Dunlop wins two more at Southern 100

Michael Dunlop racked up two more victories in the Steam-Packet.com Southern 100 yesterday to add to the 1000cc race win on Tuesday evening.

Dunlop smashed the outright Billown lap record and set a new race record on his way to winning the Ellan Vannin Fuels Senior race that opened the evening’s four-race programme.

Guy Martin gave chase on the Tyco TAS Suzuki but after sticking with the MD Racing Hunts Honda for six of the eight laps, Dunlop pulled clear in the final two laps to win with a comfortable 4.9s margin.

Martin’s team-mate Conor Cummins finished third after scrapping with Ian Lougher for the first three laps. Fifth went to Dean Harrison after a race-long tussle with fellow Southern 100 rookie Jamie Hamilton.

Cummins made a great start in the Radcliffe Butchers 600 race but bowed to the relentless pressure applied by Yamaha-mounted Dunlop after three laps.

Dunlop went on to establish a new race record, but his race-winning margin was only 1.1s.

Lougher was third from Jamie Coward, Michael Pearson , Harrison and Ivan Lintin.

Ryan Farquhar had pulled out of the Senior race but bounced back to take the Mike Kerruish-backed 250/650 race which pitted 250cc two-strokes against the 650cc Supertwins.

But Farquhar had to fight the mother of all battles to win the race by 0.197s from his KMR Kawasaki team-mate Jamie Hamilton. Fast-starting Chris Palmer was third on the first 250cc two-stroke home.

Ryan Keen, riding a Kawasaki 400 won the Station Garage125/400/450 race from Honda 400-mounted Southern first-timer James Cowton. Another course rookie, Sam Wilson, finished third and was the first home on the 1250cc two-stroke single.

Today is the final day of the Southern with a five-race programme starting at 13.20.