Stunning, Spectacular, Exhilarating,
Amazing, Fabulous, Superb, Outstanding, Ultra-Quick,
Ultra-Close, Competitive, all of these words and more
could and will be used when people talk about the 2006
Kennedy Group North West 200. It took us back twenty
plus years to the days of Grant, Haslam, Huewen, Newbold,
Robinson, Dunlop, Rutter, McCullough and Co as every
race was hotly contested from lights to flag. With five
different race winners, including three first time winners
and an amazing five new lap records along the way including
a new absolute course record at over 124mph.
The DeWalt Performance Tools Superbike Race set the
standard for the day, with fast close racing and a few
surprises along the way. Michael Rutter on the Stobart
Honda was the early leader followed by Bruce Anstey,
Ian Lougher and John McGuinness, then a short gap to
Ryan Rainey, Cameron Donald and Steve Plater. At the
end of the opening lap it was still Rutter from Anstey,
but the pack were closing in. As the race progressed
it was still Rutter from Anstey, but McGuinness and
Plater had closed in to make it a four-way scrap for
the top step on the podium. Lougher was next along now
a few seconds back on the leading quartet, with Donald,
Rainey, Guy Martin and Les Shand in his wheel tracks.
At half distance Anstey had taken his TAS Suzuki to
the front, just ahead of the Honda’s off Rutter,
McGuinness and Plater. Next time around the order was
the same with the lone Suzuki holding off the three
high-tech BSB machines. Lougher was just holding on
to fifth and was in a real dogfight with Donald, Martin,
Rainey, and Martin Finnegan now ninth after a slow start,
Ian Hutchinson and Shand. On the penultimate lap Rutter
was back at the head of the field and looked favourite
to take another NW200 victory, but McGuinness now second,
Anstey and Plater were not finished and were after the
scalp of the pre-race favourite. Donald was now fifth
ahead of Lougher, Martin, Rainey and Shand. On to the
final circuit and it was still Rutter at the front,
but Plater was the man on the move and into second with
Anstey and McGuinness now dropping of the pace of the
front two, but well clear of Donald, Lougher who were
now well clear of Rainey and Shand. Along the coast
road and it was Rutter who cracked first and the slightest
of mistakes at the Juniper Hill chicane saw him go down
to leave Plater to take his maiden North West win, just
ahead of Anstey who made a late charge, McGuinness brought
his HM Plant Honda home in a lonely third. Donald held
on to take a creditable fourth with his battered body
just ahead of the Stobart Honda of Lougher and over
twelve seconds ahead of Rainey sixth, Shand seventh,
late charging Stephen Thompson coming through to eighth,
Finnegan ninth and the McAdoo Kawasaki of Hutchinson
completing the top ten.
Ian Lougher on the Blackhorse Motorcycle Finance Honda
was the first man to show in the Club SOI Supersport
Race with Les Shand, Bruce Anstey, John McGuinness and
Alastair Seeley in close company. Anstey soon took over
at the front, but he Shand and Lougher were inseparable
for the five laps as all three blitzed the old lap record
in their bids for glory. McGuinness was having clutch
problems, which didn’t help his cause as he gradually
dropped off the pace to a lonely fourth. It was another
stunning scrap for fifth to eighth between Guy Martin,
Seeley, Stuart Easton and Raymond Porter and then next
along was the three way dice headed by Davy Morgan then
Adrian Archibald and Darran Lindsay. On the final lap
Anstey and Shand both set their fastest laps of the
race to break clear of Lougher who had to settle for
third. It was the more experienced Anstey who took the
chequered flag and the win just ahead of Shand. McGuinness
retired with his clutch problems handing fourth to the
750cc Ducati off Easton who got the better of Seeley
fifth and Martin sixth in the closing stages. Porter
came home seventh, with Morgan on the DMRR Honda an
impressive eighth after starting twenty-third on the
grid. Archibald on the Team Racing Yamaha was ninth
finisher and the Donut Tree Honda ridden by Lindsay
completed the leader board in tenth.
The Greenline Hire 250cc GP Race had drama before the
start when pole man Darran Lindsay retired on the sighting
lap. This left the victory up for grabs and on the opening
lap it was Darren Burns who led with Denver Robb, Benny
Jerzenbeck, Nigel Beattie, Barry Davidson and Paul Owen
right on his exhaust pipe. Next time it was still Burns
at the front, with Beattie the man on the move now in
second just in front of Robb, Davidson and Jerzenbeck.
Owen was dropping off the pace in sixth followed by
Michael Dunlop who then ditched it when he ran wide
and on to the grass out of University, then Ian Morrell.
On lap three the impressive Robb had taken over at the
front from Beattie, Burns and Jerzenbeck who were beginning
to drop Davidson. Robb still led half way round on lap
four; with the order still the same behind, Beattie,
Burns, Jerzenbeck, Davidson, Owen and Morrell. As they
headed on to the final lap Beattie had taken over at
the front from Robb with Burns and Jerzenbeck still
in the hunt for the win. Beattie held on to take the
win and make up for his disappointment in 2005. Burns
claimed second when Robb crashed on the final lap, leaving
German visitor Jerzenbeck to complete the podium in
third. Davidson was fourth, Owen fifth and Bruce Dunn
sixth. Brian Spooner and David Mateer were the next
riders across the finish line in seventh and eighth
after getting the better of Morrell ninth and Andrew
Courtney further back in tenth.
There was also drama in the concurrently run WRT Group
PLC 125cc GP/400cc Supersport Race, when one of the
favourites for honours William Dunlop retired on the
sighting lap. Then on the opening lap as the leaders
stormed down through Station and into University John
Burrows 400cc Honda cried no-more and blew up causing
Burrows to go down and havoc among the other riders
as smoke blanketed the corner. Leo Aldersey was the
first man to show followed by Mark Curtin and Michael
Wilcox. When it settled down it was Wilcox who found
himself well clear of the chasing pack headed by Aldersey,
Robert Dunlop and David Madsen-Mygdal. With two laps
to go it looked like Wilcox had it in the bag, but the
spirit of Dunlop who was now second never ceases to
amaze and with a new lap record at 103.153mph hunted
down the leader to claim a popular and emotional fifteenth
victory around the nine mile north coast circuit. Wilcox
was second just two tenths of a second back, Madsen-Mygdal
third a long way behind the leading pair and just ahead
of Richie Welsh, David Lemon and Oliver Linsdell.
Arguably the race of the day was the CP Hire Ltd Superstock
Race with thrilling battles all down through the field,
but the highlight a titanic race long three-way tussle
for the victory, between Ian Hutchinson, Bruce Anstey
and Raymond Porter. Hutchinson on the McAdoo Kawasaki
was the early leader closely followed by Anstey, Guy
Martin, Stephen Thompson, Porter and Keith Amor. On
lap two the TAS Suzuki of Anstey was ahead with Hutchinson
and Porter on his back wheel and now a short gap to
Thompson, Amor, Martin and Ian Lougher, debutant Conor
Cummins, Les Shand and Ryan Rainey who were all locked
together. Next time they appeared it was the JD Racing
Yamaha of Porter at the front followed by Anstey and
Hutchinson, Martin now led the chasing pack from Thompson,
Lougher and Amor. Anstey was ahead again on the next
lap with Porter and Hutchinson still right with the
leader, Martin still lead the fourth place scrap from
Shand, Thompson, Amor and Lougher and Cummins. At the
roundabout on the final circuit Porter still led from
Anstey and Hutchinson, but at the flag Anstey was the
winner having got past at the Juniper Hill chicane,
Porter had to settle for second and Hutchinson third.
Martin held on to fourth just ahead of Thompson, Amor
and Lougher (the only Honda in the top ten) in seventh.
Rainey came home eighth just pipping young Manxman Cummins
to the flag and Phil Stewart completed the leader board.
In the feature Blackhorse Motorcycle Finance NW200
Superbike Race, Michael Rutter meant business and at
the end of the opening lap led by an amazing four seconds.
Bruce Anstey was in second followed by Steve Plater,
Ian Lougher, Cameron Donald and John McGuinness. On
lap two it was still Rutter, but Plater was now second
and had cut the gap to two and half seconds. Anstey
was third, then McGuinness, Lougher, Martin, Donald
and Ian Hutchinson. With three laps to go Rutter still
led from Plater and these two were now miles clear of
McGuinness who was now in a lonely third place having
broken the challenge of Donald, Lougher and Martin.
Plater was now the hunter and in the final three laps
broke the outright lap record each time to close down
and pass Rutter on the final lap and claim a memorable
double, this time a disappointed Rutter did stay on
to finish in second. Plater’s fastest lap and
new outright lap record was set on the final lap in
4:20.074 @ 124.109mph. McGuinness came home a long way
back to complete the podium. Donald on the Robinson
Concrete/Uel Duncan was a creditable fourth, having
seen off the Aim Yamaha off Martin and the Stobart of
the ill Lougher. Stephen Thompson was next home in seventh
then Hutchinson and the first privateer James McBride
in a very creditable ninth and Keith Amor in tenth.
Davy Morgan was the eleventh man home having caught
and passed Raymond Porter and Adrian Archibald in the
later stages of the race and John Burrows and Tim Poole
completed the top fifteen.
The Ballymoney Borough Council Supersport Race was
another cracker and delivered another lap record and
another maiden victor. Bruce Anstey was again to feature
at the front and led on the first lap from John McGuinness,
Ian Lougher, Ian Hutchinson and CD Racing’s Rob
Frost. As the race progressed, Hutchinson, Anstey and
Frost began to break clear from the others, with McGuinness
in fourth and in a battle with Alastair Seeley, Ian
Lougher and Guy Martin. By lap four it was still Hutchinson
out front with Frost second and Anstey third and the
three of them locked together. Seeley on the William
Watt Yamaha was now ahead of McGuinness on the HM Plant
Honda and Darran Lindsay had fought through the pack
to seventh leaving Martin, Raymond Porter and Stuart
Easton behind him. Going on to the final lap the front
three were still together with Hutchinson still in front
from Frost and Anstey, the battle for fourth was just
as frantic as McGuinness and Seeley constantly swapped
positions. Behind the leaders Lindsay and Easton were
at it hammer and tongs and further back Callum Ramsay,
Martin, William Dunlop, Martin Finnegan and Adrian Archibald
were all together and looking for a top ten finish.
Hutchinson had to set a new lap record @ 116.881mph
on the final circuit to hold off his challengers and
claim his first North West Victory ahead of Frost and
Anstey. Seeley completed as successful week with a fourth
place just ahead of McGuinness fifth, the came Lindsay,
Easton, Ramsay, Martin and Dunlop to complete the top
ten.
What a day, it put my faith back in the North West
200, that although the organisation and event itself
gets bigger and bigger and more like a BSB Round than
an Irish Road Race, the racing can still be close, fast
and thoroughly enjoyable, just as road racing has always
been. Well done to all those concerned, the competitors
for a stunning display of Real Road Racing and the Coleraine
and District Club superbly led by Mervyn Whyte for the
excellent organisation that saw racing completed by
quarter to five. There were some excellent individual
performances during the day from the likes of Ian Hutchinson,
Alastair Seeley and Bruce Anstey, but the RealRoadRacing.Com
Man of the Meeting goes to Steve Plater who rode the
wheels of his Honda Fireblade to beat North West 200
maestro Michael Rutter not once, but twice.
Words by
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