Murphy wins down under – and takes second place in the final championship standings
Darragh Murphy took his first win of the St George Motorcycle Club’s Summer Night Series in Sydney on Friday night.
The result was enough for the Mountcollins rider to secure second place in the four-round 12 race series.
The Honda CBR racer was in fourth place in the series coming into Friday night’s final three races.
The Summer Night series attracts several top Australian riders as they keep their hand in during the off-season. It takes place at Eastern Creek Raceway and runs from December to January over four nights and 12 races.
Neither championship leader Jack Passfield or third-placed Senna Agius entered the final three rounds – Australian and Spanish championship commitments took precedence on this occasion.
This left local Supersport Ace Aidan Hayes, another frontrunner in the Australian 600cc championship, as firm favourite for the title. He was in second place ahead of this weekend’s showdown.
Murphy, brother of Irish Supersport Championship frontrunner, started the weekend in fourth place in the championship standings but took the fight to Hayes.
The pair finished first and second, respectively, in their opening two races but Murphy got the better of his rival in the final race.
Hayes made a mistake in the opening lap and ended up off track. He was in 12th position when he re-joined the race but set about reeling in all before him and made it up the second overall with one lap to go.
Murphy kept his cool and was able to keep his professional rival at bay to record his first win of the season and secure second overall in the title race.
Hayes won the title while Passfield eventually finished third.
“His 15-year-old Honda is way underpowered compared to the rest,” his father Martin told Kerry Motorsport News. “He needs about 20 t0 25 more horsepower. It is a pity someone [professional teams] don’t pick up on what he is doing – he is just as fast as the Pros on a 15-year-old bike.”
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Kerry Motorsport News 