Ulster Superbike Championship Round One

Jason Lynn targets maiden Ulster Superbike title after double in season-opener at Bishopscourt

Jason Lynn kick-started his bid to win this year’s Ulster Superbike Championship with a double at Bishopscourt in Co Down on Saturday.

The event was the first race of the 2023 season and took place just over a week after an eleventh hour insurance deal saved the sport from the brink this year.

Lynn pocketed a maximum haul of 50 points to set the early pace in the title race ahead of a championship double header with the traditional Easter meetings at Bishopscourt and Kirkistown next month.

Lynn had to settle for second place in the standings last year behind Alastair Seeley, who also claimed the title in 2021.

However, with Seeley competing in the British championship this season in the Superstock 1000 class with the SYNETIQ BMW team, Lynn is hoping to add his name to the trophy for the first time.

“Alastair was exceptional last season and he really pulled the whole field on in terms of our lap times,” Lynn said.

“He’s now away, so the target’s on my back I suppose and hopefully we can have a good season.”

Lynn won the first Superbike race by 2.6s from Cork’s Mike Browne, who made an impressive debut on the ex-Ian Hutchinson/TAS Racing BMW M1000RR Superstock machine.

Korie McGreevy, who started on pole, had to settle for third after developing an electrical problem on the McAdoo Kawasaki in his maiden race in the big bike class.

In race two, road racing prospect Browne made the early running before slipping back to third on lap three, when he was overtaken by Lynn and McGreevy.

Lynn began to open a gap and went on to sew up his second victory by 3.7s to claim the Sam McBride Cup.

McGreevy sealed the runner-up spot but only just, with Browne closing on the final lap and losing out on the line by three hundredths of a second. Jonny Campbell was fourth ahead of Emmet O’Grady.

“I was delighted to get pole but I’ve still a bit to go in the races,” said Ballynahinch man McGreevy.

“All I can do is learn as much as I can with the big bike before the Easter weekend and I think we’re going to get a bit more testing done after this weekend.”

Former British Junior Superstock champion McGreevy won a thrilling opening Supersport race by 0.257s after swapping places with Lynn throughout.

At the finish, McGreevy – who took the lead for the last time on lap seven of eight – held on by two tenths of a second from three-time champion Lynn, who is riding an ex-Alastair Seeley Yamaha R6 in the class this season.

Christian Elkin claimed third on Bob Wylie’s Yamaha ahead of Andrew Smyth and Luke Johnston.

McGreevy then made it a double in race two – his fourth victory of the meeting – beating Lynn by 0.286s with Elkin again third, eight seconds back.

In another frenetic race, Mike Browne – who did not start the first Supersport race – made the early running.

Browne, though, was out of luck again and slid out of contention as he disputed the lead on the Burrows Yamaha.

McGreevy also won both Supertwin races on the McAdoo Kawasaki, dominating each time by a wide margin as he twice beat Aaron Spence and Darragh Crean respectively.

Teenager Jack Burrows did the double in the Moto3 races on the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Honda, while Barry Davidson secured a brace in the Classic races.