Bruce Anstey took a dramatic opening Supersport race at the Metzeler Ulster Grand Prix after William Dunlop's Tyco Suzuki expired half way round the final lap. Anstey had lost the lead a few corners earlier on his Valvoline Racing by Padgett's Honda when held up by a backmarker at Deer's Leap but eventually took the win when Dunlop disappeared in a plume of smoke on the approach to Wheeler's with Lee Johnston and Guy Martin taking the other two podium positions.
A delighted Anstey commented; "There wasn't much between me and William and there were a couple of places where I was eyeing him up as I was quicker into the corners than what he was but his bike went bang and that was that. There was a fair bit of oil and I immediately wiped my visor which was a bad idea as I couldn't see a thing. The Valvoline bike was absolutely flying and Clive (Padgett) always builds a fantastic bike which gets to the end but conditions are very tricky. It's changing every lap and it's three conditions in one."
The race had earlier been red flagged after Dean Harrison, Dan Kneen and Keith Amor all crashed heavily at Ireland's and although none have injuries that are life threatening, they've all recieved fractures.
When the race did get underway it was William who made an early break and he was some four seconds clear of Martin at the end of the first lap with Anstey, Michael Dunlop and Lee Johnston in hot pursuit but Ian Hutchinson was an early retirement with brake problems on the Milwaukee Yamaha. However, on the second lap, Anstey moved up to second and immediately took a second off Dunlop's lead as Johnston also moved ahead of Martin.
By the fourth lap, there was just 0.2s between Dunlop and Anstey and the Kiwi took the lead for the first time on the entry to Rock Bends although Dunlop immediately fought back but Michael Dunlop was another retiree. Further back, Johnston was secure in third now with Martin having a big gap over fifth placed Ivan Lintin, who'd fought off the close attentions of Russ Mountford, James Cowton and Daley Mathison.
On the final lap, Anstey again took the lead at Rock Bends but as he approached Deer's Leep, he found a backmarker right on the apex of the corner and he had to shut off which allowed Dunlop to fly by and open up a gap. It looked like the Ballymoney man had enough of a gap but it wasn't to be as he was forced to retire which allowed Anstey to take his ninth UGP victory.
Johnston and Martin were promoted up to second and third with Lintin having an excellent ride into fourth ahead of Cowton, Mountford and Mathison with Steve Mercer getting the better of Michael Sweeney and Derek Sheils for eighth.
