It was a memorable weekend for Randaltown’s Eugene McManus and his MMB Racing teammate Harry Truelove as the pair produced some of their strongest results of the season in the tenth and penultimate round of the British Supersport Championship at Oulton Park.
After a weather-hit start on Friday and Saturday morning, both riders adapted brilliantly to changing conditions. McManus claimed a fine fifth place in Saturday’s Sprint Race, while Truelove delivered an impressive charge through the field to finish ninth. Their performances set the stage for a thrilling Feature Race on Sunday, where McManus stormed to a superb second-place finish, securing his third podium of the season, and Truelove rounded out an excellent weekend with a strong fifth place.
Challenging Start to the Weekend
Both Friday free practice sessions were held in wet and windy conditions. McManus handled the tricky surface well, setting a best lap of 1:48.473 to finish 7th overall, while Truelove ended the day in 28th.
With Saturday morning’s poor weather continuing, the scheduled qualifying session was cancelled, meaning grid positions were decided from Friday’s times. That left McManus starting from the third row and Truelove a long way back on the grid for the Sprint Race.
Sprint Race – Saturday
The 10-lap Sprint Race took place on a track that was finally drying out, marking the first near-dry conditions of the weekend. McManus made a steady start from seventh but found himself boxed in during the opening lap, allowing the leading quartet to break away and build a two-second gap. Staying composed, McManus picked off the riders immediately ahead on lap two and began the hard work of reeling in the front group. His determination paid off by lap six, when he caught the leaders and moved up to fourth, before a small error saw him slip back to fifth, where he finished after a determined ride.
Teammate Harry Truelove produced a sensational comeback performance. Starting on the 28th, he surged forward with a lightning opening lap, gaining 11 places. His relentless pace saw him climb as high as seventh in the closing stages, before eventually taking the flag in ninth — an outstanding recovery after a difficult Friday.
Feature Race – Sunday
Having impressed in Saturday’s Sprint Race, Truelove lined up fourth for Sunday’s longer Feature Race, while McManus started from second on the grid, right in the middle of the front row.
A lengthy delay due to track contamination from an earlier race tested riders’ nerves, but once the lights finally went out, McManus lost a little ground off the line, dropping to sixth by the end of lap two, while Truelove made a confident start, holding fourth place in the early stages.
By lap four, McManus had regrouped and climbed back up to fourth, once again faced with a gap of around two seconds to bridge to the leading trio. Truelove was close behind, maintaining a strong pace and keeping himself firmly in podium contention.
Mid-race drama saw two of the front-runners collide, elevating McManus to second position. He pushed hard in the closing laps but was unable to close down the race leader, ultimately taking a well-deserved second-place finish — his third podium of the season.
Truelove also finished strongly, running close to the podium battle and crossing the line in an excellent fifth place, rounding off one of his best weekends of the season.
Looking Ahead
The results at Oulton Park mark one of the best combined weekends of the year for MMB Racing, with both riders finishing inside the top five in the Feature Race. The team now heads to the final round of the British Supersport Championship at Brands Hatch, full of confidence.
Words: jeremy Ryan
Photos: Bonnie Lane
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