James Courtney twice snatched victory at the ninth annual Dundalk road races yesterday, at a meeting where many of the races on the new 3.2-mile circuit were decided at the chequered flag.

Courtney defeated Stephen Ferguson by 0.01 seconds in the 250cc junior event despite nearly being forced out the race at the first corner when an opponent ran into the back of him.

In the open race, the Antrim rider defeated Adrian Archibald of Ballymoney and Richard Britton of Enniskillen, with the three riders crossing the line within 0.1 seconds of each other.

In the 600cc race, Britton and Archibald swapped the lead several times before Britton emerged victorious by 0.03 seconds after a tense eight laps.

Courtney, Britton, and Archi bald swapped the lead constantly, dominating the race on their 600c bikes. Courtney's machine performed poorly in the slow right handers, but his top speed was superior on the straights.

The circuit provides fast, close racing because it has three main straights connected by two tight right-handers and the Ballymascanlan roundabout. "It doesn't seem to matter who comes out of the roundabout first," said Archibald after the 600cc race.

Britton agreed: "The trick to winning could be slip-streaming on the final straight."

The 125cc event was one race not to end in a close finish, after Owen McNally of Coleraine built up a lead that was big enough to prevent opponents tucking in behind him, eliminating the slipstream advantage.

The Dunlop brothers, Joey and Robert, took a deserved break after the recent pressures of riding with injuries.

Racing continues in Skerries on Saturday.