Kerry riders to collect championship awards in Nass on Friday night

Kerry riders to collect championship awards in Nass on Friday night

Kerry riders who were successful in this year’s Dunlop Masters Irish Superbike championship will pick up their awards on Friday night.

The championship prizegiving will take place at the Osprey Hotel in Nass, County Kildare, just down the road from Mondello Park, the home of the 18-race national series.

Jack O’Grady, from Ballyduff is the county’s only class champion. He won three races this year and finished second eight times and third on five occasions in what was his best season to date in the Supersport Cup championship. The Suzuki rider will be promoted into the Supersport Pro ranks for the 2023 season.

Three local riders finished runner-up in their respective championship battles.

Tralee’s Darragh Crena made the switch from Production Twins to SuperTwins at the start of the season.

The Aprilia rider won one race and finished second 12 times but could not match class champion Thomas O’Grady’s dominant run of nine wins throughout the season.

Emmet O’Grady contested two different classes this season and his maiden Superbike wins on aboard his TAG Racing Honda CBR 1000 will be personal highlights.

However the Tralee-based rider really shone in the SuperSport Pro class taking four wins, three seconds and four third places on his way to second in the championship. He finished just seven points shy of champion Josh Elliot and will rue his two non-finishes during the season where those points were easily lost.

Andrew Murphy finished second in the Moto 400 category. The Mountcollins-based Honda rider took five class wins this season, but champion Damian Horgan from County Louth took ten wins on his way to the title.

The Moto 400 GP class also included Davy Broderick from Abbeyfeale who finished fourth in the championship but was delighted with his first-ever podium, taking third place in the last race of the season in September.