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2006 MANX GRAND PRIX – NEWCOMERS RACE

Author: Press Office
Posted on: Tuesday, Aug 29 2006



Riding a 750cc Suzuki, he broke the class lap record on lap two as he sped to victory at 114.412mph, winning by one minute 14 seconds seconds from practice leader Mats Nilsson from Sweden (600 Yamaha).

Ballymoney’s Michael Dunlop kept the famous family name well and truly to the fore by winning the four-lap Ultra-Lightweight Race on his 125cc Honda. Twenty-three years earlier father Robert Dunlop had won the 350cc Newcomers’ Race from Steve Hislop and Ian Lougher.

Connor and Nilsson dominated the Senior class, starting together at the front of the field and staying together for the first few miles. By the end of the first lap Connor had edged ahead by seven seconds and that was the last time Nilsson was to see him.

Connor broke Ian Hutchinson’s 2003 class lap record by four seconds despite having to slow for refuelling. His time was 19 minutes 20.4 seconds, an average speed of 117.008mph.

Jules Croft (750 Suzuki) initially lay third but crashed at Kerrowmooar and sustained a suspected broken collar-bone. That allowed Michael Weldon (600 Yamaha) to take the place, but on lap three local rider Andy Cowin (600 Yamaha) edged past.

Dunlop easily repelled all challengers, repeating the defeat of the 400cc machines his cousin Sam Dunlop had achieved the year before. He roared home on the two-stroke single-cylinder machine averaging 103.871mph,
and winning by two minutes 37 seconds despite his engine cutting out from time-to-time.

Connor and Nilsson were separated by 74 seconds at the finish, with third place see-sawing throughout the final stages but finally captured by just 1.54 seconds by Weldon.

Dunlop and TT Sidecar winning passenger Dan Sayle (125 Honda) were well apart at the finish, with Ken Onus (400 Honda) staying steady throughout to take third overall and become the first four-stroke machine rider home.


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