Guy Martin took his ninth victory at the Ulster Grand Prix after getting the better of Bruce Anstey in a thrilling Supersport race, the opening race of the day at a damp Dundrod.
The duo led the field round at the end of the first lap and pulled away after half race distance to fight out the win between themselves. Martin led right up until the last lap when the Kiwi went ahead at Tournagrough but he ran wide on the exit of the hairpin allowing the Suzuki rider back through and although he tried to fight back through the Quarries, Martin held on by just 0.038s.
"Bruce was on it wasn't he," said Martin afterwards. "I had a bit more pace than Bruce and thought I'd got the better deal with a backmarker on the final lap but he he still got past me. He ran a really tight line at the hairpin and ran a bit wide on the exit so I grabbed the opportunity. The bike's been getting better at each and every meeting and it never missed a beat."
The race got underway with everyone on full wet tyres with the exception of Conor Cummins who opted for an intermediate rear and at the end of the lap, it was Martin who led by 0.118s from Anstey with Michael Dunlop in third closely followed by Ian Lougher, Lee Johnston and William Dunlop.
On lap two, the order remained the same but Dunlop had halved the deficit to Anstey, bringing Lougher with him, the latter the quickest rider on lap two with Johnston holding onto fifth. A few rain spots began to fall, fortunately not amounting to anything more, and at half race distance, the gap between the leading four riders was just 1.6s. Meanwhile, Derek McGee and Russ Mountford were early retirements as Paul Shoesmith slid off at the hairpin, fourtunately without injury.
As the race entered it's second half, Martin and Anstey edged away and as they flashed across the line to complete lap four Lougher was up to third, with Michael Dunlop retiring at the pits and heading straight to his garage. Johnston was a further four seconds back in fourth as the two Milwaukee Yamaha's of William Dunlop and Cummins held station in fifth and sixth. Ivan Lintin had overhauled Cameron Donald for seventh but Gary Johnson retired the MV Agusta from tenth place.
As they went into the final lap, Martin had opened up a 0.7s advantage with Lougher now 13s adrift but Anstey closed right in on Martin through Ireland's and although he couldn't find a way through at Wheeler's, he dived up the inside at Tournagrough to take the lead for the first time. However, he protected the inside line at the hairpin a little too much and that allowed Martin back through, holding his rival off as they flashed either side of a backmarker.
Johnston grabbed third from Lougher on the final lap with William Dunlop, Cummins, Donald, Lintin, Dan Cooper and Seamus Elliott rounding out the top ten.
