By Kyle White Belfast Newsletter.
Korie McGreevy bags five-timer as Derek Sheils crowned Superbike ‘King of Kirkistown’ on Easter Monday
Korie McGreevy produced a five-star performance on Easter Monday as Derek Sheils was crowned the Superbike ‘King of Kirkistown’ in Co Down.
Ballynahinch man McGreevy won the opening Ulster Superbike race and doubled up in the Supersport and Supertwin classes for a memorable five-timer at the Belfast and District Club’s bank holiday meeting on the Ards Peninsula.
However, McAdoo Racing Kawasaki’s McGreevy was denied a clean sweep of the main classes by Sheils, whose dominant victory in the second Superbike race by 3.8s on the Roadhouse Macau BMW S1000RR gave him the ‘King of Kirkistown’ title following his runner-up finish in the opener.
McGreevy was picked off by Jason Lynn (J McC Roofing Kawasaki) in the closing stages as he finished the five-lap race in third at the weather-hit meeting, where heavy showers led to delays due to standing water on the course.
Michael Dunlop also made an appearance at the third round of the Ulster Superbike Championship along with Nottingham’s Richard Cooper, after both were in action on Sunday in the British Superbike Championship meeting at Silverstone.
McGreevy, who won the National Junior Superstock title in 2019, hopes to secure a return to the British championship in 2024 and is set to compete in selected BSB rounds this year.
“I’m happy enough and I tend to enjoy the wet anyway, and it kind of worked in my favour,” he said.
“I want to be back in England and they’re [McAdoo Racing] willing to do it for me, so we’ll get job number one done first and then we’ll focus on that after.
“Maybe it’s a step sideways instead of a step backwards [competing in the Ulster Superbike Championship], so we’ll see how it turns out.”
McGreevy won the re-started opening wet Superbike race by half-a-second from pole man Sheils at the 1.5-mile circuit for his maiden success in the class on the McAdoo Kawasaki ZX-10RR. Championship leader Lynn completed the top three.
Enkalon Trophy winner Mike Browne was ruled out of the first race due to handling issues but finished the second race in fifth on the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing BMW M1000RR behind Jonny Campbell (Magic Bullet Yamaha).
McGreevy won the first Supersport race after a battle with Lynn, who was denied victory by three hundredths of a second on the line.
Lynn’s J McC Roofing team-mate Adam McLean was a close third on his Yamaha R6.
Ballymoney man Dunlop, who qualified 10th on his MD Racing Yamaha, did not venture out, while Nottingham’s Richard Cooper – fifth quickest – also did not start on the BPE/Russell Racing Yamaha he will ride at next month’s North West 200.
On a drying track, McGreevy – unbeaten in the class in 2023 – also won the second Supersport race to secure the ‘Prince of Kirkistown’ title by 1.6s from Lynn, with McLean again third. Big names Dunlop and Cooper were again non-starters.
And there was more to come from McGreevy, who also triumphed in both Supertwin races on the McAdoo Kawasaki, beating Christian Elkin (RB Engineering/Dynocentre NI Kawasaki) twice to win the President’s Cup. Dunlop was fourth (McAdoo Kawasaki) in race one.
Youngster Lewis Mullen won both MotoOne races while 13-year-old Jack Burrows was also a double winner in the Moto3 class on the Burrows/RK Racing Honda 250.
