King of Kirkistown: Derek Sheils wins main event as Michael Dunlop secures Supersport double

Michael Dunlop leads Derek Sheils and Jason Lynn in the first King of Kirkistown race

Derek Sheils has been crowned the King of Kirkistown after edging Jason Lynn and Michael Dunlop in the two-race feature event.

Sheils beat Dunlop and Lynn in the first race, with Lynn coming out on top ahead of Sheils and Dunlop in race two.

That meant the Irish rider triumphed on aggregate as short circuit racing returned in Northern Ireland.

Dunlop, the 19-time Isle of Man TT winner, won both Supersport races at the County Down circuit.

Roadhouse Macau BMW rider Sheils swapped positions with Dunlop several times before prevailing in the first King of Kirkistown race, with pole-sitter Lynn coming home in third.

Lynn made amends for his poor start in race one by winning a red-flagged penultimate race of the day, this time ahead of Sheils, who was named champion by virtue of his second-place finish, and Dunlop.

MD Racing's Dunlop beat Castleblayney's Joe Loughlin to the line in both Supersport races, with Limerick's Andrew Murphy completing the podium in the two 600cc outings.

The meeting was the first motorcycle racing event to be held in Northern Ireland this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The organising Belfast and District Motor Club were operating under a series of strict protocols and guidelines set out by the Northern Ireland Executive, including a maximum of 150 riders and 300 spectators.

No further short circuit meetings are planned for Northern Ireland this year, but the Cookstown 100 road races will be staged over the Orritor circuit on Friday and Saturday.