By Kyle White Belfast Newsletter.
McWilliams twice had the edge over Michael Rutter in the Classic Superbike races, which were held as part of the two-day event for the first time.
On Saturday, McWilliams – riding the Team Classic Suzuki GSX-R750 that Michael Dunlop will race at the Manx Grand Prix this month – dug deep to hold off Rutter (Bathams Racing Suzuki XR69) by only 0.186s.
The duo were 32 seconds ahead of Thomas O’Grady, who secured the final place on the podium on his Suzuki GSX-R750.
McWilliams then sealed a brace in Sunday’s race, when Rutter again proved a thorn in the 58-year-old’s side.
At the finish, former Grand Prix winner McWilliams prevailed by 0.359s and set the fastest lap of the race at 91.435mph on the penultimate lap of the 10-lap encounter. Andy Hornby was over 40 seconds behind in third on his Kawasaki ZXR750.
Michael McKerr was a dominant winner in the 125/250GP/Post-Classic Twinshock races on his Yamaha TZ250.
McKerr opened his account on Saturday, winning by almost 21 seconds from Andy Hornby (Triumph Trident 750). Hornby again finished a distant second in race two on Sunday, 20.6s behind.
The festival, co-promoted by Phillip McCallen and held for the first time in 2019, featured a raft of past and present star names who participated in parade laps, including an invitation parade to mark the centenary of the Ulster Grand Prix.
The line-up included ‘Flying Kiwi’ Bruce Anstey, Brian Reid, Ian Lougher, Eddie Laycock, Ray McCullough, Steven Cull, Johnny Rea, Ryan Farquhar, Rutter (representing his late father Tony), McWilliams, Trevor Steele, Alan North, Christian Elkin and McCallen.
A range of rare classic racing machinery was also on display over the weekend at Bishopscourt, including McWilliams’ Proton KR3 – dubbed the fastest two-stroke ever built – plus an ex-Barry Sheene RG500, plus a JPS Norton RCW588, Cagiva GP C588, Yamaha TZ250U and Honda RS250.
