Michael Dunlop got the Ulster GP underway in fine style on Saturday morning when he took the 6-lap Superstock race by four seconds. The McAdoo Racing rider came through from fourth on the opening lap and with the fastest lap of the race, 131.530mph, he overhauled Guy Martin, Ian Lougher and Bruce Anstey to take his second win of the week.
It was Lougher who grabbed the holeshot and he led the field round at the end of the opening lap with Martin and Anstey behind him and Dunlop a further second back in fourth. Newcomer Lee Johnston was going great guns in fifth just ahead of Dan Kneen but Stephen Thompson and William Dunlop were way back in the pack.
Second time around and Martin hit the front but it was close with just 0.4s splitting him, Lougher and Anstey whilst Dunlop was unable to claw any ground back and found himself a further 1.3s back. Johnston was holding off Cummins for fifth whilst rookie Dan Cooper, who started from the second wave, was up to 12th.
Dunlop began to make his charge on the third lap and with the first 130mph+ lap of the race, he was up to second but there was only 0.5s between the top four and it was still anyone's race. Cummins and Johnston were continuing their dice for fifth with Dan Kneen and Dean Harrison doing likewise for seventh. Meanwhile, William Dunlop, Michael Sweeney and John Burrows all pulled into the pits to retire.
As the race moved into its final third, Dunlop continued to up the pace and his penultimate lap of 131.530mph, sent him almost two seconds clear of Lougher, an advantage that had doubled at the chequered flag. With the front two positions secured, attention fell on the battle for third and it was Martin who prevailed over Anstey by just one tenth of a second. Cummins finally got the better of Johnston whilst Harrison took seventh and became the fastest newcomer ever with a stunning lap of 129.873mph.
Kneen, Adrian Archibald and Rob Barber completed the top ten with Jamie Hamilton in 11th and Cooper getting the better of Brain McCormack for 12th on the run in to the line. Thompson fought back from his first lap problems to take 14th.
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