Iain Duffus spoiled local celebrations at the NW200 on Saturday when he pipped Adrian Archibald in the Superbike feature race around the Portrush-Portstewart-Coleraine circuit.

With the top men all having dropped out earlier in the six-lap race, it was left to local men Richard Britton and Archibald to fight it out with the Scotsman.

Britton had started the final lap ahead, but at the end was relegated to third place on the podium as Duffus pipped Archibald by a wheel.

With the weather drying out following very wet conditions at the start of the day, slicks were finally engaged and the race proved to be the quickest of the day by far.

Mechanical problems

It was highly-fancied Michael Rutter and Ian Lougher who forged out a lead right from the opening lap.

Rutter and his Ducati, who parted company during the first Superbike race, blasted ahead of Lougher at the end of the first lap.

But Lougher nudged ahead of the Birmingham ace in the second as both riders left the rest of the field fighting for the minor placings by quite a distance.

But on the third lap Lougher dropped out as his hat-trick hopes disappeared after his victories in the 125cc and Regal 600 events.

David Jefferies, who won the opening Superbike race on his powerful TAS Suzuki, also had to tour in with mechanical problems.

The race was then thrown wide open as Rutter became the third top rider to drop out leaving local man Britton taking over the lead on the fourth lap.

But in the end it was Duffus who nipped in to take the garlands at the end from the unfortunate Archibald who up until the final race had managed a podium finish.

Results

1 Iain Duffus (1000 Yamaha) 117.840.
2 Adrian Archibald (954 Honda) 117.865.
3 Richard Britton (1000 Suzuki) 117.574.
4 John McGuinness (954 Honda) 116.855.
5 Jason Griffiths (1000 Yamaha) 116.698.
6 Stephen Thompson (1000 Suzuki) 116.681.