Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike, going on to win the seven-lap race by over six seconds from Skerries man Sweeney (MJR BMW).

Maxwell filled the final place on the podium, 13.5 seconds back, with Jordan taking fourth.

Jordan had been making up ground on Maxwell on his 600 Yamaha but was narrowly denied a rostrum result by only a tenth of a second. Dunn and Tweed rounded out the top six positions at the Crossakiel circuit.

Sponsored by CC’s Unlimited, the Kells Road Races are back on the programme for the first time since 2016, when heavy rain forced the cancellation of the event.

The last racing in anger at Kells was in 2015, when Stamullen’s Alan Bonner won the Open and Grand Final races. The 33-year-old tragically lost his life in a crash at the Isle of Man TT in 2017.

Named in Alan’s memory, the Senior Support race on Sunday was won by form man Andy McAllister, with Eoin O’Siochru taking victory in the Junior Support race by 0.3 seconds from Kevin Baker.