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Cookstown 100: McLean races to double and Sheils wins Open race
Image source, Pacemaker
Adam McLean has marked his return to road racing after injury by winning the Supersport and Supertwins classes at the Cookstown 100 road races.
The Tobermore native won the Supersport race by just 0.8 seconds from Darryl Tweed, with Paul Jordan in third place.
McAdoo Racing's McLean finished 3.7 seconds ahead of Tweed in the six-lap Supertwin outing, with Skerries rider Michael Sweeney completing the podium.
Derek Sheils won the twice re-started Open race from Sweeney.
The Roadhouse Macau BMW rider made it seven wins from eight big bike races and nine career wins in total at the 2.1-mile Orritor circuit by taking victory.
His winning margin over Sweeney at the chequered flag was 2.1 seconds.
A third Republic of Ireland rider, Thomas Maxwell, took third place, followed by McLean, Neil Kernohan and Mike Browne aboard the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Suzuki.
Two earlier attempts to run the Open race were halted when the red flags came out because of incidents involving McLean and then Stephen McKnight. None of the riders involved were hurt.
The second scheduled Superbike race of the day, the feature event, was called off because of deteriorating conditions after heavy rain descended on the track.
Image source, Pacemaker
Supertwins lap record
McLean broke the lap record for the Supertwins class in taking victory.
The Twins race was initially scheduled for seven laps but was red-flagged on the second lap after a rider crashed without serious injury, with the re-started race reduced by one lap.
Ballymoney rider Tweed, drafted in as team-mate to McLean for the Supertwins, just got the better of Sweeney in a thrilling battle for the runner-up spot.
Supersport success
Polesitter McLean was never headed in the Supersport event as he saw off the challenge of Tweed and Jordan behind him in the seven-lapper.
Browne, Sweeney and Kernohan made up the top six leaderboard.
McLean has been competing in the British Superstock 600cc series this season but is making his first appearance at a public roads event since suffering injuries in a crash at the Tandragee 100 in May 2019.
The 24-year-old's triumphs took his overall tally of victories at the Cookstown to five, having won one race in each of the previous three years - the Supersports in 2017 and 2019 and the Supertwins in 2018.
Jordan was a comfortable winner of the Moto3/125cc class from Nigel Moore and Graham Kennedy, while Kernohan was the 250cc/Lightweight victor.