FEATURE

ONES TO WATCH

With five races in four days and new rules and regulations for a number of those races, this year’s Manx Grand Prix has a new look to it. And with a stellar entry across the board, it has all the ingredients to be an event to remember. New names will come to the fore and established names will add to their already impressive achievements, so who are the ones to watch?

DUNLOP LIGHTWEIGHT RACE

Sadly, Bruce Anstey, winner of the 2017 and 2019 Lightweight Classic TT Races, is absent this year but almost 40 two-stroke 250cc machines will be lining up for the four-lap Dunlop Lightweight Race which kickstarts this year’s action.

Scheduled to get underway at 2.40pm on Friday 26th August, reliability will be key to success and although Michael Dunlop’s entered on his own MD Racing Honda, he’s probably edged out as race favourite by Lee Johnston.

A former podium finisher in the Classic TT Lightweight, Adam McLean is One To Watch

Johnston won the Lightweight Classic TT Race in 2018 when riding for Padgetts but will line up this year for his regular Ashcourt Racing team. Riding their immaculate RS250 Honda, the class suits the Yorkshire-based rider down to the ground and with a near 118mph lap already under his belt, he’ll take some stopping.

Numerous riders will be trying to do just that, including the likes of Dunlop, Ian Lougher, James Hillier and Dominic Herbertson but, arguably, his greatest competition will come from James Hind.

Despite still being only 22, Hind has made a superb Mountain Course impression already, taking third behind Anstey and Davey Todd in 2019 and then winning the two Lightweight Manx GP Races later that week. With a solid debut TT earlier this year, he’s bound to be even closer to the front this time around on Dennis Trollope’s TZ Yamaha.

Another rider to watch and who’s still very much on the up around the Mountain Course is Adam McLean. He’s only competed on the island in 2017 and 2018 so is behind his rivals on course knowledge but, second to Johnston four years ago more than shows his potential.

MANX GRAND PRIX SUPPORTERS CLUB JUNIOR RACE

There are new rules in place for the Manx Grand Prix Supporters Club Junior Race with the class now set to Supertwin rules and, looking at recent results and form, it could well be dominated by overseas riders with Italian Francesco Curinga starting as favourite.

Curinga took a brace of seconds in the 2019 Lightweight Races – the previous race where Supertwin rules were in force – lapping at more than 115mph, speeds which would put him on the edge of the top ten at the TT. Curinga, a regular in the European Hill Climb Championship, has a rapid Paton at his disposal again so will be a tough combination to beat.

One of his main challengers will be Spain’s Victor Lopez Santos who took fourth in the 2017 Lightweight Race before retiring when challenging for a podium a year later. A crash early in practice week put him out of the 2019 meeting and he’ll be eager to right the wrongs this time around. With a near 120mph lap on a Supersport machine, his potential is clear so it will be interesting to see if he can challenge for the win on his Aprilia.

Victor Lopez Santos will be one of the pre-race favourites in the Junior

Compared to Curinga and Lopez Santos, Andrea Majola is a lot less experienced but clearly a rider with lots of road racing potential given his performances of 2019. Forced to retire on the opening lap of the Newcomers Race, he bounced back superbly with a near 112mph lap on his Paton to take an excellent fourth in the second Lightweight Race. If he maintains that progression later this month, the Swiss-based rider will rise even further up the leaderboard.

BREMONT CLASSIC SENIOR

With three wins in four years, the standout favourite for the Bremont Senior Classic Race is undoubtedly John McGuinness who once again lines up on Roger Winfield’s immaculate and rapid Paton.

After a few years of misfortune, it all clicked for the combination in 2016 when he claimed his first Classic TT win and although he missed out in 2017 due to injury, he returned to take an emotional win a year later – his first outing after almost 18 months out of the sport.

Another victory was taken in 2019 and with a best lap of 113.342mph, beating McGuinness will be a tough ask for the rest of the field. He proved at this year’s TT that he’s still riding well and with the appetite as strong as ever, win number four should be his.

Reliability is always key in the race but a combination that seems to have it nailed is Jamie Coward and Ted Woof’s Manx Norton. In their six years together at the Classic TT, they’ve finished third, fourth, fourth, second, second and third again.

That’s a stunning record in anyone’s book and that run included Coward becoming the first ever rider to lap at more than 110mph on a British single-cylinder machine. McGuinness’s Paton will again be the faster machine but without having to stop for fuel, Coward will lead the challengers once more this year.

Can Jamie Coward cause an upset for McGuinness and the Paton?

Meanwhile, one rider who’s clearly a rising star within the sport and very much worth keeping an eye on is Frenchman Pierre Yves Bian. Winner of the Newcomers Race three years ago, Bian has enjoyed a brilliant 2022 which started with a stunning victory on his Paton in the opening Supertwins race at the North West 200.

A few weeks later at the TT, he narrowly missed out on a podium in the Supertwins Race when Paul Jordan pushed him back from third to fourth on the final lap and whilst this will be his maiden Senior Classic race outing, he rides a similar Paton to McGuinness so has to be considered a threat.

MYLCHREESTS GROUP SENIOR

For 2022, the four-lap Mylchreests Group Senior Race will be solely the domain of Supersport machines and starting with the number 1 plate, Stephen Smith will start the race as the slight favourite.

A newcomer in 2013, the Liverpudlian has had a steady rise through the ranks at the Manx but it all began to click in 2017 when he took 11th and 12th in the Junior and Senior Races and a year later he improved those results to sixth and ninth with his first 118mph+ laps.

The now 36-year old converted his form into a maiden podium in 2019 when he claimed a fine second in the Junior, just 3.9s behind race winner Nathan Harrison. He also recorded his first 120mph+ lap of the Mountain Course with a speed of 120.892mph.

Forced to abandon TT ambitions, Stephen Smith is one of the favourites for the Senior

Smith had been due to compete at this year’s TT with support from the Penz13.com team, only for financial restrictions to cause him to pull out but the silver lining was a tie up with the highly respected Alasdair Cowan Racing for the Manx. Riding their Kawasaki ZX-6R, Smith will be keen to make the most of the opportunity and deliver a race-winning performance.

It won’t be an easy task with a whole host of riders queuing up to beat him but one of the major contenders has to be the man starting ten seconds behind him, Daniel Ingham.

Another rider who joined ‘The Tommy Club’ in 2019, with a fastest lap of 120.469mph, Ingham has previously campaigned a 750cc Suzuki in both the Senior Manx GP and Classic Superbike Races but switches to a Russell Brook/Brook Built 600cc YZF-R6 Yamaha this time around.

The Leicestershire rider made his debut in 2016 and has also has a podium to his name, with third on a 400cc Honda in the 2018 Ultra-Lightweight Race. Fifth in the 2019 Senior, the versatile 29-year old now has the experience to challenge for the win.

RST CLASSIC SUPERBIKE

The closing RST Classic Superbike Race, again held over four laps, completes this year’s Manx Grand Prix on Bank Holiday Monday and what a race to close this year’s festival.

Packed with road racing stars, there are countless potential race winners amongst the entry but the favourite for honours has to be Michael Dunlop, despite the 21-times TT winner switching machine for 2022.

Continuing with Team Classic Suzuki, Dunlop won three of the corresponding races at the Classic TT riding Steve Wheatman’s Suzuki XR69 but will line up this year on their new Suzuki GSX-R750 SRAD. Neither rider or team would have made the switch if they didn’t think they could win, but laps of close to 127mph will be required if they’re to achieve their goal.

Jamie Coward, Michael Rutter, Lee Johnston, Gary Johnson, Paul Jordan, Nathan Harrison and Rob Hodson are just a few of the challengers but the man Dunlop will be looking at his main competition will be 2019 Classic TT winner David Johnson.

Dunlop and the Aussie fought a battle royale three years ago with Johnson ultimately coming out on top. Having been forced out of the TT due to injury, he’ll be extra-determined to make it two wins in a row.

He again rides the Alasdair Cowan Racing Kawasaki ZXR750 and one of his team-mates will be one of the sports rising stars, Mike Browne. The Killeagh rider put in some superb performances at the TT despite competing with two broken ankles and ninth in the second Supersport race and a 126mph+ lap in the Senior were the undoubted highlights.

Having enjoyed an equally strong season in the Irish National road races, it will be interesting to see how high up the leaderboard he can go now he’s back to full fitness.