Anstey’s record breaking Ulster GP

Bruce Anstey won the final Superbike race of the day at the Ulster Grand Prix and set a blistering new lap record of 133.977mph to maintain the event’s boast of being the fastest road racing in the world.

His new record on the final lap came as he charged from third to first in the final half of the lap to claim his first major win of the season on the Relentless by TAS Suzuki.
But while the Kiwi grabbed the headlines, it was Ian Hutchinson who took the lion’s share of the spoils on the Padgett’s Honda, winning the first three races of the day and finishing second in the other two to underline his current position as the world’s leading rider on the international road courses.

Hutchinson never had an easy run though, with Keith Amor pushing him all the way in the opening Superstock race with his superfast BMW and in first Supersport encounter on his Honda, while Anstey and Amor both ran him close in the first Superbike race.

Amor finally came out on top in the second Supersport – a race run in two parts after a lapped rider crashed on the start/finish straight. He beat Hutchinson but two tenths of a second and Hutchy also finished second to Anstey in the final Superbike – this time by 0.072s!

Ian Lougher celebrated 25 years of racing at the Ulster with a 250cc race win on a Honda while Ryan Farquhar’s only win of the day came in the SuperTwins on his KMR Kawasaki.