Cold but bright conditions greeted competitors, officials and fans at the opening road race of the 2012 season at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough for the Ian Watson Spring National.

Disappointment in the non appearance of Michael Dunlop, due to his Grandmother May Dunlop (Joey and Robert’s mother) being seriously ill home in Ballymoney.

With practice and qualifying concluded without incident, lunch break racing got underway promptly at 12.30pm with the first of 15 races, the first leg of the 125’s over six laps.

Pole position man Chris Palmer was beaten to the hole shot by James Cowton when the flag dropped, but it was Castletown’s Palmer who was over the end at the end of the opening lap, followed by Mark Goodings and Daniel Frear. Frear then promptly retired his machine half way round the second lap, letting Daley Mathison into third at the end of the second circuit.

Lap three and Goodings headed Palmer across the line at half distance, with Mathison still third.

The chequered flag was shown at the end of the fourth lap due to hailstones falling, with Mark Goodings taking his first Oliver’s Mount victory from Chris Palmer and Daly Mathison.


Race two, the first leg of the Sidecars and it was Carl Fenwick with Mark Sayers who took the hole-shot, but it was Ian and Carl Bell who headed the field at the end of the first lap of six from Conrad Harrison/Lee Patterson, with Dean Lindley/Leon Fitzpatrick third.

The Bell’s had a lead of just over one second at the end of the second lap. At half distance positions remained the same although the gap had increased to 1.4 seconds.

The gap had decreased to 0.9 of a second at the end of the fourth lap and was reduced to 0.7 of a second one lap later.

At the flag the Bells had an advantage of 1.7 seconds over Harrison and Patterson with Fenwick and Sayers taking the final podium spot.

Then followed the two 4 lap heats for the Ian Watson Spring Cup won by Mark Goodings and Derek Sheils.

Race five, the first leg of the 250’s over eight laps saw Chris Palmer take an early lead followed by Daryl Campling and David Guiney which extended to 6.7 seconds at half distance with positions remaining static.

At the all important chequered flag, Chris Palmer took his 86th race victory at Oliver’s Mount, some 2.192 seconds ahead of Daryl Campling and Scott Campbell.

Next up was the first leg of the 600’s again over eight laps. Ivan Lintin led at the end of opening from pole position, from Mark Goodings and Ryan Farquhar.

A lap later, Farquhar was up to second just 0.287 of a second off the lead, a lead he took during the third lap, putting almost a second between himself and Lintin, whilst Dean Harrison slotted into third.

At half distance ‘Flying Ryan’ was 1.7 seconds in front and at the flag the gap was 4.515 seconds from Ivan Lintin and Dean Harrison.

Race 7, the second leg of the Sidecars saw the Bells take the hole shot and were leading by 0.999 of a second from Fenwick with Harrison holding third.

By half distance, they were enjoying a 3.707 second advantage, but on the fourth lap it was Fenwick and Sayle who headed the Bells by 0.790 of a second, as Harrison maintained third place.

The lead was down to half a second at the end of the penultimate lap.
Carl Fenwick and Mark Sayers took the flag by just 0.334 of a second from Ian and Carl Bell, with Conrad Harrison and Lee Patterson third.

It was the turn of the SuperTwins next for their first leg, with Dan Frear getting the hole shot, and held the lead at the end of the first of eight laps by two tenths of a second from Ryan Farquhar and Ivan Lintin.

Positions were the same on the second of the eight laps, with the lead only slightly shortened.

However ‘it was business as usual’ on lap three as Ryan was leading from Ivan with Dan now third some two seconds down.

At half distance, Farquhar led Lintin by 2.2 seconds, with Jamie Hamilton now third, nine seconds down.

Two-thirds distance saw Ryan increase his lead to over nine seconds even though his lap time had slowed by one second!

Ryan went on to take his 90th race victory at Oliver’s Mount, some 13 seconds ahead of Ivan Lintin, with Jamie Hamilton third.

Then followed the first leg of the feature race, the Ian Watson Spring Cup, again over laps. Derek Shiels had pole position although he just missed out on the hole shot as Richard Gibson edged him out.

However at the end of the opening lap it was Shiels who headed the pack from Steve Mercer and Richard Gibson, with Jamie Coward, Ryan Farquhar and Ivan Lintin completing the top six.

Lap two and Farquhar was up to third and chasing Mercer and Shiels and a lap later the Ulsterman was now second 3-seconds down on Shiels.

Ryan then pulled back a second on the half distance, a lap later the lead was cut to 0.723 of a second, then lap six it was down a half a second and took the lead on the penultimate lap by 0.354 of a second from Derek Shiels, with Mercer stuck in third.

Race 10 and the 125’s were out for the second leg, as James Cowton got the hole shot, who led at the end of the first lap from Dan Frear and Chris Palmer.

Cowton was still first at the end of the second lap but the lead was down to under two-tenths of a second.

At half distance, Dan Frear got past Jamie Cowton to lead by three-quarters of a second, with Palmer still third.

The lead was up to 1.7 seconds at the end of the fourth lap, as positions remained the same and a circuit later it was two and a half seconds.

At the flag it was Dan Frear, James Cowton and Chris Palmer.

The second Supertwin race was another start to finish victory for Ryan Farquhar with his team mate Jamie Hamilton second and Ivan Lintin third.

The second leg of the Ian Watson Spring Cup saw Steve Mercer leading for the first two laps with Ryan Farquhar retiring on the second lap.

At half distance it was Mercer 1.1 seconds ahead of Archibald with Keith Pringle third six seconds down on the leader.

The gap between Mercer and Archie was down to three-tenths of a second at the conclusion of lap four of six.

Lap five the lead has increased to half a second and 2.43-miles later Steve Mercer took the chequered flag by three-tenths of a second from Adrian Archibald with Keith Pringle third.

Steve Mercer takes the Ian Watson Spring Cup Trophy.

The final race of the day, the six lap second leg for the 250s was won by Dave Hewson with Paul Gartland second and David Guiney third.

Ian Watson Spring Cup Meeting

Results.

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