Guy Martin ended Saturday’s Ulster Grand Prix in perfect style when he took victory in the 7-lap Superbike race, just rewards for his efforts during what was an extremely frenetic day. Having taken numerous leaderboard positions in the four previous races, the Hydrex Honda rider had to wait until the final race of the day to take the first step on the podium but he did just that to end the 2009 International road race season on a high note and give watching team boss Shaun Muir plenty of reasons to be cheerful. The Ulster GP week opened with Thursday’s Dundrod 150 Superbike race and having led into the sixth and final lap, Guy had to settle for third place, just 0.9seconds behind race winner Conor Cummins in what was the fastest race ever seen at the high-speed Dundrod circuit. On to Saturday and after heavy rain on Friday, the Superstock race got underway in damp conditions and although the track was drying all the time, Guy’s dry tyres didn’t quite come into their own until the second half of the race and he finished fourth. The opening Supersport race was without doubt one of the best races ever at Dundrod as up to nine riders fought it out for the lead, smashing the lap record in the process. Although he dropped back to ninth at one stage, the gap to first was never more than 2.5 seconds and Guy eventually took 5th, having lapped at well over 126mph. The first Superbike race was another cracker and having led on the opening lap, Cummins pushed Guy back to second on lap 2. However, as the four leading riders, again nose to tail, went into their final lap, Guy was in front after a lap of 132.749mph but he was again denied on the run in to the line and got pushed back to third at the chequered flag. The second Supersport race saw Guy’s only DNF after he was forced out on the warm-up lap due to a holed radiator so the final Superbike race was his last chance of claiming a win. Third on the opening lap, the leading five riders were swapping positions all the time but on lap 4 Guy hit the front for the first time. Despite the extreme pressure he was under he managed to hold them all off on the seventh and final lap and he got the verdict over Gary Johnson on the dash to the line by 0.106seconds for his sixth UGP victory. Indeed, there were only 0.417 seconds between Guy, Johnson, Cummins and Ian Hutchinson. Speaking later, a delighted Guy said, “I was beginning to think I was a bit doomed as it didn’t seem to matter what I did I just couldn’t get a win but it all came right in the last race and I’m so pleased that it did. Throughout the week the rest of the top boys had the edge on me from the hairpin to the start and finish and whilst I was quicker through the high-speed stuff, they pulled it all back through the short-circuit style section after the hairpin. I just couldn’t get the big bike to turn quickly enough through the Flowbog Crossroads and Quarry Bends corners but we kept chipping away with the bike, making small, and subtle, changes here and there and it paid off for the final Superbike race.” “In the opening Superstock race, the brakes went on the first lap of the re-run and I nearly skittled Hutchy and Bruce Anstey at Ireland’s but they came back as the race wore on and 4th was an ok start to the day. The first Supersport race could have been anyone’s and although I was down in 9th at one stage, positions were changing all the time, and it almost went down to being at the right place at the right time – finishing 5th, one and half seconds off the win is pretty mad when you think about it! Every single race was incredibly close and hectic and it was really tough all day – everybody was on it, like jam on toast, and it has to be one of the most thrilling Ulster GP’s ever. It’s great to see the meeting have a good year with the weather and I’ve got to say a big thanks to Danny, Cammy and Shaun the Sheep for all their work during the week whilst I was really pleased to put a smile on the boss’ face at the end of the day!” More, from a press release issued by Ryan Farquhar’s publicist: Farquhar claims Man of the Meeting at Ulster GP Ryan Farquhar’s remarkable 2009 season continued on Saturday when he claimed the Man of the Meeting award at the International Ulster Grand Prix, the final International road race of the season. The KMR Kawasaki rider carried his National form on to the International stage and left the Dundrod venue with two wins, two seconds and a sixth from his five races whilst he also claimed a win and a fourth place in Thursday’s Dundrod 150 races. It was the Dundrod 150 that got the week underway on Thursday with Ryan’s dominance on the ER6 650 Kawasaki continuing when he took the Supertwins race by almost a minute and he followed this up with a superb fourth place in the Superbike race. Lapping at over 132mph, Ryan was embroiled in a terrific scrap with Conor Cummins, Guy Martin and Ian Hutchinson but a fuel problem in the closing stages saw him drop back and he had to settle for fourth in what was the fastest ever race around the 7.4-mile circuit. On Saturday, it was the Ulster GP proper and Ryan opened his account for the day with a close second in the Superstock race. Held in two parts, Ryan led the first 3-laps and needed to keep Ian Hutchinson in his sights in the second part but the Yorkshireman put in a stunning final lap of 130.117mph to edge Ryan out by just 0.339s. The same two riders fought out the victory in the first Supersport 600cc race but this time there were seven more riders in contention and places were exchanged at practically each and every corner. Ryan hit the front on the final run from the hairpin and both he and Hutchinson flashed over the line together at the end of the seven laps. After a long delay whilst the timekeepers analyzed the finish, Ryan got the verdict by the miniscule margin of just 0.001s! Another dominant win in the Supertwins followed, this time by 37.2seconds, before Ryan switched to Kenny Harker’s Superstock machine for the Superbike race. A slightly sluggish start saw him lose ground on the front pack but more 130mph+laps saw him take a strong sixth place after a race long duel with Ian Lougher. The second Supersport 600cc race was Ryan’s final race of the day and it was another titanic affair but this time William Dunlop managed to make a break and he took the win with Ryan getting the better of Bruce Anstey and Ian Lougher on the run in to the line for second, a great way to end what had been a truly great day. Talking later a tired but delighted Ryan said, “It’s been a fantastic week here at Dundrod and I couldn’t have asked for anything better and whilst it’s been tough going with seven races, it’s been a great few days. I’m slightly disappointed with the result in the Superstock race as I thought I’d done enough to get the win but fair play to Ian, he put in a couple of flying laps to give him the edge. It was nice to get the verdict over him in the following Supersport race but that has to go down as one of the toughest races I’ve ever had, it was so close amongst all of us it was unbelievable. I got a bit tangled up with Ian at Jordan’s Cross in one of the races which was a bit scary but most of the races have been like that today. They’ve been really tough and there’s so little between any of us now on the roads, you really have to ride hard and a lot of it is about being in the right place at the right time.” “I’ve got to say a special thanks to Kawasaki, MSS, Dunlop and all of my sponsors plus all the boys in the team who have worked so hard this week. There was a really good crowd out there around the course so after all the problems with the weather in recent years it was great to get a full day’s racing here at Dundrod and I hope the club have done well from today and have got the Ulster GP firmly back on track.” Ryan now heads to the Manx Grand Prix where he will have three outings on vastly different machinery, a 500cc Paton, a 350cc Honda and a GS1000 Suzuki. Practice gets underway on Saturday 22nd August. More, from a press release issued by Keith Amo’s publicist: Early Ulster GP exit for Amor Keith Amor’s hopes of grabbing his first International race win came to an early end on Saturday when he crashed out of the final lap of the first Supersport 600cc race at the Ulster Grand Prix. The crash occurred at Tournagrough as Keith tried to seize the lead in what had been a frantic race with up to 9 riders fighting it out for the lead and although he escaped relatively unscathed, a few dizzy spells upon his return to the paddock saw him decide it was better to sit the rest of the day out. The incident marred what had looked like would have been one of the Wilson Craig Honda rider’s best ever days having earlier claimed a podium in the Superstock race, his first outing of the day. However, earlier in the week, on Thursday, the 6-lap Dundrod 150 Superbike race got the Ulster Grand Prix Bike Week underway but having qualified in seventh place, Keith’s race was over before it begun after the team noticed a misfire before he left the paddock. Deciding to take the ‘safety first’ option, Keith sat the race out, which made him even more determined come Saturday and Ulster GP race day. The day got off to a great start when Keith took third in the 6-lap Superstock race, also lapping comfortably inside the old lap record. Held in two parts, the Falkirk ace came through from fifth on the first lap to take over 3rd place on the fourth lap and although the leading two riders, Ian Hutchinson and Ryan Farquhar, had made a break at the head of the field, he successfully saw off the close attentions of Guy Martin and Conor Cummins. The second race of the day was the first Supersport 600cc event and it turned out to be one of the best ever witnessed around the high-speed 7.4-mile Dundrod circuit. With less than three seconds covering the top nine riders, Keith was never outside of the top three and looked like he’d take his second podium of the day, at least, but it all went wrong on the final lap when he went down at Tournagrough and with the aforementioned mild concussion, he had little option other than to sit out the remaining three races. Speaking afterwards, a clearly disappointed Keith said, “I’m gutted, it’s as simple as that. After the disappointment of Thursday’s race, I was really determined to do well on Saturday and everything was going well after third place on the Stocker. There were plenty of damp patches out there still after all the rain on Friday but the tyres were excellent and it was a slight lack of top speed that held me back. I hung in there as best I could and although I lost the tow to the front two, I was making a lot of time up through the corners and that allowed me to hold off the rest of the boys.” “Hectic is the best word used to describe the 600cc race and there were a lot of hard moves being pulled out there with a bit of paint being exchanged too. I tried my hardest to get to the front and stay there and I felt a win was on the cards but it all went wrong on the last lap and down I went. I didn’t feel too bad all things considered but I started to see a few stars and there was no way it would have been safe to have carried on so I had to pull out. It’s such a shame as the bikes were flying and I felt in really good form. I really feel for the team too as they’ve put so much work and effort to put us in great shape and I really wanted to repay them with some good results. It wasn’t meant to be though I guess so we’ll get our heads down and regroup ready for the next race.” More, from a press release issued by Conor Cummins’ publicist: Cummins scorches to UGP Superbike success and becomes fastest man in the world! Manxman Conor Cummins scorched to his first ever International race win on Saturday when he took victory in a thrilling Superbike race whilst he also created history earlier in the week when he set the fastest road race lap in the world! Riding the McAdoo Racing Kawasaki, Cummins lapped at an astonishing 133.284mph on his way to winning Thursday’s Dundrod 150 Superbike, the phenomenal speed re-asserting the 7.4-mile Dundrod course as the fastest road race in the world. Having unofficially broken the lap record in practice, all eyes were on Cummins in Thursday’s 6-lap Dundrod 150 race and the 23-year old didn’t disappoint. However, he didn’t have it easy and for much of the race a terrific 5-way battle ensued at the head of the field between Conor, Guy Martin, Ian Hutchinson, Ryan Farquhar and Bruce Anstey. By lap four, Anstey had been dropped and Martin seized control with Conor dropping to third but as they went into their final lap he was back up to second and managed to overhaul his rival along the ‘Flying Kilo’. With the fastest lap of the race, the record-breaking 133.284mph, Conor was able to keep both Hutchinson and Martin at bay although there was only 0.9 seconds between the trio at the chequered flag. Saturday’s Ulster Grand Prix dawned wet and miserable but by lunchtime the rain had stopped and the clouds were breaking so the Superstock race got proceedings underway just before 12pm. Conor recorded a solid fifth in the race, which was held in two parts and decided on aggregate time after a crash, and backed this up with sixth in the first Supersport 600cc race (where he was only 1.8seconds off the win!) before lining up for the UGP Superbike race. It was another titanic battle with Gary Johnson replacing Ryan Farquhar in the leading quintet and at half race distance there was less than 2 seconds separating the five riders. Although Martin got ahead on a number of occasions, Conor continued to lead at the end of each lap and he fought him and Hutchinson, who almost stole Conor’s two-day old lap record, off with the order at the end Conor, Hutchinson and Martin, the margin of victory just 0.136seconds! Fifth in the second Supersport race and fourth in the second Superbike race (an almost unbelievable 0.4seconds off the win) after yet another thrilling dice ensured it was a great week at the Dundrod circuit and with two wins and six top-six finishes it was a delighted Conor that commented later: “I’m over the moon with how everything’s gone here at Dundrod and to come away with two Superbike wins, including my first ever International win, and the outright lap record is mega. The Superbike’s been flying all week so big thanks to the boys at McAdoo and Kawasaki for giving me an awesome bike. In the first Superbike race I wasn’t sure what pace to set so I went as quick as I thought I needed to but when Guy came by he upped things up a bit so I stuck to his back wheel. I felt really strong through the Flowbog and Quarry Bends section and just got my head down on the last lap and really went for it. To lap at over 133mph was pretty decent and everything just clicked – it was an awesome race to get things underway.” “On Saturday, I tried to make a break but again Guy and Hutchy came with me and we were all pretty evenly matched. I utilized my strengths and got to the front when it mattered most and to get my first Ulster GP win was awesome. I didn’t get to stand on the podium, sadly, in the other races but we were in the hunt in each of them and the pace was really hot in all of them. The top riders and bikes are so even now that we’re all riding out of our skin and that’s why there was 6, 7 or 8 of us battling at the front at those crazy speeds! The McAdoo team have been brilliant this year and we’ve racked up some great results and really made our mark so big thanks to them and to all my sponsors for making it all happen – all the hard work over the past few years is certainly paying off!” It’s back to short circuit duty now for Conor where he will be re-united with Team Blackhorse Yamaha at Cadwell Park for round 9 of the Metzeler National Superstock Championship. The meeting takes place from August 29-31.