Conor Cummins

Practice was very much an up and down affair for the 22-year and although he qualified strongly for the Superbike and Superstock races, 9th in each, he failed to put a lap in on the Supersport machine meaning two starts from the third row and one from the back of the grid.

Wind and rain plagued race day but Conor got his day off in the best possible way with an excellent fifth in the Superbike race. A great start saw him slot into fifth almost immediately and he was right in the hunt for the lead against Steve Plater and John McGuinness (HM Plant Hondas) and Bruce Anstey and Cameron Donald (Relentless by TAS Suzukis) but hopes of climbing higher were dashed when the red flag came out on the third lap after an incident. Nevertheless, fifth place in such high-class company was a fine effort and he backed this up with 13th in the Supersport, a strong performance after starting from the rear of the grid. In the final race, the Superstock, Conor was well placed in 7th when the red flag came out due to heavy rain and the result declared at two laps. The remaining two races were then cancelled as the weather worsened

Speaking later Conor commented:

I was really happy with how I was riding in the Superbike race and it was great to be battling it out at the front although, to be honest, its where I hope and expect to be now. The only riders that beat me were the factory Honda and Suzuki boys, which is no bad thing, and I felt really strong running with them so felt confident that if the race had run the full distance I could have challenged them even more. The only drama was when the rear tyre suddenly let go coming out of Church Corner. I dont know if I hit a damp patch or something but I was completely out of the saddle and because I was sideways I was heading for the kerb. I straightened the bike up as best I could but just ran over the edge of the kerb - all the enduro riding Ive done over the winter certainly came into use! It didnt slow me down too much though and by the end of the lap, Id closed back to the back of Cameron.

We had a lot of problems with the Supersport bikes on Tuesday and when I went out on the number one bike it started throwing out fluid so I got back to the pits and switched to the spare but that then went and did the same thing. As a result, I was on the back row of the grid and to make it worse I got the worst possible start and was a long way back going into York Corner. I did the best I could and worked my way up to 13th, which wasnt too bad given where Id started. The Superstock was going well and I felt strong and hopeful of moving higher as the race wore on but, once again, the red flag came out as the rain was really lashing down. It hasnt been a great day for the NW200 in general but Ive been happy with my results and how I was riding so I cant wait for the TT.

Prior to the TT, Conor turns his attentions to this weekends British Superstock Championship round at Donington Park where he will be back on board the Team Blackhorse Yamaha.