Rutter wins Sunflower Trophy race

Michael Rutter won the Sunflower Trophy for the second time, beating North West 200 Ducati team-mate John Laverty on a wet and windy day at Bishopscourt.

Chris Walker finished third, followed by five-time winner Michael Laverty, Marshall Neill and Alastair Seeley.

Michael Laverty won Sunday's Superbike race while Ian Lowry won two Supersport races and Christian Elkin and Mark Lunney took a 250cc win apiece.

Lunney and William Dunlop were the winners of closely-fought 125cc races.

Meanwhile Waterford's Brian McCormack did enough to be crowned Irish Superbike champion.

He finished 12th in Sunday's Superbike race to succeed Michael Pearson as the national champion.

John Laverty was the early leader of the Sunflower race but was overhauled by Midlands rider Rutter who mastered the tricky conditions best to secure victory and the £3,000 first prize.

Rutter had won the event once before, on a Yamaha in 2000.

Michael Laverty followed up his win in Saturday's Superbike race by seeing off Walker and Seeley in the first race of Sunday's programme, the track being dry at this stage of the day.

Relentless TAS Suzuki ace Lowry enjoyed a comfortable 600cc race one victory while Seeley edged out BJ Toal to take second. Marty Nutt, Marshall Neill and Gary Johnson were next.

In race two, Lowry came home ahead of newly-crowned British Junior Superstock champion Lee Johnston with Seeley, Marty Nutt, Neill and Toal making up the top six leaderboard.

A thrilling first 125 race saw Lunney pip William Dunlop by two-thousandths of a second with American MotoGP ace PJ Jacobsen completing the podium places.

Dunlop emerged the victor in race two, ahead of Josh Elliott.

Christian Elkin won the first 250 event from Lunney, Paul Robinson and Nigel Percy but Lunney turned the tables to win the second event from Elkin, William Dunlop and Percy.

Wayne Kirwin and Alan Glasgow won the Mini Twins races and the Hegarty brothers won the first sidecar joust, only for Tim Reeves and Patrick Farrance to take the chequered flag in the second.

The organisers decided to hold one Superbike race on Saturday, largely due to the poor weather forecast for Sunday.

Michael Laverty won that race, ahead of Rutter, John Laverty, Walker, Lowry and Neill.

Nigel Percy won the 125cc Irish championship and Paul Robinson the 250cc series.