By Kyle White Belfast Newsletter.
Alastair Seeley won the Ulster Superbike title for the second consecutive season at Bishopscourt in Co Down on Saturday.
The Carrickfergus man had one hand on the title heading into the penultimate round of the series and required a top-six finish to guarantee the championship.
Seeley, though, had no intention of playing it safe and the former two-time British champion secured the title with another win on the IFS Yamaha R1, closing out his 14th victory of the campaign by just under 12 seconds from Eunan McGlinchey on the McAdoo Racing Kawasaki.
McGlinchey managed to hold off Jason Lynn (J McC Roofing Kawasaki) for the runner-up spot by a tenth of a second in a close finish, with impressive young gun Jonny Campbell fourth ahead of Gary McCoy and Kyle Cross.
Banbridge man Simon Reid was seventh on his Honda Fireblade as the former British championship rider made a rare appearance in the domestic series.Seeley chalked up his 15th Superbike success of the season in race two, taking the chequered flag by four seconds from Lynn, while McGlinchey edged out McCoy for the final rostrum spot. Reid finished in fifth, 3.5s further back.
McGlinchey, who is targeting a return to the British Supersport Championship in 2023, won both Supersport and Supertwin races for a four-timer.
The McAdoo Kawasaki rider was harried in the Supersport races by Korie McGreevy (Yamaha), with only two tenths of a second between them at the finish in both races.
Christian Elkin took third in race one on the Bob Wylie Yamaha, while top Irish road racer Mike Browne completed the podium places in race two in his final outing of the season for the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Team.
Ulster Supersport champion Seeley skipped the Supersport races after he won the title for the second successive year following the cancellation of the David Wood Trophy meeting in September.
McGlinchey notched a Supertwin double from Gary McCoy, while Ryan Gibson finished third in each race to clinch the championship with one round to go.
The final round of the Ulster Superbike Championship takes place with the Sunflower Trophy meeting at Bishopscourt from October 21-22.
