Cookstown 100: Michael Dunlop takes convincing win in Open A Invitational race

Dunlop was a double winner at the Cookstown 100 12 months ago, winning the Supersport and feature races.

“It was a bit of a late, last minute thing,” Dunlop told BBC Sport NI of his decision to compete this year.

“We are so busy and we weren’t going to come as the 600 [Supersport bike] is stripped to bits to get ready for the North West 200 as it is just around the corner.

“I brought my Superstock. I like it and I like riding Cookstown. It has always been nice to ride around here and it is a good thing to get out and get a bit of racing done. The weather is lovely and that is half the battle.

“The biggest thing with the Stocker is that we haven’t had much time on it so it gives it a chance to get an outing.”

Dunlop is enjoying a rare outing on a Moto3 bike.

“We had sort of done a gentleman’s agreement, me and John Burrows, about riding his Moto3 months ago and I said if I was able to come, I would come and then I forgot clean about it.

“So, he called me again on Thursday and I was like ‘aw, I forgot all about all about that!”.

Dunlop added that a degree of caution had to be exercised with his two biggest events of the season just around the corner.

“At the end of the day, it is about staying out of trouble a little bit with the NW 200 just around the corner and the TT just around the corner from that as well so we are at a stage that you have to just watch yourself.”

Jordan was pleased to be competing at the meeting for the first time since 2022.

“I’ve had a really good pre-season building up to it and I feel like I’ve stepped it up again from what we did last year, and we had a good year last year, so hopefully the momentum stays with me and we keep moving forward,” he said.