Weather chaos and red flag disrupt Manx Grand Prix.

Another day; another multitude of problems for the Clerk of the Course to contend with. The first problem was roads that were too wet to allow racing to begin; that caused 2 hours of delay. To compound that emergency works were required on the drainage infrastructure at Union Mills that caused another long delay.

When the action finally started conditions were much improved, but many locations displayed lack of adhesion flags due to damp or wet patches. At Tower Bends the road was dry and the sun was shining. Proceedings began with a practice lap for all classes. It was used mostly by Senior MGP and Classic Superbike riders; although two Junior MGP riders did utilise it.

The first race scheduled for the afternoon was the Junior (Supertwins) Race. The practice form was soon proved to be accurate; Andrea Majola (Paton) led by 5s at Glen Helen from Maurizio Bottalico (Kawasaki), who had started 10s before him. Daniel Ingham (Aprilia) was third; with Julian Cregniot (Paton) fourth. Majola had closed the starting interval by Ramsey, and he led on the road at Tower Bends by 5 metres from his countryman as they swept through the S bend in fine style. He increased his lead over the mountain; to be 6.2s ahead as they took their compulsory pit stops.

There were a few penalties issued for pit lane infringements; but these did not affect the leading quartet. The first 8 riders had passed through Tower Bends on lap 2 when the red flag was displayed, halting the action. The flag was due to an incident at Ballacyre; between Ballaugh and Sulby. Thankfully the rider was conscious and talking to medics when he was being evacuated from the scene to Nobles Hospital.

Advertisement

The weather then returned to normality; rain that began in the west gradually spread to make the track unfit for racing. This gives Gary Thompson the unenviable task of trying to fit 6 shortened races into Monday. This may prove impossible if the current weather forecast is correct. This has been the most problematic MGP of all time; one day to go; no races completed.

Andrea Majola and Maurizio Bottalico
Daniel Ingham
Julien Cregniot
Chief Travelling Marshal Tony Duncan leading competitors back to the grandstand.
Richard radcliffe

Recent Posts

The 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship Begins This Weekend At Barber Motorsports Park

Ready, Set, Go… The 20-race MotoAmerica Superbike Championship Gets Rolling In Alabama, April 4-6

6 hours ago

WorldWCR gets underway: Special guests in Austin, testing, and a super draw

Cremona Circuit test offers first look at WorldWCR class of 2025

7 hours ago

Cardo Systems partners with Roland Sands Design

Cardo Systems partners with Roland Sands Design to launch its first-ever PACKTALK PRO RSD Limited…

8 hours ago

Honda announces extensive European motorcycle and scooter warranty program

Honda Motor Europe is pleased to announce the introduction of a new service-activated warranty (SAWA)…

14 hours ago

First ever Sports Memorabilia Day announced

Sports fans and memorabilia collectors are adding a special date to their diaries this month,…

17 hours ago

Royal Enfield clocks its highest-ever 1 million annual sales milestone in a record-breaking year

Royal Enfield surpassed a historic 1 million annual sales milestone for the financial year ending…

1 day ago

This website uses cookies.