Published: Thursday, 22nd October, 2009 9:54am

Frustrating season ends on a high for Lee

by Editorial Department

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Lee Johnston in high speed action at Bishopscourt at the weekend.

Lee Johnston ended a season of frustration on a positive note by winning the Supersport class at the end of season showpiece on Sunday at Bishopscourt Race Circuit.

At the Sunflower Trophy, the Maguiresbridge rider had secured a one off deal to ride a Relentless Suzuki, and he outpaced a high quality field to win race two on his 2008 GSX-800, following a second placed result in the opening race.

Indeed, it was a dream come true for Lee when he was asked to ride for the Relentless Suzuki by TAS team owner Philip Neill. This highly successful local team needs no introduction having won a host of TTs, NW200s as well as a number of Sunflower Trophy races. This was Lee's first time on the 600 Suzuki and it was the only time this year that TAS has contested a Supersport race and they generously gave Lee the use of two bikes.

"Having never seen the bike before, I was very happy with the way it went," he admitted. "They asked me to ride the bike for the day because their riders were all riding Superbikes, and I thought I would take a go at it. It was a good field with some top riders over. There were half a dozen guys capable of winning the race, and it was nice to be able to jump onto the the bike first time and feel comfortable on it."

After two 20 minute qualifying sessions Lee took sixth place on the grid, under half a second off the pole setter. Surrounded by some of Britain's top riders including ex GP ace Jeremy McWilliams, Lee knew a good start was crucial for his race hopes, but he got closer to his illustrious rival than intended.

"The first race I hit McWilliams going into the first corner, and that bent my brake lever up a bit and ran out off the track," he explained. "That put me back to about 10th or 12th, but I came right back through the field to second. I was catching the leader but my tyres went off and he won the race."

Buoyed by his performance in race one Lee went into the second race with confidence high, and his optimism was not misplaced. He surged into third place from the start and was quickly into the lead and pulling away from the opposition. In a season filled with mechanical misfortunes, he was relieved to finish the year with a trouble free run and a comprehensive victory.

"That was a tough race, the bike was all over the place in the wet but she was set up beautifully, I can't thank Philip, Hector and the team enough for the chance to ride one of their bikes here."

With the season now behind him, Lee can look back on a first year in the British Superbike Championship during which he gained valuable experience, not all of it enjoyable. "The season had a few ups and a lot more downs," he acknowledged. "When we had no problems I was always in the top four of five, and the team were more than happy. My best race was probably the last outing at Oulton Park. I just got a bit of arm pump at the end of the race and dropped back to fifth, but we were running comfortably in fourth and even catching third at one point. We had a lot of technical problems with the bike during the year, but at least I was on the pace when the bike was going well."

Lee's undoubted pace should mean he is well placed to secure a race winning bike in 2010, but as yet the Maguiresbridge rider is unsure what he will be riding at the start of the new season. "I have nothing confirmed yet," he said. "We have a few different options we are looking at for next year and we are waiting for a few things to fall into place before anything is agreed." He would like to thank Steve Rogers and Raceways for their support all year, Relentless Suzuki by TAS for the Sunflower and his local sponsors and fans for their support all year.