Steve Henshaw International Gold Cup Road Races – Sunday

After a short warm-up session for all racing classes and a qualifying session for the feature, ‘Steve Henshaw Gold Cup’ race the first race of the day got underway at 10.30am.

The Classic Superbikes had the honour of starting the days racing. Having led from the start, Classic Superbike first leg winner Jamie Hamilton dropped the plot on the exit of Farm Bends letting his rival and former mentor Ryan Farquhar take control of the race from Dave Bell and Davy Morgan, with Morgan taking second spot on lap three and by lap four the leader’s advantage was nearly nine seconds.

Ryan Farquhar took the chequered flag some 12.7 seconds ahead of Davy Morgan with David Bell third another 14 seconds down.

The second race of the morning was the third leg of the F2 Sidecars. Tim Reeves was a non starter as he pulled the outfit off the grid just as the warm-up lap was about to start.

Ian and Carl Bell took the hole-shot into Mere Hairpin and held the lead at the end of the first of the six laps by 2.7 seconds from Conrad Harrison, with Dave Wallis in third.

Lap two and the Bells had almost double their advantage at the front to 4.8 seconds.

Half distance and the gap was now 6.2 seconds with a further three seconds separating second and third places.

Lap five and the race pattern continued with over eights advantage for Bell who went on to take the chequered flag a lap later with some 10 seconds between him and Harrison with Wallis third.

The second leg of the Phil Mellor Trophy was red flagged at the end of the third lap and result declared with Phil Harvey the race winner, followed by Paul Owen and Alistair Haworth

After an extended lunch break to allow spectators to get into the circuit racing recommenced at 1.30pm with the second leg of the Superbike A Race.

Lee Johnston held pole position and got the hole-shot into Mere Hairpin but it was Ivan Lintin who held the lead at the end of the opening lap of eight, by 0.3 of a second from Lee Johnston and Daley Mathison. A lap later Johnston had pulled a tenth of a second back on Lintin.

Lap three and Lintin had regained and extended his advantage to half a second. Half distance lap and no change in the first six, Lintin, Johnston, Mathison, McGuinness, Mick & Mark Goodings. The gap remaining at half a second.

By lap five the advantage had increased to 2.5 seconds! Lap six and Johnston lost more ground dropping another four seconds and by lap seven the distance was nearly 10 seconds.

At the flag it was Ivan Lintin by 10.3 seconds from Lee Johnston and Daley Johnston.

The Superbike B Final second leg followed which saw Don Gilbert lead for the first two laps as Ryan Farquhar worked his way from third to the front by the end of lap three and led the race until the last lap when he was overtaken by Tom Weeden who had himself moved climbed from fifth on the opening lap.

Don Gilbert filled the final podium spot.

Race 16 the fourth leg of the Sidecar F2 outfits saw Ian and Carl Bell once again dominate the six lap race finishing 13 seconds ahead of Conrad Harrison and Lee Patterson with Dave Wallis and Ben Weston filling third.

Race 17 was the second leg of the David Jefferies Trophy A Final over eight laps.

Lee Johnston got the hole-shot into Mere Hairpin, but once again it was Ivan Lintin who led at the end of the opening lap, with yet again Daley Mathison in third.

Only three-quarters of a second separated the leading pair at the end of the second lap with Mathison a further three seconds back.

A lap later the gap had almost been halved to 0.4 of a second and Mathison dropped further back some seven seconds down.

At half distance the gap remained static as Bruce Anstey was also closing on third place man Mathison, the gap down to half a second.
Lap 5 and Anstey was now down to two-tenths from Mathison, as the leaders kept equal distance apart.

Lap six and the gap between the leading pair closed to 0.227 of a second and similarly Mathison and Anstey were 0.2 4 of a second apart.
Lap seven and just 0.162 of a second was the distance between Lintin and Johnston.

At the chequered flag it was Lee Johnston by 0.350 of a second from Ivan Lintin with Daley Mathison holding on to third from Bruce Anstey by half a second.

The David Jefferies B Final 2nd leg followed and Neil Kernohan repeated his success of Saturday taking victory by 6.7 seconds from Don Gilbert and Rodger Wibberley.

The second leg of the Lee Pullan Trophy was the penultimate race of the day and the race meeting.

James Cowton was the leader at the end of the opening lap of eight from Jamie Hamilton and Ivan Lintin. The advantage 0.579 of a second.
Lap two and it was till Cowton as Lintin moved into second the gap was now 02 of a second. Hamilton dropped to third.

Lap three, and Lintin had taken another tenth of a second out of Cowton.

At half distance Lintin had taken the lead by 2 seconds from Cowton with Hamilton still third another two seconds down.

Lap five and positions remained static.

At three-quarter race distance three seconds was the distance between Lintin and Cowton with Hamilton now four seconds adrift in third.

At the chequered flag Ivan Lintin was 3.5 seconds ahead of James Cowton with Jamie Hamilton third.

Just prior to the preparations for the feature Steve Henshaw Gold Cup spots a rain started falling, but not enough to cause problems to the competitors.

Ivan Lintin was once again in pole position.

The race was red flagged on the opening lap after Daley Mathison dropped the machine, he was more or less ok, but the bike was not.
The restart over the full race distance of eight laps saw Ivan Lintin in front at the end of the lap 1.4 seconds ahead of John McGuinness and Mick Goodings.

Lap Two and Lintin still led McGuinness by 2.2 seconds with Bruce Anstey now third 3.3 seconds down.

Lap three and another eight-tenths of a second had been pulled out by Lintin over McGuinness.

At half distance and McGuinness was now 3.6 seconds down on the race leader with Anstey maintaining third but dropping off the leading pair.

Lap five and Lintin was up to 4.3 seconds ahead of McGuinness, as Lee Johnston moved into third 1.4 seconds ahead of Anstey.

Lap six and another second had been added by Lintin.

The penultimate lap saw Lintin 5 seconds ahead of McGuinness with Johnston third another six seconds down

Ivan Lintin took the chequered flag to win the Steve Henshaw Gold Cup feature race from John McGuinness and Lee Johnston.

Race Results

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