With final course preparations being made, anticipation is rising ahead of the 2024 Manx Grand Prix meeting. The Classic Races have attracted a top quality line up of established and rising TT stars. The machinery to be ridden is an eclectic mix that should give huge interest to the connoisseurs who gather to watch the drama unfold.
29 times TT winner Michael Dunlop tops the list; he rides his own Honda in the Lightweight Race and will start as favourite in that race. He has produced a surprise in the Superbike Race. Having been associated with Suzukis for many years he has forsaken the GSXR XRAD machine that he rode to victory last year and switched to Ducati. The gorgeous 916 has achieved TT podium finishes in the hands of Ian Simpson and Michael Rutter. Last year Dean Harrison showed the Ducati’s potential with a lap at 124.767mph from a standing start. That gave him a slender lead from Michael Dunlop. The machine’s fragility is its Achilles’ heel; it expired on the mountain on lap 2. Fix the reliability issue and it could be good enough to beat the plethora of rapid Kawasaki and Suzuki machinery lined up against it.
Double Lightweight winner Mike Browne remains with the LayLaw team for the Lightweight and will be a potent challenger for Dunlop. Team principal Ian Lougher joins him on track for the race and could grab another podium. In the Superbike Race, Browne too has opted for a Ducati; in fact, the Key Racing machine ridden by Dean Harrison last year. Browne showed that he is class on Superbikes when setting the first 130mph by an Aprilia in this year’s TT on what was an experimental machine. In the Classic Senior Race, he is one of 3 riders for the New Zealand based Grantham Lodge team. Browne had his first classic ride for them in the 2022 Senior Classic Race in which he set the fastest ever lap (at that time) by a British single at 110.312mph; he finished third behind the Yamaha of Lee Johnston and the Paton of Stefano Bonetti. He led last year’s race, before being slowed by a minor mechanical issue to finish third. He will be aiming for the top step of the podium this year.
The other Grantham Lodge riders are Rhys Hardisty, a Pre-TT Classic race winner at Billown and Rob Hodson, a multiple winner at Billown, past MGP winner and winner of the Senior Classic MGP in 2022; he will be challenging for another podium place.
23 times TT winner john McGuinness has two rides for the first time. He will again campaign the Winfield Paton in the Senior; a race for which he is the lap record holder and a 3 times winner. He was second to Dean Harrison last year. He was rapid at the TT and NW200 this year and will be out to add another victory to has impressive tally. For the first time he will compete in the Junior (350cc) Race; his Steadplan Honda is a proven winner, so he must have a reasonable chance of victory.
Jamie Coward returns this year to reclaim the Ted Woof Norton ridden in his absence by Dean Harrison. Coward was the first man to lap at over 110mph on a British single and is more than capable of matching Harrison’s 111.395mph best lap. In the reintroduced Junior Race, he will ride a Craven Honda; he will start as favourite to repeat his win of 2019.
There are some other very notable returnees to the MGP fold this year. 16 times TT winner Ian Hutchinson makes his debut in the classic races. He was sensational in his debut in the MGP proper; winning the 2003 Newcomers’ Senior Race and setting the fastest lap of 116.66mph; this was the best newcomer’s lap of the course at the time (including TT newcomers). Ian will ride a Steadplan Kawasaki in the Superbike Race as he builds his pace towards a fully competitive assault on the TT next year. Conor Cummins returns after a 5 year hiatus. He does not have a Superbike; he finished second in the race in 2018 on a Suzuki and third on the gorgeous 500 Padgett’s Yamaha YZR GP machine in 2019. His sole ride this year is on a 500cc Steadplan Honda; this should see him inside the top 6. Lee Johnston has endured a torrid 15 months since his crash at the NW200 last year. His crash in testing this spring ruined his programme for this year. He is now fit and back on track. He is set to race the Reed Racing RC45 that he rode in 2022 (Nathan Harrison rode it last year) and an RS 250 also in their colours. The RC45 is not going to be the fastest machine the field; but it will be interesting to see if Lee can come close to Jim Moodie’s lap of 124.45mph. Lee won the Lightweight Race in 2018; but it would be too much to expect him to repeat that feat this year; but a top 6 finish should be his.
Greenall Racing have been staunch supporters of the Classic Superbike for many years. This year they have a strong trio in the team. 2022 winner Rob Hodson leads the team and will be looking for another podium finish. He is joined in the team by former Irish Champions Brian McCormack and Derek Shiels; both more than capable of taking a place in the top 6.
Mistral Racing have also been avid supporters, and this year have a quality four man team for the Classic Superbike. Leading the team is Davo Johnson; now fully recovered from his accident at the Conker Fields (Ballakillinghan) in the TT. A past winner, and runner-up to Michael Dunlop last year, Davo is a real contender for the top step of the podium. He is joined by two of the Emerald Isle’s top riders in the form of Paul Jordan and Michael Sweeney; both will be aiming for the top 6. The final member of the team is the sensation that is Joe Yeardsley. Winner of the Senior MGP, as a newcomer, last year at record pace (for it as a 600cc event); he led the Junior before retiring. He has excelled at Billown and made a fine debut in this year’s TT. He has a great team advising him and will be aiming for progression in his lap speed, rather pushing for a podium in the race this year.
Jordan’s best chance will come in the Senior Classic in which he has the race proven Davies Motorsport 500 Yamaha at his disposal. A podium finisher at the TT; Jordan has a real chance in this race and the Junior in which he rides the Davies 350cc Honda. Davies have young local rider Jorge Halliday as their rider on the Classic Superbike. Still a relative novice Jorge will gain valuable track time as he continues his impressive road racing development.
James Hind exploded onto the scene with an MGP Lightweight double in 2019 and was leading both Junior and Senior MGPs when forced to retire. Denied another victory when 3 miles from home in the 2022 Lightweight. If his DTR Yamaha lasts the distance, he will give Dunlop and Browne a tough battle. Hind also rides in the Classic Superbike; he joins Shaun Anderson in WizNorton Team to ride their 588cc rotary machines. These machines are not rapid enough to win but it will a joy to see and hear them on track and discover if either can come close to the great Steve Hislop’s famous 123.50mph lap from the 1992 TT Senior Race (the greatest ever?). Anderson also campaigns the team’s 294cc DKW in the Junior. It proved temperamental in the hands of (now Travelling Marshal) Richard Wilson but has definite promise.
The best looking bike in the paddock will be the Bimota YB4 to be campaigned again by Stefano Bonetti. Bonetti has achieved podium finishes on the Mountain Course on Patons; he will not do so in this race; but it will a great joy to see the machine in action. Another machine certain to grab attention is the hub centre steering Flitwick Yamaha GTS 1000 that achieved a best TT finish of sixth for Steve Linsdell. The machine will be ridden by Adam McLean, who also rides one of the team’s rapid Enfield 500cc machines in the Senior Classic. McLean finished 5th last year in the Senior Classic and now fully back into the groove will be aiming to improve upon that this year. Joe Yearsley won on the sister machine at the Pre-TT Classic in what was his first race on it. It may be too soon for him to challenge for a win on a still unfamiliar machine; but I fancy him to be in the top 6. Previous MGP Ultra-Lightweight winner Lancelot Unissart completes the Flitwick Racing team; he will ride in the Senior on an Enfield and on a Ducati in the Junior; the latter giving his best chance of a top 10 finish.
The Classic Races promise to give some close and exciting racing; all we need is dry and calm weather.
