Cookstown 100: Michael Sweeney in pole position for Open races
- Published
Michael Sweeney is aiming for a first big bike success at the Cookstown 100
Michael Sweeney will occupy pole position for the feature Open events at Saturday's Cookstown 100 road races.
The Skerries man was 1.7 seconds faster than Cork's Michael Browne, with Adam McLean, Paul Jordan and Shaun Anderson next on the practice leaderboard.
McAdoo Racing rider McLean was quickest of the Supersports, 0.9 seconds ahead of Browne, with Jordan third.
Browne edged out Melissa Kennedy by 0.02 seconds in the 12cc/Moto3 class and McLean led the Supertwins session.
The Tobermore racer was just under two seconds faster than Sweeney in the 'Twins, with Ballymoney's Darryl Tweed third.
McLean was a double winner 12 months ago, taking the chequered flag in the Supersport and Supertwin races.
Sweeney and Tweed were fourth and fifth on the timesheets for the Supersports over the 2.1-mile Orritor circuit on Friday.
Sweeney finished second behind Derek Sheils in the only Superbike race to be held last year but in the absence of the Dubliner from the grid this year, he will hope to go one better on his MJR BMW.
The Republic of Ireland rider boasts 33 Irish national road racing wins during his career and will hope to add to his two previous victories at Cookstown - in the Supersport 'B' category in 2010 and the 250cc class in 2014.
Browne is competing for the Burrows Engineering/RK racing team in the 'big bike' events.
Nigel Moore was third in the 125/Moto3 practice but has some ground to make up on Browne and Kennedy if he is to challenge for the victory.
Tweed was best of the Lightweight Supersports.
In addition to Sheils, other notable absentees are the injured Derek McGee and Michael Dunlop, who is competing in the British Supersport races at Silverstone this weekend.
The event is taking place in September rather than its traditional April dates for the second year running because of issues around the Covid-19 pandemic.
Three races are planned to take place after practice on Friday, with a 12-race programme scheduled for Saturday.