Hawk BMW’s Michael Dunlop has staked his claim to some 2016 Vauxhall North West 200 podiums by taking provisional pole for the two Superbike races which will be run on the golden triangle this Saturday.
Dunlop set a 4’25.446 to claim top spot today but is still some way behind Josh Brookes’ lap record of 4’22.627 set in the second race two years ago. The Ballymoney man holds a six-tenth advantage over race weekend favourite Alastair Seeley, who put in a 4’26.027 on his Briggs BMW.
“Aye, it was steady enough,” Dunlop said after laying down the opening mark of the meeting in glorious sunshine. “That is our first run out with the superbike and we have a bit to go yet with it but now we have a guide.”
“I hit the footpath at Juniper on the last lap and did a bit of motocrossing but I wasn’t on a quick lap anyway,” said Seeley. “We have a couple of tweaks to make to the bike and then I will happier but it is coping well with the bumps and that makes it easier.”
Ian Hutchinson completed a top three BMW lockout with his 4’27.110 on the Tyco-backed S1000RR while veteran John McGuinness ended his Superbike outing in fourth and is the sole non-BMW in the top five as Michael Rutter is fifth on his Bathams/SMT-livered S1000RR but nearly four seconds off the pace.
James Hillier bagged sixth place on the Quattro Kawasaki with Peter Hickman’s GBmoto Kawasaki in seventh. Conor Cummins is eighth, Bruce Anstey ninth and Lee Johnston, who crashed at the Scarborough Spring Cup, in tenth.
Jeremy McWilliams, who is a last-minute stand-in for Dan Kneen on the Mar-Train Yamaha, is an amazing 11th given he has only ever raced the North West on a Supertwin. William Dunlop, Ryan Farquhar, David Johnson and Ivan Lintin wrap up the top 15.