McLean determined to top last year’s feat despite crashing
ADAM McLean is keeping a level head as the young prospect analyses his chances in tomorrow’s main race day at the Vauxhall International North West 200.
McLean impressed with a superb ride to fourth place in the second Supersport race last year and the 22-year-old has continued to make eye-catching progress on the roads.
He earned the ‘man of the meeting’ tag at the Cookstown 100 last month — where he won the Supertwins race — and also shone at the Tandragee 100, when he finished on the rostrum in the Supertwin and Supersport races.
He signed for highly respected County Tyrone team McAdoo Racing this year to ride Kawasaki machinery and will also continue riding loyal sponsor Roy Hanna’s Kawasaki Supertwin.
Yesterday McLean (right) was fortunate to escape injury after a dramatic crash on the final lap of qualifying in the Supertwin class.
He clipped the kerb on the exit of the Juniper Hill chicane and was fired over the top of the 650cc Kawasaki.
Nonetheless, McLean still qualified in second place behind pole man Martin Jessopp.
Following the incident, he explained: “It was the last lap and I was trying to put a fast time in and I just clipped the chicane on the way out.
“I’m a bit sore but we’ll get out in the next session and get some laps in.
“It’s just one of those things, it’s a bit unfortunate but it happens.
“The bike was a bit average after that but the boys worked hard at it to make sure we would be able to get it out again.”
That crash aside, last year’s top Isle of Man TT newcomer is pleased with his season so far, although he is staying grounded over his chances tomorrow.
“We came into the North West with a bit of confidence, the bikes are working well and I’m happy with how I’m riding,” McLean said.
“For me, my best chance is on the 600 and Supertwin. I feel I’m riding both bikes well but you never know what to expect in the races.
“It’s so hard to predict how things will go at the North West and a lot of those guys at the front have been going to the event for so long and they have that extra experience.
“I’ve really only had one year at the North West but hopefully we can have a good day,” added McLean, who qualified seventh in the Supersport class.
“If we had another year like last year, then we’d be happy with that and top six results would be fantastic,” he commented.
“There’s no point in me saying I’m going to go out and finish on the podium or whatever because I’m not sure that I have that final bit in me just yet, which you need to be able to challenge like that.”
AN exciting evening of elbow-to-elbow racing at the 2018 Vauxhall International North West 200 produced three different winners from the trio of Supersport, Superstock and Supertwin races.
Alastair Seeley notched up his 22nd North West victory by winning the opening Supersport event on the EHA Yamaha after a battle with James Hillier (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) and Lee Johnston (Padgett’s Honda).
Seeley’s winning margin was 2.4 seconds and it maintained his record of having won a race at the north coast event every year since 2008.
“It’s nice to keep that record going,” the 38-year-old smiled.
“I knew the boys were there because they kept passing me and I knew going into the last lap that I had to make a gap.
“The fuel load was down so I knew I could brake later and I bided my time to lose the tow. I still had plenty in the tank!”
When Seeley moved into the lead of the Superstock race on lap three, it looked like the Carrickfergus man was going tomakeitadoublebutitwas Peter Hickman who snatched the chequered flag with a stunning last-lap move.
Hickman (below) dived inside Seeley on the brakes going into Juniper chicane to give the big Burton on Trent rider his first North West victory on the Smith’s BMW.
“It was really close on the lap before and I knew I could have a go there,” the British Superbike star (right) explained.
“I didn’t want to show my hand too early but I was really strong at Black Hill and the bike is good in a straight line. Alastair tried to let the brakes off and lean on me going into Juniper and I thought, ‘You’re not doing that!’”
The race was a BMW
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Seeley will go all out for revenge, saying after his Supersport win: “I bided my time in the early laps with a full fuel load. The team owners, Edward and Gail Allingham, provided me with a good package. The R6 Yamaha we knew was good at World and British Supersport level and now we have shown what it can do here.
“I knew I had to make a gap on the last lap so I put my head down for race win No.22.
“I had plenty left, if needed. I really like Supersport, it suits my height and weight and I gelled with this bike quickly. That’s 11 wins in 11 years here, that was benefit with Hickman winning by half a second from Seeley’s Tyco BMW with Michael Dunlop a further 0.5 seconds behind on his MD Racing BMW. Veteran Michael Rutter closed on the leading trio on the final lap to claim fourth place.
“It was tight and I thought I had him,” Seeley (right) said after the exciting tussle.
“Hickman had a go at JuniperandIhadtositupandthen I ran onto the gravel. It was a better race with a bit more toing and fro-ing.”
The Supertwins race was another intense battle with Martin Jessopp eventually taking his third North West victory on the Riders Motorcycles Kawasaki.
The Yeovil rider beat 54-year-old former Mo- toGP star Jeremy McWilliams (KMR Kawasaki) by 1.8 seconds with the youngest rider in the field, Joey Thompson, finishing third on a Paton.
“The evening had started off well when I was leading the Supersport race and then I ended up sitting on top of the Mill Road roundabout!” Jessopp joked about his earlier mishap