Back at it: Michael Dunlop ended the day in 24th position.
Credit Stephen Davison

Michael Dunlop made his first outing since the Daytona 200 in March as testing for the 2021 British Superbike season continued yesterday with a one-day event at Oulton Park.

He lined up at the Cheshire circuit with the regular Superbike riders on board a D.C. Racing BMW, and in front of spectators who were allowed in to watch the action.

After three 35-minute sessions, the fastest rider of the day was Australian Jason O’Halloran (McAms Yamaha) who edged out the Oxford Ducati of Tommy Bridewell by four one-hundredths of a second with Ryan Vickers (RAF Reserves Kawasaki) nine one-hundredths of a second back in third.

The majority of riders set their fastest times in the final session with Carrickfergus Honda pilot Glenn Irwin finishing seventh on the timesheets, 0.461sec behind O’Halloran’s time, with the SYNETIQ BMWs of Danny Buchan and Andrew Irwin 10th and 11th respectively, but less than a second off the pole position time.

Dunlop, meanwhile, improved his time by almost two and a half seconds over the sessions, ending the day in 24th position almost a second ahead of Waterford’s Brian McCormack.

In the highly competitive Supersport class, twice champion Jack Kennedy (Quattro Kawasaki) set the fastest time, a tenth of a second clear of Bradley Perie (Appleyard McAdam Yamaha) with Korie McGreevy (Mar-Train Yamaha) and Lee Johnston (Ashcourt Yamaha) half a second back in third and fourth.

Eunan McGlinchey was sixth fastest on his Gearlink Kawasaki, a second slower than Kennedy, with Rhys Irwin seventh, half a second behind the Aghadowey rider.

Keith Farmer and Richard Kerr were the best of the local Superstock 1000cc riders in eighth and ninth positions, a second behind pacesetter Luke Hedger.

Randalstown’s Eugene McManus was seventh fastest in the Junior Superstock class in which Simon Reid was 13th.

The final BSB test day is at Donington Park on June 8 ahead of the first round at Oulton Park from June 25-27.