Weather Forecast

Friday will start dry, but thickening cloud will bring a few outbreaks of light rain or drizzle during the afternoon, before the evening becomes dry. Mist is likely to develop over the hills as the day goes on, with the maximum temperature 16 Celsius. Winds will start light, before increasing fresh to strong in places from the southwest through the afternoon.


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Classic Superbike and Junior Post Classic Races

MICHAEL DUNLOP TAKES CLASSIC SUPERBIKE MANX GRAND PRIX VICTORY

Roy Richardson takes tenth MGP race win with victory in Junior Post Classic Title

Michael Dunlop took the Classic Superbike title in today’s Manx Grand Prix race, his sixth title on the Mountain Course and his third MGP race win following his debut, and victory, in the 2007 Newcomers MGP race. The Northern Ireland racer had earlier reduced a twenty-second deficit to race leader Russ Mountford to only five seconds before Mountford’s Suzuki blew its engine on the third lap.

Conditions were described as good around the course although Clerk of the Course Phil Taubman advised competitors that lack of adhesion flags would be displayed at Laurel Bank, Black Dub, Quarry Bends and Ramsey Hairpin.

Isle of Man based rider Johnny Barton, riding the Suzuki GSXR that he put on the podium last year, carried the number 1 plate and was first away on Glencrutchery Road, but was reported as having retired shortly after the start at Crosby Crossroads, conveniently close to his house.

Michael Dunlop appeared to be struggling to fire his machine on the start-line but appeared to get away without any obvious problems from his start position of number 7 and was second at Glen Helen, five seconds behind race leader Russ Mountford with Mick Godfrey on a Kawasaki in third. Dan Kneen and Alan Oversby made up the top five.

That remained the top five at Ramsey although Kneen moved in front of Godfrey. Mountford built on his lead over the mountain section, with Dunlop reported to have pulled over to make adjustments, and Mountford extended his lead to 24 seconds ahead of Michael Dunlop with 19:37.69 (115.334mph) to Dunlop’s 112.993mph (20:02.10) but with Kneen quitting the race in pit lane with reported brake problems, Godfrey moved back into third place.

Dunlop closed the gap to sixteen seconds at the end of the second lap, posting the quickest lap of the race with 19:35.39 (115.560mph) and with a slick pit stop the difference between the front two was down to five seconds by Glen Helen on the third lap with Mick Godfrey consolidating third place.

However, with the race set for a thrilling finish reports came through that Russ Mountford was a retirement at Sulby Bridge, with the Suzuki reported to have blown its engine leaving Dunlop with a lead of almost two minutes from Godfrey by Ramsey with Alan Oversby on a 750cc Suzuki in third.

With rain also reported at Glen Helen on the fourth lap, Dunlop eased off to take the win with a time of 1:20.27.51 (112.545mph) from Mick Godfrey 1:23.10.37 (108.872 mph) with Oversby (1:24.37.70 – 107mph) consolidating the final podium place.

Chris Palmer was first away on his 250cc Yamaha in the Junior Post Classic race that ran concurrently with the Classic Superbikes. He led at Glen Helen and was clocked at 5 minutes 8.75 seconds – a time that would have placed him third in the Classic Superbike class at the end of the first sector.

Palmer built a commanding lead of over 27 seconds ahead of Roy Richardson by the Bungalow and posted a new lap record of 20:12.59 (112.015mph), the first lap record of the meeting and an opening lap time that would have put him in third place in the Classic Superbike class. It gave him a lead of over 28 seconds ahead of second placed Roy Richardson with Phil McGurk a further 25 seconds back in third.

Palmer again broke his lap record on the second lap with 20:05.82 (112.644mph) but reports came through shortly after that he was a retirement at Appledene on the third lap, leaving Richardson to take the lead from McGurk with Brian Mateer holding third.

That remained the final result with Richardson 1:24.41.55/106.919mph taking the Post Classic MGP title by 1 minute 29.94 seconds, his tenth Manx Grand Prix win, from McGurk (1:26.11.49/105.059mph) with Mateer (1:26.57.73/104.128pmh) securing the final podium place and a Yamaha 1-2-3.






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Manx Grand Prix Senior Race

Newcomer John Simpson wins dramatic Senior Manx Grand Prix

Splitlath Redmond Newcomer John Simpson won a sensational Senior Manx Grand Prix with a dramatic last lap victory from fellow newcomer Andy Soar in one of the event’s most sensational races in its 89 history.

It was the first time that a Triumph had taken the top place in the Senior Manx since Don Crossley’s victory in 1948.

Republic of Ireland rider Wayne Kirwan led by a minute going into the fourth lap, but in a dramatic last lap, with conditions deteriorating, Simpson posted a lap of 22:41.88 to Kirwan’s 23:47.95 to overhaul the race leader while Dennis Booth, who held a lead of almost forty seconds over Simpson at the Bungalow on the last lap, then coming off at the 33rd Milestone with victory in his grasp.

He was taken by airmed to Noble's Hospital for assessment.

Competitors were facing variable conditions for the Senior Manx Grand Prix, the final race of the 2012 meeting, from the outset and riders were warned to look out for damp patches around the course.

Kirwan had the honour of leading the field away and started as one of the favourites, following the withdrawal of Jamie Coward with a mandatory 14-day lay off due to the concussion he experienced in the Junior Race earlier in the week.

Kirwan led by the first checkpoint at Glen Helen, with a lead of less than two seconds from local rider Paul Smyth with Oxfordshire’s Michael Moulai in third place almost four seconds further back.

Kirwan’s opening lap of 19:19.05 (117.189mph) gave him an 8.95 second lead over Paul Smyth (19:28.01/116.291mph). Jonathan Woodward was meanwhile having a great run from a starting position of 48 and moved ahead of fourth-placed Sweeney and Moulai, who dropped to fifth, with a lap of 19:42.74 (114.842mph), 23 seconds behind the leader.

However, following an incident at Bedstead Corner involving Woodward and newcomer Bjorn Gunnarsson, Splitlath Redmond’s John Simpson, a newcomer, moved up into third place at the end of the second lap with Kirwan extending his lead to 30 seconds over Smyth. Both Gunarrsson and Woodward were taken by airmed to Noble's, with Gunnarsson reported to have possible fractures and Woodward receiving attention for back and shoulder injuries.

Kirwan put the hammer down on the third lap and steadily extended his lead to a minute from Simpson, who moved ahead of Smyth with Dennis Booth also moving in front of the Douglas based rider into third with Smyth dropping to fourth.

However it was all change dramatically on the last lap when, in deteriorating conditions, first Booth went to the front, then Simpson and Andy Soar, another newcomer, took the race by the scruff of the neck.

In a sensational last lap Simpson made the 1-minute deficit up by clocking 22:41.88 (99.736mph) to Kirwan’s 23:47.95 (95.121mph). Soar relegated Kirwan to third place with his fastest last lap of the race at 21:48.37 (103.815mph), moving up from seventh place on the last lap to take the runner up spot from Kirwan, who finished third.

Booth, who had been in third place going into the last lap and actually moved into the lead at Ramsey, and held a lead of almost 40 seconds by the Bungalow, was reported as coming of at the 33rd and taken by airmed to Noble's Hospital for assessment, leaving Simpson to take the Senior Manx Grand Prix title.

Race Results

Pics by ManxPhotosOnline & Tony Goldsmith



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