Cooper and Jordan secure Supertwins race wins
Richard Cooper clinched his fifth Supertwins win at the North West 200 in race one
- Published
Richard Cooper edged out Adam McLean on the final lap of four to take victory in Saturday's opening Supertwins race at the North West 200.
It was a fifth Supertwins success at the event for the 42-year-old three-time British champion.
The KMR Kawasaki rider was pushed all the way by Northern Ireland rider McLean, who was just two tenths of a second behind his Nottingham rival on a Flitwick Yamaha at the chequered flag.
Sixty-one-year-old Jeremy McWilliams was third on a JMcC Aprilia to claim his 13th podium finish.
McLean and Cooper were contending for the win again in the second Supertwins outing when the pair collided and crashed out on the exit to the Juniper Hill chicane on lap three.
Their departure left the way clear for Paul Jordan to take the victory by 9.8 seconds ahead of Michael Sweeney and Barry Furber.
The result gave Aprilia their first NW200 Supertwins triumph.
In race one, McLean led the field across the line after lap one after Cooper went onto the grass as he entered the start-finish chicane, before Cooper assumed the lead by the end of the second circuit.
McLean set the fastest lap of the race at 110.927mph to take over at the front next time but Cooper made his move on the dash to Metropole on lap four and held onto his advantage.
Last year's double Supertwin rider Peter Hickman retired at the end of lap two while battling for a rostrum place.
Supertwins race one result
1 Richard Cooper (Eng. Kawasaki)
2 Adam Mclean (NI, Yamaha)
3 Jeremy McWilliams (NI, Aprilia)
4 Michael Sweeney (RoI, Aprilia)
Race two result
1 Paul Jordan (NI, Aprilia)
2 Michael Sweeney (RoI, Aprilia)
3 Barry Furber (Eng, Yamaha)
4 AJ Venter (SA, Kawasaki)