The weather did its best to deny this year’s Manx Grand Prix, but conditions held long enough to allow a series of 37.73-mile sprints to decide the winners on a condensed Bank Holiday Monday programme.
Northern Irish rider Shaun Anderson won a thrilling one-lap dash to win the Carole Nash Classic Senior Manx Grand Prix from TT legend John McGuinness, with just 0.163 seconds separating the two Paton riders after 37.73 miles of racing. Adam McLean came third on a Royal Enfield.
Weather conditions saw the rescheduled and shortened Classic eventually flagged off at 2.42pm on Monday. Pre-race favourite McGuinness was first to leave the line on his Paton and led the majority of the race from Anderson, the Patons once again proving much faster than the competition. A longer race may well have led to an intriguing race with fuel stops, but with less than 40 miles to complete the thirsty green Patons were able to stretch their legs with no worries over fuel consumption.
The 23-time TT winner McGuinness was first to arrive at the first timing point at Glen Helen, holding a 4.4 second advantage over Anderson, and he extended the gap eever so slightly in the run to Ramsey Hairpin. Anderson pulled the deficit back over the famous Mountain section though, and would go on to overhaul a 1.1 second gap over the last mile to take his first win around the Mountain course.
The Isle of Man had endured some of the worst August weather in two decades over the Manx Grand Prix week, with Storm Lilian bringing high winds accompanied with heavy and persistent rain. This unsettled weather system resulted in the cancellation of six possible qualifying sessions, as well as causing further disruption to Saturday’s planned three-race schedule.
Aside from the problems faced by the unsettled weather conditions, additional challenges were faced throughout the week. Sunday and Saturday afternoon’s sessions were cut short due to incidents which brought out red flags, while a burst sewer in Union Mills also saw Saturday’s racing significantly delayed, with water and waste covering the roads in that area and requiring works to take place before racing could be started. Just one race was run on Saturday, with Andrea Majola declared the winner of a MGP Supporters Club Junior Manx Grand Prix cut down to just one lap.
Other Manx Grand Prix winners were Harley Rushton, who won the 2 Wheeling Classics Classic Junior Manx race, the 350s being run alongside the 500s in the Carole Nash Classic owing to time constraints. TT veteran Ian Lougher took out the PE Lightweight Manx Grand Prix on a Yamaha TZ250, with Kawasaki ZXR400-mounted Joe Yeardsley winning the Ultra Lightweight category in the same race. Despite its lack of distance, the Lightweight was to prove a race of attrition, with Michael Dunlop dropping out of the lead late on with mechanical issues and 2022 and 2023 winner Mike Browne failing to make it out of Douglas with a retirement at Quarterbridge.
There was plenty of consolation for Browne as he won the event-closing RST Classic Superbike Manx Grand Prix. Arguably the most prestigious race, thanks to the packed entry of TT stars and 1990s superbikes capable of lapping in excess of 120mph, the Irishman celebrated 30 years of the iconic Ducati 916 by taking the Italian V-twin to the win ahead of a pack of Kawasaki ZXR750s.
Monday’s only two lap race was the Mylchreest Group Senior Manx Grand Prix, which saw favourite Daniel Ingham add his name to the list of winners.
Working in challenging conditions, the organisers were able to deliver a race for each class. John McBride, Chairman of the Manx Motor Cycle Club commented: “I feel for the riders and fans of the Manx Grand Prix, who have had to endure such unprecedented disruption this week. I would like to thank them all for their co-operation and understanding during this difficult period. The Manx Motor Cycle Club are very grateful to our colleagues at ACU Events, for their skill and professionalism in managing these issues, and we thank them for ensuring that everyone impacted by the necessary delays has been kept up to date in a clear and timely manner.”
Gary Thompson MBE, BEM, Clerk of the Course for ACU Events added: “The past week has thrown us a vast number of challenges, and it has been incredibly frustrating to not be able to give everyone the time on the TT Mountain Course that they deserve. Above everything though, our priority as Race Organiser is always the safety of riders, marshals and spectators, and we have regularly been left with no option but to delay or cancel proceedings.
“I would like to put on record my thanks to everyone involved in the Race Organisation as well as our colleagues at The TT Marshals and Manx Motorsport Medical Services for their outstanding commitment over the past week, in often trying conditions.”
John McBride concluded: “What makes the Manx Grand Prix so special is the unwavering passion for the event that is shared among its competitors, spectators along with all those involved. And, while the volume of races that will be scheduled for Monday will not be without its challenges, I do believe that together we will be able to bring the 2024 Manx Grand Prix to a conclusion with the delivery of a spectacular programme of racing for all to enjoy”
