Philips crowned Ulster Superbike Champion.
The final round of the Ulster Superbike Championship was brought to a premature conclusion due to bad weather and an incident during the Superbike/Supersport Cup race.
Carl Philips started the day with a twenty point advantage over Ali Kirk, the only rider who could stop him from clinching the 2019 title.
Ali Kirk destroyed the opposition with a wining gap of 21 seconds
Kirk who qualified on pole blasted the opposition in the opening superbike race bringing his AKR McCurry Motorsport BMW home almost 21 seconds ahead of second place Ryan Gibson, Philips who trailed back in fourth managed to steal third place from Barry Graham on the final lap when the trio battling for second came upon back markers going into the penultimate corner.
With Kirk scoring maximum points and Philips only managing 16 the deficit was narrowed going into the final race to 11 points. With Kirks form from the first race looked like the championship was anyone of the leading pairs to win.
Unfortunately it wasn’t to be a frightening crash in the Superbike/Supersport cup when a riders throttle stuck open going down the back straight and the bike careering upright for about 600m crashing through a spectators barrier and coming to rest between two food vans in the paddock. Fortunately there was no one seriously hurt.
While the debris was being cleared up the weather seriously deteriorated leaving the organising club no choice but to abandon the meeting.
Having spent the past few years competing in the BSB and Dickies Supersport championships Philips returned to racing in the Ulster Championship this year.
He started his challenge for the championship in superb form winning eleven of the first thirteen races. He then missed a couple of races and parted with the JMC Roofing team continuing the rest of the season on his own Suzuki GSXR 1000, on the under powered older machine he
Carl Phillips finished 3rd earning enough points to secure the 2019 USBK Championship
struggled to produce the same results. It looked like Kirk might take the championship in the final race but luck wasn’t on his side and the cancelation secured Philips championship crown.
There were other winners in the three races that were run before the meeting was abandoned, Gary McCoy took another victory in the Supertwin race ahead of Stephen McKnight and Paul Gartland in third. Darryl Tweed won the production twin race.
Dermot Cleary won the Pre Injection race, with Trevor Elliott and Jonny Irwin second and third.
Rossi Dobson won the MOTO 3 race
In the MOTO 3 light weight supersport race 2019 champion Stephen McKeown carried on his winning form, Damien Horgan was runner up ahead of Scotsman Kris Duncan in third.
Rossi Dobson was the first MOTO 3 machine home ahead of sister and brother duo Melissa and Wayne Kennedy.
