Cookstown 100: Michael Browne and Michael Dunlop take wins but weather thwarts Open races

Michael Dunlop finished second in a curtailed Supersport race at Cookstown

Michael Browne secured a double at the Cookstown 100 road races, with Michael Dunlop also taking a win, but adverse weather conditions prevented the feature Open races from running.

Browne won a red-flagged Supersport race and the Moto3/125cc event while Dunlop was the Supertwins victor as the lap record holder made his first appearance at the event since 2018.

However persistent rain left the roads around the 2.1-mile Orritor circuit sodden and the track was deemed too unsafe for the larger capacity bikes.

Browne had six seconds to spare over nearest challenger Nigel Moore in the Moto3/125 class, but Supersport runner-up Dunlop was just 1.76 seconds adrift of the Cork rider in that race.

Browne led the 600cc event on his Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Yamaha when the red flags came out on lap four after last year's man-of-the-meeting Michael Sweeney crashed out unhurt at Mackney Corner.

Last year's treble winner was occupying third place when he came off but that position was ultimately awarded to Ballymoney's Darryl Tweed after the results were taken after lap three following the Skerries rider's demise.

Dunlop rode his McAdoo Racing Kawasaki to victory in the Supertwins class, enjoying a comfortable advantage over Daniel Ingham at the chequered flag to take his 11th race success at the county Tyrone meeting.

The eight-lap race was run on wet roads and the race was halted when the red flags again came out as the Ballymoney crossed the line to complete his final lap.

Tweed came out on top in the Lightweight Supersport event and Barry Davidson clinched a landmark 100th Irish national road racing victory with a triumph in Supersport 300.

There was disappointment for the spectators as conditions were deemed too dangerous for the 1000cc bikes by late afternoon.

Republic of Ireland rider Derek Sheils had qualified fastest for the Open race and feature Cookstown 100 event on Friday, the Roadhouse Macau BMW racer having set a time just 0.8 seconds faster than Dunlop, with Sweeney third quickest on the timesheets.

Sheils was returning to the event for the first time since 2020 and was an eight-time previous winner in the Superbike class.