AFTER last year’s disappointment in the International NW200 motorcycle road race, when his engine blew up during a practice lap, this year Nick Allison finished half way up the field.

Again competing in Portrush, Northern Ireland, Allison raced in Superbike and Supersport events on his Kawasaki ZX 10R 06, with the support of Bikers at Georgetown, and Kawasaki UK.

‘In practice I managed to clock 186 mph, which I was very pleased with because my bike is in very standard condition with only performance exhausts on! It’s such a high-speed race that at first it’s difficult to get your head round the speeds you can achieve,’ Allison explained.

In his first Superbike race, which featured numerous factory-supported bikers, among them Isle of Man TT racers John McGuinness and Michael Rutter, Allison had a good start in midfield and maintained his position until, in the final lap, the thermostat suddenly rose to almost boiling point and forced his retirement.

It was discovered that a small stone had kicked up off the track and holed his radiator, but with repairs speedily effected, he was able to get back on the track for the Superstock race.

‘There was a bit of barging at the start, going into the first corner, but I was able to settle down over the five laps of the race, and was quite pleased to finish the race, about half-way up the field, which was certainly an improvement on last year!’ he said.

Allison’s next race meeting is at Cadwell Park, his favourite circuit in his home county of Lincolnshire.

He will be competing in the Superstock class in a round of the British Superbike championship.