10-05-2025
Nothing was going to deny me Supersport success, roars Richard Cooper after last lap drama
Cooper was left frustrated after his defeat against Michael Dunlop in Thursday's race and was determined to come out on top in the restarted race.
The Nottingham rider was leading along the Coast Road on the last lap but came under pressure from Honda Racing's Dean Harrison, who was hard on the brakes on Cooper's inside into the all-action Juniper chicane.
Cooper went deep on the brakes but picked his BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha up and ran across the grass.
Harrison, too, ran over the grass after he was unable to make his apex.
Dunlop had a grandstand seat behind the battling leaders but could not capitalise on their mistakes, closing out the race in third on his factory Ducati V2.
Cooper roared over Quarry Hill to take his second victory of the day by just over a tenth of a second from Harrison, who yet again had to settle for the runner-up spot.
Dunlop was 0.294s behind in the last rostrum place, with Davey Todd over ten seconds further adrift on Clive Padgett's Honda.
Cooper, who has increased his tally of NW200 wins to seven, said: 'Lap one I was like 'I'm having this'.
'Michael beat me fair and square in race one, he had that one, this one there was no way.
'Whoever got through that chicane in one piece, in my eyes the win was for taking.
'I just held on, there was no other option and I had to run straight. I managed to get out the other side and controlled myself, and it takes a brave man to pass someone at the last corner.
'It's special to win in front of those fans.'
Harrison was left to rue what might have been after putting himself in the picture for his first win around the 8.9-mile course.
'I knew from the start of the race it was going to be difficult to be honest,' he said.
'As soon as anyone passed me, I was straight back past them and I was constantly in the slipstream.
'The middle of the corner I felt I had (Cooper), to be fair.
'It's good for everyone to see.'
Dunlop said the outcome was always destined to be decided at Juniper.
'The two boys knew they weren't making the turn. The two of them ran on but I made the chicane – they made a clear advantage,' said the Ballymoney man.
'I ran on earlier (in the Superbike race) but didn't get an advantage from it. I'm not going to cry about it, what do you say about it. Unless the organisers look at it, I don't know.
'It was great racing. It's always going to go down to that last chicane.'
The race was held over four laps instead of six after a red flag following two separate crashes at Mill Road roundabout and Church corner.
Jeremy McWilliams went down at Mill Road roundabout but the 61-year-old later lined up for the second Supertwin race, although he pulled out after the first lap.
Peter Hickman finished fifth on the Trooper/PHR Triumph while 13-time Supersport winner Alastair Seeley was sixth on the MSS/CD Racing Kawasaki.
