Dunlop takes controversial Superbike win for NW200 treble

Michael Dunlop completed a NW200 hat-trick by winning Saturday's first Superbike race

Michael Dunlop took a controversial win in the first Superbike race of the day at the North West 200 on Saturday to complete a treble at this year's event.

The 36-year-old won the first Superstock and Supersport races on Thursday.

Dunlop was one of a bunch of riders contesting the lead on the opening lap when he and Peter Hickman missed the entry to the Mather's Cross chicane and went straight on.

Hickman pulled off to the left to take his 10-second penalty in the 'stop box' while Dunlop proceeded and was docked 10 seconds on the official timing screens for his alleged infringement during the race.

Davey Todd, winner of Thursday's Superbike race, had built up a seemingly unassailable 10-second advantage at the front but despite losing significant ground as a result of the first-lap incident Dunlop remarkably battled his way to the front on his BMW and ended up crossing the line first.

Dunlop's 10-second penalty was rescinded after the race and the Ballymoney man awarded the victory, much to the dismay of Todd and his 8TEN Racing team-mate, third-place finisher Hickman.

Dunlop's margin of victory was two seconds over Todd, with Hickman a further five seconds in arrears.

The Ballymoney rider set the fastest lap of the race on his fifth circuit, his speed of 125.539mph just one second off Glenn Irwin's one-year-old lap record.

Later in the day Todd won Superstock and Superbike races to take a hat-trick of his own while Richard Cooper secured Supersport and Supertwins victories on Saturday and Paul Jordan a maiden triumph in the Twins.

Speaking after the race, Dunlop told BBC Sport NI: "A good ride there. We were pushed into the chicane, Peter jumped over the grass which was dangerous. We went over the curb. I came back to win.

"The rules say if you cut the chicane you have to put your foot down. For safety reasons I couldn't do that . It was too dangerous. End of story, I didn't gain an advantage, got past everybody and won the race.

"You can't start swerving all over the road. I didn't gain an advantage, people got past me and I made another mistake. I think I deserved the race, I lost a load of time and came back again."

A disconsolate Todd revealed that he had suffered mechanical problems and said: "Fair play to him he is obviously riding well but we should have won the race anyway.

"We were miles in front and we had a technical issue with the bike and it started riding really slow. I don't know what's wrong with it and I wasn't sure if it was going to finish.

"I have no words. There is a rule and they just change the rules to suit whoever it suits."

Hickman declined to take his place on the podium after the race in protest at the outcome.

"It's dead simple, if you run onto a chicane, you have to stop and put your foot down and go again," stated Hickman.

"Michael Dunlop obviously got pulled in by me into Mather's Cross and we both missed the chicane. Michael went straight on, I cut across to the stop box and went like you're meant to.

"If you don't do that, it's a ten second penalty and that's the rules. As far as I'm concerned one of us gets a ten second penalty and the other doesn't, but who knows what's going to happen."

Saturday Superbike race one result

1 Michael Dunlop (NI, BMW)

2 Davey Todd (Eng, BMW)

3 Peter Hickman (Eng, BMW)

4 Alastair Seeley (NI, BMW)

5 Dean Harrison (Eng, Honda)

6 Ian Hutchinson (Eng, BMW)

7 John McGuinness (Eng, Honda)

8 Erno Kostamo (Fin, BMW)