Also in action was the team's second new signing for 2026, road racing and Oliver’s Mount newcomer Illiam Quayle who rode strongly throughout the weekend.
Former BSB factory Honda rider Bourne wasted no time getting down to business at Scarborough where, after only six laps in practice, he registered two pole positions in qualifying for the Supersport A and Supertwin races, with Quayle a solid 11th in the ‘Twins'.
And it was in the opening Supertwins race of the weekend that Franco pushed eventual race leader Richard Cooper all the way to the flag on the team’s Paton S1-R where he was just over half a second down and with the fastest lap of the race under his belt. Quayle meanwhile rode well on the second Paton to come home in 11th in his first ever road race .
The Supersport A race saw Bourne and Cooper lead the charge into Mere Hairpin but an incident shortly afterwards which tragically claimed the life of popular Co. Durham rider Aran Sadler brought the race and the rest of the day's proceedings to a close.
It was a subdued race paddock on Sunday morning as racing again got underway and, as on Saturday, it was again a Bourne and Cooper show in the Supertwins and Supersport A races.
Second the previous day, Franco wasn't going to be denied in the six-lap Twins race where he finished 2.7 seconds ahead of Richard with Illiam finishing in the Top 10 in ninth, and it was a similar story in the Supersport A race where Bourne, on the team's CBR600RR Honda, just held off Cooper by under half a second in what was a terrific race long dice.
Such was the pace being set at the front, third place man Johnny Stewart was almost 17 seconds further back.
The two were at it again in the feature Bob Smith Spring Cup race where Bourne slipped off the Honda whilst in the lead and he elected to take no further part in the meeting due to an injured shoulder.
Meanwhile Quayle, who has turned his attention to the roads this season after a spell at BSB, lined up for the third and final Supertwins race of the weekend and he certainly saved his best until last coming home in a brilliant sixth place to bring his first visit to Oliver's Mount to a satisfying and encouraging conclusion.
Team ILR principal Ian Lougher:
"Firstly we would like to send our condolences to the family and friends of Aran Sadler at this very sad time.
It’s nice to get back to the racing after a long winter, and always great to visit Scarb as it has a special place in my career memories.
But it’s one of those places where you are constantly busy busy busy as a team, with very short practice sessions which means the following bikes need to be prepped ready for immediate effect. So it’s always a big wake up call if you’re running more than one bike especially at the start of the season!!
After only limited testing time during the winter it was nice to see Franco and Illiam return to the paddock after practice with everything working well and smiles on their faces.
This was a big step for Illiam as it was his first ever road race after several seasons competing at BSB level, so it was uncertain if he would gell with a very different type of circuit and riding style. But he loved it and I was so pleased to be able to guide him and hopefully make the transition a lot easier for him.
He came away from qualifying and racing with some excellent results for a road race newcomer, and getting quicker all the time. Spot on.
Franco has only one year's road racing experience behind him, but also having raced at BSB level previously gaining wins and podiums along the way, it shows he has massive talent and potential for his future racing, and he showed that on the weekend, gaining pole position on both Team ILR with Frog Vehicle Developments CBR600 and Paton machines, and going on to win the first Supersport 600 race and 2nd in the Supertwin race both run in dry conditions.
Unfortunately while pulling away from Richard Cooper in the wet main race he slipped off banging his shoulder at Drurys Hairpin, it was a massive shame as it then meant he had to miss two of his remaining races as well.
Racing is full of ups and downs but as long as you learn from your mistakes and log them and learn ready for the next time, then that’s all you can do.
We now look forward to the North West 200 in May where both Franco and Illiam will be newcomers."