Martin delighted with success
Popular TT star Guy Martin is celebrating another successful visit to Dundrod.
The Kirmington rider, who secured three podium finishes at the Centenary TT, notched up two wins, a second place and a fifth from his four races.
The trip started well on Thursday when the Hydrex Honda rider took a dramatic win in the record-breaking six-lap Dundrod 150 Superbike race.
The 25-year-old was behind fellow Honda rider Ian Hutchinson for most of the race, but on the final lap grabbed the lead. He held on to take the win in a dash to the flag, ahead of 13-times TT winner John McGuinness by just 0.056 of a second.
On Saturday the dry conditions were replaced by heavy rain, leading to a two hour delay to the start of the Ulster Grand Prix.
Martin opened his account with fifth place in the opening Superstock race, battling his way up from 10th to become the highest placed Honda rider.
He took victory in the opening Supersport 600cc race. It looked like third would be the best he could hope for in the early stages as Ryan Farquhar and Conor Cummins started pulling away, but Martin was playing a waiting game and on lap four he flashed through into the lead.
Manxman Cummins kept the pressure on, but Martin held firm and took the win by 1.776 seconds.
The weather then deteriorated rapidly and on the fourth lap of the feature Superbike race, organisers had little option other than to stop the race on safety grounds. Martin was awarded second place.
With no sign of the weather improving, the remaining two races were cancelled.
Martin said:
‘Things got off to the perfect start and Thursday’s Dundrod 150 race can only be described as hardcore!’
‘The pace was hot and there was nothing between any of us so I had to work really hard for it. Hutchy was quick everywhere and the only place I really felt stronger was on the run through Budore, so on the final lap I concentrated on getting a good run out of Ireland’s and it worked perfectly.’
‘I got a great drive and pulled alongside going through Budore at about 170mph and this meant I was on the inside going into the Windmill. I had the ideal line and slipped through, but there was no time to relax as I knew they’d be trying every which way to get by. I covered all my lines and managed to hold John off although it was very
close!’
He added:
‘The weather then turned on us and, at times, I didn’t think we’d have any racing on Saturday. Fifth in the Superstock race wasn’t the greatest, but I was still the first Honda and Dunlop rider home and I more than made up for that with a win in the Supersport race.’
‘I had a steady start, but was just waiting for the heat in the tyre to come up and as soon as it did, I pushed on and was able to catch Ryan and Conor. I got the lead and managed to hold on for another win, although Conor was really on it and rode a great race.’
‘I’m over the moon. I was thinking a couple of laps into it, “I’ll be doing well to get onto the podium here,” and then I thought, “I’ll be doing well to get third”. I kept plugging away and the track was getting drier and drier so I could push a little bit harder as I was on inters and the rest of the lads were on full wets and it worked to my advantage in the end. I reeled them in and passed them by a second or two.’
Martin continued:
‘The weather was really bad for the Superbike race, but I got up to second and had Hutchy in my sights. I was confident of catching him, but the conditions were getting worse and worse so it was definitely the right decision to red flag the race.’
‘I was starting to reel Hutchinson in when it was red flagged. We had a new rear Dunlop in and I was just getting the feel of it to see how hard I could push. It was mint really, but it took a few laps to get my head round how hard I could go on it.’
‘By then Hutchy had a bit of a gap. I think it was about 7 seconds and I got it back to a couple of seconds and then they red flagged it. Coming out of Wheelers you were doing well to see your hand in front of your face. Good decision.’
‘It was a real shame the other two races were cancelled and it’s been a tricky week for everyone due to the poor weather, but we worked hard throughout and were rewarded for our efforts. The boys again did a terrific job and the Hydrex Hondas once more proved they’re more than a match for anything else out there, so it’s been another good week.’
With Phil Wain