It maybe hasn’t been quite the season William Dunlop was expecting on the roads, but after the disappointment of his crash at the TT back in June, the 30-year-old has clinched the Irish Road Racing Superbike Championship with Tyco BMW.

The Ballymoney man finished on 137 points after the nine round championship, six points ahead of Dubliner Derek Sheils in second place. Guy Martin, who only took in the Cookstown 100 and Armoy Road Races as a warm up for his international campaign, finished fifth in the championship standings with two wins.

William Dunlop said of his achievement:

“It’s been a hard year for me, but it’s good to finally win my first Superbike championship. A big thank you must go to the Tyco BMW team and Metzeler, as without their support it would not have been possible.”