It was a day of double victories and record setting laps at the Blackford's Pre-TT Classic Road Races, round five of the Duke Road Race Rankings Championship 2014, which saw young Yorkshire rider James Cowton move up to second place in the table after a dominating race victory in the 4-Hire Classic Superbike Race, where he took over four-seconds off the lap record set in 2012 by Roy Richardson, also setting a new race record, slashing some 28-seconds off the race time, also set by Richardson in 2012!
However in the concurrently run Classic Superbike Race B for machines up to 1200cc, it was fellow Yorkshireman Dean Harrison who took the honours on his 750cc Kawasaki, after having started on the fifth row of the grid - a result of machine problems during qualifying. Dean also set the fastest lap of the race at 99.835mph, just 0.115 of a second shy of the record set by Guy Martin in 2010.
Alan Oversby completed the double on the day winning the 500cc Senior race prior to the lunch break and suitable revived went on to win the first race of the afernoon, the 850cc Classic race. The Bolton-le-Sands rider also set a new lap record in the 350cc Junior race at 89.646mph improving on the record set by Chris Palmer in 2011, before being forced to retire from the race on the sixth of the eight laps with machine problems.
Roy Richardson also completed a 'double', winning the opening 350cc Singles race on the Saturday afternoon and on the same 350cc Aermacchi taking the chequered flag in the 350cc Junior race on Monday afternoon.
Paul Coward took the laurel wreath in the 250cc Singles race; Meredydd Owen, the Support race and Mike Hose the 250cc Lightweight race in what turned out to be a sun-drenched, action packed day at Billown.
As Michael Dunlop still tops the Rankings 'leader-board', James Cowton is now second, just 77 points down on the current champion and this is the only upward movement in the top ten.
Dean Harrison's race victory promotes him from 18th to 11th, up seven places, with a further five new entries in the top 50.
Roy Richardson and Mike Hose slot in to 19th and 20th; Alan Oversby 25th; Paul Coward 28th and Meredydd Owen comes in at 32nd.
Photo - James Cowton Superbike Class A Winner. Courtesy of John Turton.
