Five star Spring Cup for Isle of Man TT winner Ryan Farquhar
Isle of Man TT winner Ryan Farquhar claimed another five victories at the Ian Watson Spring Cup meeting, taking wins in the Supersport, SuperTwin and Superbike classes.
The Oliver's Mount, Scarborough, circuit was bathed in sunshine, but experienced cold conditions which saw traction around the 2.43-mile woodland track reduced.
After taking runner-up in the Superbike heat, Dungannon’s Farquhar took his opening win of the day in the first leg of the Supersport 600cc, where he finished 4.5 seconds clear of Ivan Lintin and promptly followed this up with victory in the first SuperTwins race after getting the better of both Lintin and Daniel Frear.
Sarting from the third row of the grid Farquhar had a lot of work to do in the first leg of the Ian Watson Spring Cup Superbike race and, with overtaking never easy, he had to bide his time before gradually moving through the pack and eventually taking the lead from Derek Sheils on the penultimate lap, eventually crossing the line 2.7s clear.
There was then drama for the KMR Racing boss in the second Supersport race when the 600cc Kawasaki fell from under him on the warm-up lap. However, he quickly regrouped to take his fourth win of the day, making it five with another start to finish victory in the SuperTwins race.
Just as it looked like he'd win six races from six starts, Farquhar was forced to retire on the second lap of the Ian Watson Spring Cup, his third race in quick succession, as he lost feeling in his hands, preventing him from retaining the feature trophy.
Team mate Jamie Hamilton, having his second outing at Oliver's Mount, also enjoyed a strong day with a trio of top four finishes, the highlight being an excellent runner-up spot behind Farquhar in the second SuperTwins race.
He was third in the opening SuperTwins race and also had a strong ride on the ZX-10R Superstock Kawasaki in the second Superbike race to come home in 4th, having taken 9th in the opening leg.
Farquhar said:
“It's been a really difficult day with some really challenging conditions and although I'm disappointed not to have taken the Ian Watson Spring Cup, coming away with five wins is very pleasing.”
“With some overnight rain and the low temperatures, it was really hard to know what tyres to go with as some of the track was dry, some damp and some wet and with the likes of the North West 200 and TT coming up, I knew I had to be extremely careful, especially as I slipped off the 600 in morning warm-up, albeit at low speed.”
“Once the races started, though, I was able to get into a good rhythm and with Dan Frear, Ivan Lintin and Derek Sheils all riding well in the various races, I had to work hard for all the wins and it was good to come out on top.”
“In the final race I lost all feeling in my hands with cramp, which was probably a combination of the cold weather, all the heavy braking, three races on the trot and a lack of fitness on my part as I've simply had no time to train due to working flat out to get all the bikes ready!”
“It was disappointing to end the day like that, but five wins is still a good return.”
He added:
“Jamie had a great day too and is going about his racing in an excellent manner, taking his time to learn the circuits and building things up gradually. He was riding really well on the SuperTwin, but also did a superb job on the big bike, ending up with a strong 4th place in the second Superbike race, and he's a great asset to the team. Overall, it's been a good day's racing so we can now look forward to the Cookstown 100.”