Tyco Suzuki’s Guy Martin took victory in yesterday’s Blue Riband Ulster Grand Prix Superbike race after a titanic battle with Michael Dunlop at Dundrod in Northern Ireland and also collected the Man of the Meeting Award. Manx team-mate Conor Cummins also had a great Ulster Bike Week taking four podiums, including third place in the Superbike race, for his efforts and making it eight podiums in total for the Tyco Suzuki team. Guy Martin: “It’s been a great week at Dundrod and it’s always the job to win the main Ulster Grand Prix Superbike race. I did my best in the second Superbike race to also take the win but if you’re going to win one at Dundrod, the main race is the most important. No one comes to win the ‘B race do they? The bikes worked superbly today, so thanks to the boys and also to Pirelli who put in a big effort this week. It’s nice to reward them with the main race win. Man of the Meeting is a bonus, but a great week overall.” Conor Cummins: “I was just starting to get in the groove as the weekend ended, with my season really only starting so late, but it was a mint meeting. I just can’t get over how good the bikes felt. The Supersport bike is the best I’ve ever ridden and in the last three laps of Superbike race two I was really starting to loosen up and enjoy myself on the big girl. I had a big carrot in front of me for that last Superbike podium, and it was really pleasing to catch and pass Gary Johnson and lap at over 132mph. The boys did a great job all week for me so I’m off home very happy.” Philip Neill – Team Manager: “It’s always nice to be rewarded after putting in such a big effort, and to take the main Ulster Grand Prix Superbike race is what we all come to Dundrod for. The man of the meeting award is a nice bonus for Guy but I think what we achieved in overall must also give us the unofficial team of the meeting award. Both riders worked tirelessly this week along with our crew members and an extra-ordinary effort from Paolo and Jason from Pirelli. The fast lap times at Dundrod make set-up crucial and again we have proved that when it matters the GSX-R/ Pirelli package is a proven winner. Thanks as always to Suzuki, Tyco and all our other associated sponsors and on behalf of our team I’d like to pass on our condolences to the family and friends of Lee Vernon who sadly lost his life at Dundrod this week.” More, from a press release issued by KMR Kawasaki: Farquhar delighted with Ulster GP success Ryan Farquhar ensured his International road race season ended on a high note when he claimed victory in the Supertwins race at the Ulster Grand Prix on Saturday. The win meant that the KMR Kawasaki rider completed the set after already having taken victory in the corresponding races at the Isle of Man TT and North West 200. With perfect conditions around the 7.4-mile Dundrod circuit all week, things got off to a slow start for Ryan when he struck problems in practice for Thursday’s Dundrod 150 Superbike race but he bounced back to take a commanding 11.5s win in the day’s Supertwins race whilst team-mate Jamie Hamilton took a strong second to give the team another 1-2. Starting from the third wave, Ryan then took 13th in the Dundrod 150 Superbike race, using the event to further dial in the ZX-10R Superbike. Hamilton took 14th on his Superstock mount. Saturday’s main race day again saw ideal weather although strong winds kept the riders on their toes and it couldn’t have started better for Ryan as he dominated the Supertwins race from start to finish to claim his 9th Ulster GP victory. With a new lap record of 118.461mph, almost 2mph better than his own previous best, he crossed the line comfortably clear of Hamilton as the team claimed yet another 1-2. With the Superbike working a lot better, Ryan then took a fine fifth in the second Superbike race as he lapped at almost 132mph and this was backed up by sixth place in the first encounter to ensure a strong day all round. Hamilton also enjoyed a good day and in addition to his Supertwins podium, he took 11th in the Superstock race and 12th and 15th in the two Superbike races. Meanwhile, Geoff McMullan took 11th and 13th on a third KMR ER6 Kawasaki in the two Supertwins races. Speaking afterwards, a pleased Ryan said, “On a personal note, it’s been a successful week and to complete a treble of International wins on the Supertwins machine is brilliant and something I’ve wanted to do all year. I managed the feat in 2005 on Nick Morgan’s 600cc Supersport machine but to do it on a bike I’ve built and prepared myself is truly satisfying and very rewarding. I had no problems in either race and to add almost 2mph to the lap record was superb. To get a 1-2 in both the Ulster GP race and Dundrod 150 race is brilliant for the team too so I’m very pleased for Jamie too as well as for Geoff who enjoyed his two races.” “I struggled a bit with the Superbike at the beginning of the meeting but, slowly but surely, managed to get it working better and better. I was struggling to wrestle the bike through the corners in Saturday’s first race but made a few tweaks to the chassis for the second and to lap at almost 132mph on my own and without a tow was very pleasing. It’s the best the bike’s ever been so if we can keep chipping away, hopefully it will do the business in whatever races I contest in 2013. It was good to see Jamie respond well too after a few recent crashes and I told him after Armoy that he’s got plenty of time and he doesn’t need to try and do it all at once. You have to treat the roads with respect and know when to go for it and when to settle for a result and he’s enjoyed his races again this week.” “I’ve now moved onto 199 career road race wins so, hopefully, I’ll be able to make it 200 before the year’s out so a big thanks to all the sponsors and to all the lads who’ve helped me both this weekend and throughout the week. The week has obviously been overshadowed though by the sad death of Lee Vernon, someone who loved his road racing and always gave 100%. He was never without a smile on his face and was a very talented rider so I’d just like to pass on my deepest condolences to all his family and friends.” Ryan now heads to the Manx Grand Prix where he has rides in the 350cc and 500cc Classic races as well as the Post Classic event. More, from a press release issued by Dan Kneen/Marks Bloom Racing: Strong racing return for Kneen Dan Kneen made his return to racing this week at the Ulster Grand Prix after an eight-week lay-off and it proved to be a successful meeting for the Manxman with a host of top eight finishes. Now recovered from the back injuries sustained at the Isle of Man TT at the beginning of June, the Marks Bloom Racing rider took a best finish of seventh and also increased his personal best lap around the 7.4-mile venue to 129.401mph. The week started steadily for Dan and after solid performances in qualifying, he opened his account with 12th in Thursday’s Dundrod 150 Superbike race. Conditions were again ideal for the main Saturday race day although strong cross winds meant caution had to be exercised on certain parts of the high-speed course. First up for Dan was the 6-lap Superstock race and a good start saw him jump up from 11th on the grid to ninth at the end of lap one and this became 7th a lap later. Enjoying a strong battle with four riders for fifth place, Dan was in sixth going into the final lap but ultimately had to settle for eighth at the chequered flag. This was immediately followed by the first Supersport race where Dan slotted into seventh place and here he remained until the fourth lap when the race was stopped and the result declared at the end of the third lap. The first Superbike race followed and, held over 7 laps, another great start saw Dan up to seventh in the early stages of the race. With a new personal best lap of 129.401mph, Dan was battling it out for fifth place once more when he overshot Cochranstown on the penultimate lap and it proved to be his only retirement of the day. Another eighth place followed in the second Supersport race and Dan’s strong day ended positively with a second seventh place in the final Superbike race, an event which saw Dan post more 129mph+ laps. Speaking later, the 25-year old said, “I’m happy enough with how the week’s gone and although you always want more as a rider, I’ve got to be pleased with the results after such a long lay-off. I would have liked to have broken the 130mph barrier on the Superbike but four top eight finishes at the Ulster GP isn’t a bad return. Apart from overshooting one of the road ends in the first Superbike race, I didn’t have any issues and we’ve made more progress with the bikes this week.” “It was nice to have some good weather and that allowed me to make a lot of improvements to all three of the bikes and although there’s a bit of work still to be done on them, I’m getting there all the time and the plan now for the rest of the season is to keep making a few tweaks here and there and ensure everything’s 100% for the beginning of 2013. I had some good battles in the races and I think the results could have been slightly better as I got held up in a couple of them, which allowed the front group to make a bit of a break but, overall, it’s been a good week so thanks to everyone involved who’s helped me get back on track and hopefully, we can now have a strong run of results and end the year on a high.” Dan now heads to the Manx Grand Prix where he’ll be contesting the Post Classic Superbike race on a GSXR750 Suzuki.