Free Practice
The weekend began with strong pace across the MMB Racing garage. Eugene McManus looked sharp
from the outset, finishing FP1 in 4th with a time of 1:30.618 and remaining competitive in FP2 with 8th
overall. Teammate Harry Truelove ended the day with the 9th fastest time in FP1 and 12th in FP2, while
James McManus was building confidence, lapping in the low 1:32s as he finished FP2 in 17th
place. Crucially, all three riders did enough in Friday’s sessions to earn direct passage to Qualifying 2—a key advantage in a tightly packed Supersport field.
Qualifying
Saturday’s 15-minute Q2 session was action-packed and ultimately bittersweet for the team. Eugene
shone again, qualifying on the front row with a blistering 1:29.887 lap—beneath the existing race lap
record. Harry made great strides to take an excellent 7th on the grid. But disaster struck for James, who
suffered a fast crash at the high-speed Craner Curves. He sustained two fractured metacarpals in his right hand, ruling him out of both races. A frustrating end to what had been a promising weekend for the number 14 rider.
Race 1 (Sprint Race – 12 laps)
The Sprint Race took place on Saturday afternoon, and Eugene once again proved he’s a regular front-
runner in this class. Starting from 3rd, he was firmly in the hunt for a podium through much of the race. A late push on the final lap saw him run slightly wide, leaving him 5th at the flag—but still securing 16
valuable championship points.
Truelove, starting from the third row, made an excellent early charge, climbing as high as 5th in the
opening laps. However, his race ended prematurely on lap 7 following a collision with another rider.
Thankfully, Harry was unhurt and focused immediately on bouncing back in Sunday’s Feature Race.
Warm-Up
Sunday morning’s warm-up was a rollercoaster for Eugene McManus. The Randalstown rider went fastest in the session with a scorching 1:29.892, showcasing his speed and commitment. But his final flying lap ended abruptly with a high-speed crash at Craners. While Eugene walked away unscathed, the team had a rebuild job on their hands ahead of the afternoon’s Feature Race. Harry Truelove laid down another solid lap time to finish the warm-up session in 9th position.
Race 2 (Feature Race – 18 laps)
The Feature race, held over 18 laps, saw Eugene start from 5th and Harry from 8th, based on their fastest laps from Race 1. Both riders were immediately in the thick of a fierce lead group of nine riders. Eugene slipped to 9th after running wide on lap 5 but rallied with determination in the latter stages, posting fast, consistent laps to claw his way back to 4th at the flag – missing the podium this time.
Truelove also had a strong showing. Involved in the front group for much of the race, he held his own
aboard his Ducati Panigale V2 and brought the bike home in 8th—his first points of the 2025 season and a deserved reward after Saturday’s disappointment.
Eugene said, ”It was a solid weekend for us finishing 4th and 5th, we are making real progress. The team gave me a great bike and we were right there in the mix. Of course, I’m always pushing for the podium, but we’ve taken valuable points and learned a lot. I’m more motivated than ever heading into Round 3- Snetterton 20th June..”
James said, ”The weekend started positive on Friday with me being inside the top 18 and going straight into Q2, unfortunately I had crash in qualifying and hurt my hand which put me out for the rest of the weekend, Eugene and Harry continued on the weekend for the team and brought back great results. We will be back for for Snetterton.”
Harry said, ”Good to get some points on the board after a tough start to the season. Didn’t quite have the pace towards the end of the race, but worked through some stuff with the team. All in all a good
weekend.”
Photos: Michael Wincott
