'Everything is clicking' for Ulster Superbike Championship leader Carl Phillips after second successive double
Carl Phillips says “everything is clicking” with his new team after the reigning Ulster Superbike champion won both races at Bishopscourt in Co Down on Saturday.
Phillips had made the switch from a Kawasaki to a BMW M1000RR for 2026 with the Bell Bikesport/B&W Racing team and has started the defence of his title with four wins from four.
The Lisburn man leads the standings by 20 points from Jonny Campbell after the first two rounds of the season.
Campbell, the 2024 champion, has finished as the runner-up in all four races to date on his 155 Racing BMW.
Phillips won Saturday’s first race, restarted after a red flag when McAdoo Racing Kawasaki rider Korie McGreevy crashed out unhurt, by 1.110s from Campbell, with Ross Irwin third on the Magic Bullet Honda, 13 seconds behind the winner.
In the second race, Phillips was pushed hard by Campbell before edging ahead on the final few laps to win by two seconds. Sam Laffins took third on his Honda to complete the podium.
McGreevy played no further part in the remainder of the afternoon’s races after a second crash on the day in the opening Davy Morgan Memorial Supersport race.
A delighted Phillips, who will next be in action at the North West 200, said: “I’ve a lot of experience now and I’m more mature now, everything is clicking and the team’s great, everyone around it, and it’s all working well.
“I was going to [ride Supersport bike at Bishopscourt], but we pulled back because I just want to fully focus on this BMW, and then I’ve a couple more test days sorted in the next couple of weeks to get the Ducati going.
“I’ll get out of this weekend and then I’ll really put the head down for the North West 200.”
Former British Superbike rider Phillips will also contest three rounds of the National Superstock 1000 Championship later in the season.
“I’ll be doing three rounds [in the National Superstock Championship] but I just need to play it by ear,” he added.
“We’ll be better dialled in later in the season because we just need to understand the bike a lot more with all the electronics.”
Magherafelt man Paul Jordan was the aggregate winner of the Davy Morgan Memorial trophy across Saturday’s Supersport races.
Riding the Jackson Racing by Prosper2 Ducati, Jordan twice finished second behind Cooper and Christian Elkin (Bell Bikesport/B&W Ducati) respectively.
Nottingham’s Cooper did not compete in the second race on the BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha R9, which Elkin won narrowly by a mere tenth of a second on the dash to the line from Jordan.
Caolan Irwin, who retired from the first race, was third on his Suzuki ahead of Jeremy McWilliams (J McC Racing Ducati), who was third in the opening Supersport race.
On a good day for Elkin, the former British champion won both Supertwin races on his RB Engineering/Bell Bikesport B&W Aprilia.
Elkin qualified on pole ahead of Jeremy McWilliams (J McC Racing Aprilia), but the veteran racer crashed out of the first race as he contested the lead and his machine was too badly damaged to enable him to ride in the second encounter.