Lee Johnston racked up another road race victory at the weekend as his season continues to go from strength to strength. The Maguiresbridge rider travelled to Germany to take part in the Joey Dunlop Memorial Superbike race which is a round of the European Road Race Championship, and he continued his winning form, edging out rival Michael Rutter on the final lap to top the podium.

“I went there wanting to win and thankfully I managed to go a bit quicker than everyone else,” said Lee. “With BMW being based in Germany they asked if any of the international road racers wanted to go. Myself and Michael Rutter and Gary Johnson went as well as all the regular riders, so it was a strong pace. The road surface was really good and the track was a bit like the Ulster Grand Prix, just with a few less hedges and lampposts. It was a bit more open. We led it right until the last lap and then we ran into some back markers. Rutter got past me but I got back past him when we hit a few more back markers. It was pretty lucky really.” The win comes after a frustrating outing the previous weekend, as Lee tackled an endurance race for the first time. Riding a BMW for a new team, the local rider was forced to retire with mechanical problems 20 hours into the 24 hour race.

“It was tough going,” acknowledged Lee. “I reckon we would have been on for a podium or close to it because a few teams broke down after we had retired. It was my first ever 24 hour and it was a hard week but it was good. It was interesting. I would consider doing it next year.” After spending some time off back in Fermanagh Lee is heading back to England to compete in the Darley Moor Road races on October 11, before travelling to the Far East to round off his season with the Macau Grand Prix, where he finished fifth overall last year.