Richard Cooper seals Sunday double at on final day of Classic Bike Festival Ireland at Bishopscourt

The former two-time British Superstock 1000 champion again proved unstoppable as he followed up his win in Saturday’s Invitation Supersport race with another dominant performance on the BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha.

After 12 laps of the 1.824-mile course, Cooper took the flag with 3.267s in hand over Adam McLean on the J McC Roofing Yamaha,

McLean was three seconds clear of team-mate and former triple Irish Supersport champion Jason Lynn, also riding a YZF-R6 for Jason McCaw’s Banbridge-based outfit.

“I rode the BPE Yamaha for the first time at the final round of the British championship at Brands Hatch, finishing second and third,” said Cooper.

“Then I had two wins on the R6 at the Sunflower meeting and I knew the bike was the business.”

Christian Elkin was 11 seconds further back on his Dynocentre NI Yamaha in fourth, with Cookstown’s Gary McCoy (Madbros Suzuki) and British championship rider Caolan Irwin (R&R Racing Yamaha) finalising the top six.

Jeremy McWilliams was a non-starter on the Wilson Craig Racing Honda.

Cooper, a double Supertwin winner at the North West 200 in May, also won the second Invitation Superbike race on his 600cc Yamaha.

On a mostly dry track, the 40-year-old sealed victory by 1.859s in the re-started six-lap race from Alan Kenny (TMR Yamaha), who was 1.637s ahead of Saturday race winner Lynn on the J McC Roofing Racing Kawasaki.

Jonny Campbell was fourth on the Magic Bullet Yamaha R1 followed by Dean Campbell (LDC Racing Suzuki).

Derek Sheils, who was the runner-up behind Lynn in Saturday’s first race on the Roadhouse Macau BMW, did not finish.

Earlier, Michael Rutter wrapped up a double in the Classic Superbike class on the Bathams Racing Suzuki XR69.

The 14-time North West 200 winner was made to work hard in the eight-lap race by Sheils, who was riding a Kawasaki ZXR750.

Rutter got the verdict in the end by four tenths of a second over the Irish rider, while David Bell was 14 seconds back as he rounded out the top three on Graham Turnbull’s Yamaha YZF-R750.

Bobby Varey won the concurrently run GP250 race on his Yamaha TZ250 by eight seconds from McCoy (Madbros/Mark Hamilton Yamaha TZ250), who won the opening race on Saturday.

McCoy narrowly held off Elkin (Tower Services Honda RS250) for the runner-up spot by only 0.143s.

Kris Duncan bagged a brace in the Lightweight Supersport races on the McCartney Racing Kawasaki ZXR400 while Mark Codd and Eamon Mulholland chalked up a Sunday hat-trick in the Sidecar races.

Spearheaded by Irish road racing legend Phillip McCallen, the festival was taking place for the third year after the inaugural meeting was staged in 2019, before successive cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.