Keith Amor scored his first ever Dundrod victory yesterday with a convincing victory in the Topaz Dundrod 150 race.

Keith Amor celebrated his first ever at Dundrod yesterday in the Topaz Dundrod 150 race, while Ryan Farquhar celebrated his 400cc/Supertwins victory

Amor and Ian Hutchinson were locked in battle at the front of the field well clear of a dogfight for third between Michael Dunlop, Cameron Donald, Bruce Anstey and Guy Martin when on lap three Hutchinson disappeared from the action at Leathemstown and Amor was left to ease to the chequered flag for his maiden win at Dundrod and BMW’s first solo win at the circuit.

Afterwards a delighted Amor said: “I really love this place and it frustrated the hell out of me that I hadn’t managed a victory until now.

“Hutchy and myself were having a great scrap and I didn’t know he was gone until I got a pit board saying plus seven seconds and I was able to roll off. This sets me up well for Saturday, but we still have work to do on this bike, as it isn’t handling properly yet.”

The scrap for second place wasn’t settled until the last lap when Guy Martin surged through to score a gutsy podium position on his return to road racing following his 170mph crash at the TT in June edging Dunlop into third with Anstey fourth.

A first for the Ulster Grand Prix came in the 125cc race when three cousins William Dunlop, Paul Robinson and Sam Dunlop stood on an international podium for the first time having finished 1-2-3 in the 125cc race.

Ian Lougher had been in a battle royal with Dunlop at the front of the race, but was forced to retire on lap three giving William a clear run to the chequered flag five seconds clear of Robinson for his first 125cc win at Dundrod, Sam getting third on the last lap when Ollie Linsdell retired.

Afterwards William said: “It’s a pity Ian retired as it was heading for a last lap showdown between us. It would have been better to have won if he had also finished, but I lost out last year in the same race retiring when leading.”

In the concurrently ran Supertwins race Ryan Farquhar, who had switched engines from the KMR machine crashed earlier at the meeting by Lea Gourlay after his own blew in the morning practice, easily won by 14 seconds from Dan Kneen with Michael Sweeney just getting verdict for third after a battle with John Burrows, who finished fourth.

Farquhar said: “It was touch and go whether we made the race having to swap engines, but we made it. The lap record was a bonus.”

Farquhar had the misfortune to retire from second position on the last lap of the Classic race won with a new class lap record by fellow Paton rider Ollie Linsdell from Neil McWhirter and Mark McGaw.