Manxman Dan Kneen took the winners laurels in the feature race at the KDM Hire Cookstown 100 Road Races, round two of the Duke Road Race Rankings 2014.
Riding for ex-racer John Burrows' BE Racing team, it was a debut victory on his first outing on the roads this season taking the win by a mere three-tenths of a second on corrected time from William Dunlop, also having his debut ride on the roads for his new Tyco Suzuki team, making it a Suzuki one-two. Third was Kawasaki mounted Derek McGee, closely followed by Derek
Sheils, Michael Sweeney and John Walsh - a quartet from Southern Ireland.
Kneen, who made history in 2008, winning three Manx Grand Prix races in one week started the feature race in the second group overalling his Suzuki rival Dunlop on time after the Ulsterman had taken the chequered flag. Dan took three other top-ten places; seventh in the opening Superbike Race, fifth in the Supersport and eighth in the Supersport Invitation race, slotting him into 17th position overall in the Rankings.
Current holder of the Geoff Duke Trophy after winning the 2013 series, Michael Dunlop began the defence of his title, having his first outing on the roads with his new BMW machines, enjoying a debut winning ride in the Supersport race, adding a second victory on the McAdoo Kawasaki in the SuperTwin race, ending the day in 12th position in the table.
The Cookstown 100 traditionally starts the road racing season in Ireland and no less than 23 new entries appear in the top fifty of the rankings, the highest being Derek Sheils, who like his Ulster rival Michael Dunlop claimed a double, taking the chequered cloth in the Superbike Race and the Supersport Invitation race, adding a third place in the main Supersport race, placing him in seventh position in the rankings.
Following on from a double win in the opening round at Oliver's Mount in the Ian Watson Spring Cup, Alastair Haworth completed another double in the Junior Support and Lightweight 400cc races, which puts him in second place in the table on 220 points, just 30 behind the top-of-the-table man Ivan Lintin, who wasn't entered. Guy Martin was also absent from the Cookstown races drops to third place - ten points down.
Likewise, James Cowton also drops one place despite his second place behind Michael Dunlop in the Supertwins race, as Seamus Elliott climbs one to fifth, with Dean Harrison, another non-entry slipping to sixth overall.
Rounds, 3, 4 and 5 follow rapidly, the Tandragee 100 Road Races on Saturday 3rd May; the North West 200 Road Races on Thursday 15th & Saturday 17th May and the Horice Road Races in the Czech Republic also on Saturday and Sunday 17th & 18th May, before the action moves to the Isle of Man for the next three rounds.
Photo - Dan Kneen on his way to victory in the KDM Hire Cookstown 100 Race (Baylon McCaughey)
