McGlinchey Retakes Junior Supersport Series Lead
It was a solid weekend for the FUCHS Silkolene-backed Team #109 at Thruxton, with both Eunan McGlinchey and Kevin Keyes back in action for the Cork based team. Eunan McGlinchey cemented himself once again as a title challenger in the Dickies Junior Supersport class, scoring a brace of podium finishes, to retake the series lead. Kevin Keyes struggled for set up throughout the weekend, but despite his issues he still managed to dig deep in the race and salvage a top ten result, which as a result maintained his third position in the Pirelli National Superstock 600 championship standings.
McGlinchey got his weekend off to a strong start, finishing second in free practice on Friday evening, before going one better in qualifying on Saturday, claiming pole position for the opening race of the weekend.
As the lights went out for the opening Dickies Junior Supersport race of the weekend, it was an action packed opening number of laps as
usual, with Eunan maintaining his position at the front. As the laps ticked by, there was a five bike battle for the podium, with positions changing constantly throughout the closing stages, and as the group entered the final chicane, everyone had their plan of attack, and when the dust settled, it was a second place finish for Eunan, crossing the line less than half a second behind victor Elliot Pinson.
As the second race got underway, Eunan lined up in fifth position on the grid, but by the halfway stage of the race, he had caught the leaders. In the process of making his way through the field, the Aghadowey rider smashed the lap record, lapping just less than a second faster than the next quickest rider in the pack.
As the race drew to a close, McGlinchey was locked in a battle with the factory KTM of Brian Hart, and as the two dragged to the line it was Hart who edged out McGlinchey by just six hundredths of a second. But with his second runner up finish of the weekend, and his rivals finishing on and off the podiums throughout the two races, McGlinchey moves back into the series lead.
