Mike Browne on form to seal first taste of Bob Smith Spring Cup joy in Scarborough

Mike Browne clinched victory in the Bob Smith Spring Cup for the first time in Scarborough

James Robinson

Republic of Ireland rider Mike Browne won the Bob Smith Spring Cup for the first time on Sunday at Oliver’s Mount in Scarborough.

Browne came out on top in the eight-lap feature race for Northern Ireland team BPE by Russell Racing on his Yamaha R6 at England’s only road racing venue.

His winning margin was 4.6 secs over Gary McCoy from Cookstown (Madbros Suzuki), who narrowly held off Englishman Rob Hodson on the SMT Racing Yamaha for the runner-up spot.

Browne, who parted company from Dungannon team Burrows Engineering/RK Racing last season in an amicable split, was celebrating a hat-trick at the event after winning both Supersport races on Saturday.

Starting from pole position, he beat Hodson in the opening by 0.6 secs, with Mike Norbury third on his Kawasaki, almost 12 seconds in arrears.

In the second race, Browne was a comfortable winner by 11.5 secs from Hodson, who had five seconds in hand over Ulsterman McCoy in third position.

McCoy was declared the winner of the third Supersport event of the weekend on Sunday, which was red-flagged. The result was taken after three laps, with McCoy getting the nod by half a second from Hodson. Marcus Simpson rounded out the first three ahead of Norbury and Browne.

In the Supertwins, Hodson won a close first race from Simpson and McCoy, with less than one second between them as they crossed the line. McCoy turned the tables to win the second encounter by four-tenths from Hodson, while Simpson took third, seven seconds adrift.

Hodson, Joe Yeardsley and Norbury took a victory apiece in the Classic Superbike races.

Treble winner Browne is among the favourites for the first Irish road race of the 2024 season at the Cookstown 100 from April 26-27.

His opposition at the Orritor course in Co Tyrone will include countryman Michael Sweeney, who is on the comeback trail after missing the 2023 season through injury following a crash at the North West 200.

England’s Dominic Herbertson is another of the leading contenders when he will lead the charge for the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing team on a BMW M1000RR and Yamaha R6 Supersport machine.