Supersport crown secured by Keyes as Ryan edges towards Superbike title Number four

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The Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship heads for the Mondello Park National Track this Saturday and Sunday, October 9th & 10th with ten of the twelve title fights still to be settled. Never in the history of the championship has so much been up for grabs on the final weekend of the season.

The shortened 2021 Masters Superbike Championship campaign comes to a close this weekend following a five event season condensed into just seventeen weeks. The shorter season has produced a more unpredictable outcome than normal, with just two titles secured so far. The Supersport crown has been lifted by Offaly’s Kevin Keyes while Corkman Stephen Tobin has retained his Moto 400 crown.

Despite a season where he was pushed harder than ever before the September Masters saw Kilkenny’s Richie Ryan emerge as the favourite to secure an unprecedented fourth successive Superbike title. Mechanical issues and crashes for all of the front runners have allowed Ryan to overcome his own non-finishes to build a healthy lead heading into the final triple header. Dubliner Thomas O’Grady has emerged as Ryan’s closest challenger and one slip up from Ryan could allow O’Grady the chance to make a claim for the title. In the Superbike Cup a three way battle between Kerry riders Dean O’Grady and Evan O’Grady and Cavan’s Shane Connolly, will more than likely go down to the final race on Sunday afternoon before it is decided.

While Kevin Keyes has secured the top spot in Supersport and Limerick man Andrew Murphy is almost secure in second, the Supersport Cup is yet to be finalised. Both Jamie Collins and Scott McCrory have been battling near the front of the overall grid all season and are now the only two left standing in the battle for Cup honours. With Keyes likely to miss the event, due to an injury sustained at Donnington Park’s BSB round last weekend, the way could be open for one of the Cup racers to join the exclusive list of Cup riders who have won a Supersport race outright.

The most interesting fight over the weekend could be the Supertwins shoot out. With an extra race being added this weekend to make up for the one not run in September, Kevin Baker from County Clare and North Dublin’s Michael Sweeney will have a busy weekend as they fight over the top spot in the faster Twins class. The top two have won all of the races this season and currently are separated by just five points. Darragh Crean will make the trip from Kerry with a healthy Production Twins points lead over season long rival, veteran Dubliner Terry Bradley. Bradley will have to beat Crean in Saturday’s race one to take the championship battle through to Sunday’s final day.

The Principal Insurance Pre-Injection class has two former champions still in with a chance of regaining the crown, but it will be Tipperary’s Ian Prendergast who will start as the strong favourite. Prendergast holds a large lead over Darryl Sharkey with the Cavan man needing his rival to have a particularly poor weekend if he is not to pick up the six points he needs to take the title.

Also up for grabs this weekend are the DM Groundworks and FJS Plant Junior titles with a very real chance that Masters history could be made in Moto1. Aoife Griffin is all set to become the first female Masters Champion and all she has to do is finish race one to claim that accolade. In the faster Junior Supersport class Reece Coyne is aiming to add this trophy to the Junior Cup one that he won in 2019 and will need to simply finish in the top three in race one to do so. Also set to be decided over the weekend is the destination of the Classic Superbike Championship and the Sidecar title.

Three Championship rounds will be run for each class over the two days of the Masters finale apart from Twins. Following Saturday morning qualifying. racing gets underway in the afternoon beginning with the additional rescheduled Twins race. All classes will race at least once on Saturday with the final two rounds of the season on Sunday. Tickets for both days can be purchased from the Masters Superbike Championship web site, www.masterssuperbike.ie.

For all of the Round 13 – 15 information see ROUNDS 7 – 9.

Dunlop Masters Rounds 10-12, what to expect!

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With restrictions being lifted for this event we are now able to open up our doors to more visitors, but we still need to keep track of numbers so tickets must be purchased on-line in advance. Tickets will not be available at the entrance gates on the day of the event.

For all the event information, links to the timetable and our new printable and mobile event programmes see HERE.

Tickets for the Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship are now on sale. To facilitate contact tracing, all attendees, including children who are admitted free of charge, must be pre-booked and all attendees must have a ticket. Tickets can be booked on the Mondello Park web site and prices are;

Adult Admission – Saturday 25th – €16 (including booking fee)
Under 16 Admission – Saturday 25th – FOC
Adult Admission – Sunday 26th – €16 (including booking fee)
Under 16 Admission – Sunday 26th – FOC

BOOK YOUR TICKETS

Each Masters Superbike Championship event consist of three races for each class over two days of action. The majority of classes will qualify and race once on Saturday and race twice on Sunday, the exception on this occasion being the Sidecars and the Superbike and Supersport ‘B’ race for those that don’t make the main race grid.

This weekend will see the return of post race podiums, on Sunday only. All event visitors will have access to the paddock where the podium presentation will take place directly after each race. To assist with compliance with the current Covid protocols we have introduced an on-line event programme which is available in two formats. If you wish to bring a paper copy with you a print friendly version is available. You can also view a more interactive version of the programme on a phone or tablet either at the event or you can download it prior to arrival as it is already available on our web site.

The feature races for Supersport and Superbike are kept as much asbpossible to the prime afternoon viewing time on Sunday. The first of two Sunday Supersport races runs just before lunch with the first Superbike directly after the break. Both classes will then race again in the afternoon with the final Superbike race scheduled for just before 16:00.

A number of our championship sponsors will be on site in the paddock this weekend with Principal Insurance returning following a long Covid enforced break to join Airvest and superbikes.ie who will all be present on Sunday.

For all the event information, links to the timetable and our new printable and mobile event programmes see HERE.

Five riders closing in on Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship title

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The Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship makes its second visit of 2021 to the Mondello Park National Track this weekend, with the Kildare venue set to host rounds ten, eleven and twelve of the hotly contested championship, as well as welcoming an increased number of spectators. The September 25th and 26th event will be the penultimate event of the year with the finale set for just two weeks later on October 9th and 10th.

As the series prepares for two events in quick succession, to round out its shorter than normal season, there are five riders still in contention for the Superbike crown. Wicklow based Derek Sheils leads Kilkenny native Richie Ryan as he attempts to break Ryan’s run of championship victories which stretches back to 2017. Sheils and Ryan have captured most of the wins this season but when not winning both have dropped points, allowing Dubliner’s Michael Sweeney and Thomas O’Grady along with Tralee’s Emmet O’Grady to stay in touch.

The previous event in August produced the closest Superbike races see for many years as the unrelated Thomas and Emmet O’Grady got themselves into the mix at the front of the field. Thomas was particularly impressive as he moved his HVAC Solutions Yamaha into victory contention for the first time since returning to the Masters series. The Dubliner finished second to Ryan’s Mobil 1 Yamaha in race one and did the same behind the Road House Macau BMW of Sheils in race two. Emmett continues to develop his TAG Racing Honda and picked up his best results of the season, including just missing out on the podium twice and taking his first front row start.

The top step of the Supersport podium has been the property of Offaly’s Kevin Keyes for most of the season but he has worked for his victories on all occasions, having had to take on top Road Racers Adam Mc:Lean and Michael Dunlop. His nearest championship challenger is Mike Browne who has so far failed to match his 2020 dominance, and Andrew Murphy who has been a regular podium finisher.

Amongst the other classes the Principal Insurance Pre-Injection class is one of the closest with every race going down to the final lap. Tipperary’s Ian Prendergast has emerged over the last two events as the man to beat and now holds a strong championship lead over former champion Darryl Sharkey and relative newcomer Noel Dunne Jnr.

The main Superbike and Supersport classes will be supported at Mondello Park by The Pre-Injection championship, Twins, Classic Superbikes and Moto 400, the DM Groundworks and FJS Plant backed Junior classes and Sidecars. All classes will qualify on Saturday and will contest three races over the two days.

Spectator admission for Rounds 10 to 12 of the Dunlop Masters is by pre-booked ticket only. Tickets for the two days of racing must be purchased on-line, to find out more see www.masterssuperbike.ie.

For all of the Round 10 – 12 information see ROUNDS 10-12.

Dunlop Masters Superbike battle intensifies at Mondello Park

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Rounds seven, eight and nine of the Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship produced the closest Superbike racing of the season as the championship battle intensified on the Mondello Park International Track. Former Champions Richie Ryan and Derek Sheils shared the wins but had to fight harder than ever to take their victories as the gap to their main challengers continues to close. Despite the closeness of the Superbike battles it was Supersport that produced the tightest result as a photo finish was required to separate Kevin Keyes and Michael Dunlop in their final race of the weekend. Returning from injury, Portadown’s Luke Johnston was instantly back to his best as he took pole position for race one, ahead of Kilkenny native Richie Ryan and Dublin’s Thomas O’Grady. Championship leader Michael Sweeney took fourth place to line up on row two. The first attempt at a start only got as far as turn one as a coming together between four of the front runners brought out the red flag. Luke Johnston initially led the shortened re-run but was passed by Ryan at half distance. Going into the final lap Ryan led from Johnston with Thomas O’Grady third and Derek Sheils fourth, having moved through from last on the grid following problems in qualifying. The action was not over however, as both O’Grady and Sheils found a way past Johnston on the final lap to pick up second and third, with the top six bikes separated by three seconds at the flag. Race two produced an even closer battle despite losing Johnston to a Sunday morning warm-up crash. Ryan lead initially but he could not open a gap as Sheils, Thomas and Emmett O’Grady, Michael Sweeney and Carlow rider Edd Comerford closed right in. The group swapped places almost every lap with the biggest changes coming on the penultimate one. Comerford crashed out at the first turn just as Sheils grabbed the lead from Ryan who was then under pressure from Thomas O’Grady. O’Grady slipped past on the final lap and then almost caught Sheils on the line to finish off the best Superbike race seen at the Masters Championship for many years. The top two were separated by two tenths of a second at the flag, with Richie Ryan holding on to third ahead of Emmett O’Grady, Michael Sweeney and Antrim’s Ross Irwin. The competitiveness of the grid was demonstrated by the line-up for race three. Fastest lap in race two gave Sweeney pole, with Emmett O’Grady taking his first front row start of the season in second and the two race winners, Ryan and Sheils, only managing third and fifth. Sweeney and Sheils made the best starts to sit one and two at the end of the opening lap ahead of Emmett O’Grady, Ryan and Thomas O’Grady. Sweeney’s first Superbike lead lasted two laps before a lack of rear grip saw him gradually drop back to fifth. Sheils took over as Sweeney slowed but the recovering Ryan worked his way to the front on lap four and proceeded to take his second win of the weekend from Sheils. Thomas O’Grady completed a hat-trick of podiums while Emmett O’Grady rounded out his best weekend of the season with another fourth place. Stand out Superbike ‘Cup’ performer Shane Connolly from Cavan spent his weekend battling with the Pro racers as he took three Cup wins to move up to second in the points and back into championship contention. The Championship top two were left in Connolly’s wake with Kerryman Dean O’Grady’s trio of runner up places not enough to hold on to second spot, while two third places for Evan O’Grady meant he stayed just ahead of Connolly. Meath’s Andrew Whearty took his first ever Superbike Cup podium in race two. The presence of Michael Dunlop on the Supersport entry list was a big attraction for many of the fans in attendance and he did not disappoint. Having made a very slow start to race one the Ulster rider was seventh at the end of lap one, but a string of near record pace laps saw him less than a second of race and championship leader, Offaly man Kevin Keyes, at the flag. Andrew Murphy came home third ahead of Thomas O’Grady and Michael Owens with the Supersport Cup winner, teenager Scott McCrory, sixth. In race two Keyes got away in the lead but Dunlop once again closed him down and gabbed the victory with an impressive move at the final corner. Mike Browne came home third with Jamie Collins taking the first of two ‘Cup’ wins. Keyes and Dunlop kept the best till last as they were never separated by more than a bikes length throughout race three. Keyes led for a lap before Dunlop took over. Going onto the final lap they were still nose to tail and Keyes waited till the very last opportunity to make his move, diving up the inside at the final corner. The Offaly rider ran wide and was slower than he wanted to be down the straight allowing Dunlop to pull alongside but the Series leader was given the verdict by the width of a tyre in a photo finish. Andrew Murphy again took third having grabbed that position from youngster Oisin Maher on the final lap. The results mean that Keyes has extended his lead over Browne at the top of the championship and could clinch the title at the penultimate event in September. The Principal Insurance Pre-Injection races were dominated by Ian Prendergast who won all three from relative newcomer Carlow’s Noel Dunne Jnr. Dunne led races one and three but could not hold his more experienced rival back as the Tipperary man took three victories and extended his championship lead over former champion Darryl Sharkey and Dunne. Building on his impressive recent appearance in the Junior class at the British Superbike Championship, Tramore’s Rhys Coyne dominated the DM Groundworks and FJS Plant Junior Supersport division once again taking three wins over Ulster rider A Jay Carey. Jack Whearty and Darragh O’Mahony were the only other riders to make the podium. In the concurrent Moto 1 class Lee Hara took two wins from fellow Ulster teenager Reuben Sherman-Boyd. The Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship returns to Mondello Park for its penultimate event on September 25th and 26th, where the championship will have three more rounds on the shorter National Track layout.   For all of the Round 7 – 9 information see ROUNDS 7 – 9.

Michael Sweeney leads the Dunlop Masters Superbike race onto the Mondello Park International Track

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The Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship heads to Mondello Park for the third instalment of its 2021 championship this coming weekend, August 28th & 29th, where three more rounds will be contested. The event will see the Masters Championship riders tackle the full International Track for the second time this season, while the FIM MiniGP Ireland Series riders will go head to head on a much shortened version of the circuit. Dubliner Michael Sweeney has been the most improved rider in the Dunlop Superbike championship this season. Having taken his first podium in the class at the opening race of the season, he then followed up with a run of five consecutive second places to lead the series, ahead of former Superbike Champions Derek Sheils and Richie Ryan. Sheils and Ryan have both suffered non-finishes to hand the advantage to the consistent Sweeney. In the Superbike ‘Cup’ championship Evan O’Grady leads Dean O’Grady, but both will have to watch out for the hard charging Shane Connolly who took all three wins at the July event. The Supersport ranks will be boosted this weekend by the first appearance for a number of years by Michael Dunlop. The Road Racing Superstar has been improving his results on Short Circuits significantly in recent years and will be looking to break up the dominance shown so far this season by Kevin Keyes and Mike Browne. Keyes and Browne lead lead the way in the championship chase well clear of Andrew Murphy. The Supersport Cup battle is very tight, with Jamie Collins just ahead of three riders in joint second place, Robert O’Connell, Eoin Ó’Siochrú and Stephen Tobin. The Principal Insurance Pre-Injection category will have some new competitors joining the ranks this weekend as the new 1000cc class attracts its first entries of the year. The one litre bikes will run alongside the traditional 600cc machines, which have provided so much entertainment this season with Ian Prendergast, Darryl Sharkey and Noel Dunne all taking wins. The combined Supertwin and Production Twin grid has been the biggest category in the Masters in 2021 and the usually oversubscribed class is set for a further boost this weekend as the newly formed Masters Supporters Club, a band of local Motorcycle Racing enthusiasts, will provide a prize fund for both classes. €750 will be handed out to the two divisions across the weekends’ three races. The winner of each class will receive €200 with second getting €100 and third €75. Also on the busy event timetable will be two championships for up and coming young riders, with the DM Groundworks and FJS Plant Junior Championship tackling the full International Circuit, while the FIM MiniGP Ireland riders will race on a specially designed shorter track, encompassing parts of the National and International Track layouts. The remainder of the programme will be filled by Classic Superbikes, Moto 400 and Sidecars. A limited number of tickets are still available for each day of the event and they must be purchased in advance, as no tickets will be available at the event. For tickets and event information see ROUNDS 7 – 9.

Five podium run takes Michael Sweeney to Superbike Championship lead

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The Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship was thrown wide open at Mondello Park on Saturday and Sunday July 24th and 25th. Two non-finishes for Championship leader Richie Ryan and one for Derek Sheils, allowed the ever improving Michael Sweeney to leap-frog them both to take an eight point championship lead. The Dubliner had started the season without a single Masters Superbike podium but has now taken five in a row, topped off by a trio of second places this weekend. Having started the event fourth in the standings, eighteen points behind Ryan, Sweeney now leads the triple champion by seventeen, with Sheils also overtaking Ryan to move into second. Saturday’s Race 1 was one of the easiest of Richie Ryan’s career as the Kilkenny man took a nine second win over Sweeney while Sheils dropped out with Electrical issues. Kerryman Emmet O’Grady took his first podium on the 2021 TAG Honda, just holding off Dublin’s Thomas O’Grady after a race long battle. Ryan again took the lead at the start of Race 2, on Sunday, but had an uncharacteristic crash at turn three leaving Sheils to take his second win of the season with Sweeney again second and Thomas O’Grady beating the unrelated Emmet O’Grady to the final podium spot. Ryan started the warm up lap for race three but did not take the start due to an issue caused by his earlier crash, leaving Sheils to take another win. Sweeney was initially comfortable in second but both Thomas and Emmet O’Grady caught him with two laps to go. The new championship leader held on from Thomas, but Emmet crashed out on the final lap, while pushing hard to get back on the podium. The Superbike Cup class was won by Cavan rider Shane Connolly. One of the fastest in pre-season testing and at the June event, Connolly had failed to finish any of the opening three rounds but made up for it with three dominant victories as he ran amongst the Pro riders. Evan O’Grady from Tralee left Mondello Park as the Cup Championship leader having taken three podiums, with fellow Kerryman Dean O’Grady second and Ulster rider Daniel Matheson, who took his first podium of the year in race three, third, just two points ahead of the impressive Connolly. The Supersport Class was a Kevin Keyes benefit with the Offaly based former British Championship racer taking a trio of wins, ahead of Mike Browne, to extend his championship lead. Corkman Browne, pushed hard all weekend to close the gap but had to settle for three runner up spots to move to second in the standings. The final step of the podium was shared between Andrew Murphy, with two third places, and Michael Owens with one. Highly impressive Tipperary teenager Oisin Maher took the fight to the leaders in all three races but failed to finish each time due to mechanical issues. The Supersport Cup class had three different winners as Cork’s Jamie Collins took races one and three, with fellow Corkman Stephen Tobin taking a maiden class win in race two. Collins has a healthy lead in the Cup championship now from a trio of riders, Tobin, Robert O’Connell and Eoin O’Siochru, who are locked together in joint second place. The Principal Insurance Pre-Injection races produced three wins for Ian Prendergast but none of them were straightforward. In all three the Tipperary rider was locked in a battle with former Champion Darryl Sharkey, the experienced Paul O’Donoghue and impressive newcomer Noel Dunne Jnr. At the end of the weekend it was Prendergast who lead the championship standings from Cavan man Sharkey and Carlow’s Dunne. The DM Groundworks and FJS Plant Junior categories saw Waterford youngster Reece Coyne extend his championship lead with his third and fourth wins of the season. In race two a mechanical failure for the Tramore rider put him out immediately after the start allowing Ajay Carey to take the other win. In Moto1 the championship was thrown wide open by disqualification for two riders due to technical infringements and with one of them being series leader Josh O’Brien, Donal O’Donovan now leads the way ahead of Aoife Griffin. In the other classes Michael Sweeney took a trio of Supertwin wins, Darragh Crean won twice in The Production Twin class while Terry Bradley took the third race. Chris Campbell returned to the Classic Superbike series and dominated all three races while Stephen Tobin backed up his Supersport Cup win by making it six victories from six races in The Moto 400 category. Mark Codd and Liam Gordon were followed home by Darren O’Dwyer and Mark Gash in all three sidecar races. The Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship calender continues at the end of August with three more rounds, this time on the Mondello Park International Track.

Dunlop Masters admits fans for the first time since 2019

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The Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship will get to race in front of an audience for the first time in almost two years when the championship visits the Mondello Park National Track this weekend, Saturday July 24th and Sunday July 25th. The second event of the 2021 series will see three more rounds of the championship contested with Superbike and Supersport racers competing for an additional prize fund and additional awards, as the Leinster Motor Club present their Leinster 200 and Leinster 100 trophies to the winners of race three for Superbike and Supersport. The Masters will also support the MCUI’s new FIM MiniGP Ireland Series for 10 to 14 year old’s by including it on its timetable. The long awaited return of spectators, albeit in small numbers, will add another attraction to the event for the growing numbers of competitors racing in the Masters. Along with having an audience to race in front of, each class will have its own perpetual trophy to compete for as the Leinster Motor Club will present eleven of their historic trophies, some dating back almost a century to the beginning of Irish Motorcycle Racing history. Race two for Superbikes, their first race on Sunday, will also carry a perpetual cup, as the winner will lift the Edward Reddy Memorial Trophy. The trophy, along with the addition of €1,800 to the event prize fund, has been organised by the Masters Supporters Club, a group of motorcycle racing enthusiasts who have clubbed together to support Irish Motorcycle Racing. Spectator numbers will be limited to 200 per day and tickets will only available on-line in advance of the event. Those fans lucky enough to obtain tickets will be treated to the biggest grids yet seen at the Masters. The opening event had more than 180 competitors with the Superbike, Supersport and Twins classes all oversubscribed. The weekend will commence with Qualifying on Saturday morning and the first of Saturdays races, before the track gets changed into MiniGP mode for the junior riders to practice. Following a lunch break MiniGP qualifying will take place before the track reverts to its full layout for the Masters races. Saturday’s timetable will finish off with the opening race for MiniGP Ireland. The remaining MiniGP races are scheduled for early Sunday morning and Sunday lunch time with the rest of the timetable taken up by Masters warm-ups followed by racing from 10:25. Each class will race twice on Sunday with the Superbike and Supersport races taking centre stage. For more information, the event timetable, event programme and ticket information see the ROUND 2 event page.

The Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship gets back to competitive action at Mondello Park

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The 2021 Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship got off to a flying start on the Mondello Park International Track on Saturday and Sunday (June 26th & 27th) with full grids and highly competitive races. The headline Superbike championship produced a rare outcome, with three different riders taking wins, while Supersport had two different winners as five riders shared the podium positions. The first Masters Championship races for nine months attracted the biggest grids the championship has ever seen with the Superbike, Supersport and Twins entries oversubscribed. The Superbike class saw a record forty two riders contest qualifying to see who would take the thirty three spaces on the championship race grid and it was triple champion Richie Ryan who grabbed pole position from long time rival Luke Johnston and the returning Derek Sheils. Saturday’s race one was a battle between the front row starters with Sheils leading initially from Johnston and Ryan. Feeling the pressure from Ryan, on lap two Johnston moved to take the lead and then held on for the remainder of the race to take a narrow win from Sheils and Ryan. The Superbike Cup class saw Evan O’Grady take his first class win from James Rowe and Dean O’Grady. Race two for Superbike was a Richie Ryan benefit as he broke away right from the start and was never challenged. Sheils, Johnston and Michael Sweeney chased hard but could not close the gap. Sheils retired at half distance leaving Ryan to win by eight seconds from Johnston and Sweeney, who grabbed his first Masters Superbike podium. Declan Madden was a first time winner in the Cup class from O’Grady and Rowe. The final Superbike race was interrupted by a crash and was restarted as a four lap dash. Sheils led all the way in the re-run to make it three different Superbike winners for the first time at a Masters event. Ryan and Johnston followed Sheils until the race one winner crashed out leaving Ryan second and Sweeney third. Ryan now leads the championship by a healthy margin from Sheils and Johnston, in joint second, while Sweeney sits fourth. In the Cup class a second win gave Evan O’Grady the championship lead with Madden second and Dean O’Grady third. With yet another jam packed grid the Supersport races provided as much action as the Superbikes. Pole Sitter Kevin Keyes was beaten away from the lights by series debutant Adam McLean, with the two riders with extensive British Championship experience pulling away from the pack. The lead battle raged for the full race distance with McLean getting the verdict by less than a tenth of a second. The Burrows Racing duo of Paul Jordan and Mike Browne were next up, just over six seconds back. Race two followed the same pattern but this time Keyes pulled off a fantastic last corner move to take his first outright win at the Masters. Mike Browne improved by one place to finish fourth well clear of Andrew Murphy. McLean did not take the start of race three leaving Keyes to cruise to his second win ahead of Browne and Murphy, which gave him a healthy twenty one point championship lead over Browne and McLean. The Supersport Cup class proved to be the more competitive of the two divisions with teenager Scott McCrory taking two impressive wins and Kevin Dempsey securing the other. McCrory leads the championship from Dempsey with the other two riders to make the podium, Robert O’Connell and Eoin O’Siochru, sitting third and fourth. The Principal Insurance Pre-Injection class saw Newcomer Noel Dunne take an impressive win in Race One from Ian Prendergast and former champion Darryl Sharkey. Sharkey bounced back to win the next two races from Prendergast, with Dunne retiring from race two and returning to the podium with third in race three. Slane Maguire was the only other rider to make the podium, taking third in race two. Following the opening three rounds Sharkey leads the way with a six point margin over Prendergast. The newly named DM Groundworks and FJS Plant Junior Championship, saw Scott McCrory take the opening win in the Junior Supersport division with Reece Coyne then taking over to win the next two. McCrory and Jack Ferris shared the podium behind Coyne who now leads the championship. In Moto1, Jeff Quilter, Lee Hara and Josh O’Brien all took wins but it is O’Brien who heads the points courtesy of his win and two second places. The Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship returns to Mondello Park on July 24th and 25th for three more rounds on the National Track layout.

Dunlop Masters season opener to take place behind closed doors

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As the much anticipated return of the Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship gets closer we would like to ask our fans to bear with us just a little bit longer as we await your return. We are really looking forward to having you back once again, but the current restrictions mean that for the June 26th and 27th event, at least, that won’t be possible. Rounds one, two and three will take place behind closed doors due to  the number of people we can currently have at an event, under the the prevailing government restrictions. We are hoping that these restrictions will be eased for our event at the end of July, allowing us to have some spectators present, but we cannot guartantee anything at the moment. Until then we can only offer you our live timing via timing.ie and regular social media updates. We would ask all of our supporters and friends of competitors not to turn up at the event hoping to gain admission, as you will be turned away. Only those personnel competing, pre signed in as crew for a competitor, or who are a memebr of the organising team will be allowed entry.

Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship set for Green Light

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The 2021 Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship will finally get the green light to start its season on June 26th and 27th, with one of the strongest entry lists ever present for the season opener. Rounds 1, 2 and 3 will take place on the Mondello Park International Track marking the first time the opening rounds have run on the Kildare venue’s full circuit.

The Masters Superbike Championship remains the top series in Irish Short Circuit Racing, thanks to the quality and professionalism of its events and the standard of riders and machines competing in the series. For 2021 the championship will run a reduced programme, due to the late start, but will still fit in five events between the end of June and the middle of October, with three races per event, making up a fifteen race calendar. Having only run one race event since October 2019, the appetite for racing is healthier than ever amongst Ireland’s top riders and this, along with the the high profile of the series, has contributed to the strong line-up across all of the classes.

The range of classes competing remains the same as previous years, with the organisers opting for stability following the disruption of activities since March 2020. The Superbike and Supersport classes remain as the pinnacle of the sport In Ireland and both classes have attracted large entries in both the Pro and Cup divisions. The Superbike Pro class looks like being the strongest it has been since the creation of the Masters in 2010. More than fifteen riders will contest the class, backed up by an additional twenty-plus Superbike Cup riders. Supersport is set for a revival with almost thirty bikes entered and more still to come before the closing date.

The championship will also run races for Twins, with this class close to being oversubscribed, Principal Insurance Pre-Injection, Classic Superbikes, Moto400, Sidecars and Juniors. The Junior racers will have a newly added prize-fund to compete for, thanks to DM Groundworks and FJS Plant Repairs who between them will be offering €3,000 in end of season awards to the two junior classes.

The opening rounds of the 2021 Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship will run behind closed doors with no spectators allowed and the event will run in accordance with all current government guidelines regarding Covid-19. It is hoped that the situation in Ireland will improve sufficiently to allow spectators to return for the July event which would be a massive boost for a sport that has lost so many events over the past fifteen months.

Spectators who want to follow the championships’ progress prior to the possible opening up in July, can keep an eye on social media and the championships’ web site www.masterssuperbike.ie over the coming weeks.