Michael Dunlop claimed his first International Superbike victory when he took the seond Superbike race of the day at the Ulster Grand Prix. The McAdoo Racing rider hunted down Guy Martin on the Tyco Suzuki and after an exchange of places on the final lap, Dunlop sealed the win with a move at hairpin and crossed the line to rapturous cheers.
Martin led on the opening lap and it was Gary Johnson on the Padgetts Honda who was tucked in his slipstream with Dunlop having made a better start this time around to slot into third. Conor Cummins tucked into fourth with Ryan Farquhar in fifth and William Dunlop in sixth but the latter named only got to Leathemstown on the second lap before retiring.
Lap two and the order was still the same and there were battles all the way through the field with 6th to 11th separated by just 1.5s whilst it was also bunching up at the front, with only 0.8s between Martin, Johnson and Dunlop.
With what turned out to be the fastest lap of the race, 133.433mph, Dunlop moved up to second on lap three after passing Johnson at Wheeler's and it was now Dan Kneen in sixth ahead of Michael Pearson, Adrian Archibald, Ian Lougher and Bruce Anstey, who was out on his Superstock machine.
The thousands of fans were focussing on the battle for the lead and on lap four Dunlop hit the front for the first time, his lead at the end of the lap though still only 0.2s. There was literally nothing between the Northern Irishman and Englishman with their fifth lap times absolutely identical and the last lap was nothing short of superb. Martin led going into Wheeler's but Dunlop wasn't to be denied and a 'block pass' move at the hairpin sealed his win, sweet reward after tipping off at the same corner earlier in the day.
Cummins put in a final lap charge to take the last podium spot, his third of the day, with Johnson in fourth and Farquhar in fifth. The battle for sixth went all the way to the line and it was Pearson, Kneen, Dean Harrison, Lougher and Archibald in that order. Harrison also became the first newcomer to break the 130mph barrier with a lap of 130.228mph.
