The final race of the 2010 Manx Grand Prix - the Senior Race - sponsored by visitisleofman.com, got at 2.15pm, an hour after the scheduled start, following the delay at the beginning of the day caused by mist on the mountain.

The race was dominated by local rider Simon Fulton, riding a Yamaha. He led from virtually the first checkpoint to the finish to take the chequered flag in the last race of the 2010 Manx Grand Prix meeting. The race saw Fulton and Ireland’s Wayne Kirwan, also on a Yamaha, locked together for the race, with Fulton keeping a lead of around 10 seconds on corrected time.

Kirwan and David Lumsden were away first followed by Fulton who set off on his own from the line following Phil McGurk’s withdrawal after his Ultra Lightweight victory earlier in the day.

Michael Sweeney was first to Glen Helen, followed by Wayne Kirwan with Simon Fulton third. However Junior MGP winner Sweeney was reported to have blown his engine at Kirk Michael leaving Fulton, who had edged past Kirwan to take the lead by Ballaugh.

Jules Croft in fifth place was reported as stopping at Tower Bends to make adjustments before rejoining the race in sixth.


Fulton became the first rider since Seamus Greene in 2005 to break 120mph, clocking 120.119 on the opening lap. He joins Seamus, Allan Jackson, Ian Pattinson and Davy Morgan in the exclusive ‘Tommy Club’ in memory of Tommy Clucas who was the first rider to achieve a 120mph lap in the Manx Grand Prix in 2004. Kirwan was second, 7 seconds behind with an opening lap of 119.298 with Ivan Lintin on the Suzuki 750cc in third, 8 seconds behind the leader with a first lap of 119.197.

Fulton extended his lead to 10.26 seconds to be ahead on the road as well as on time by Ramsey but Kirwan passed him again on the road to cut his lead to 9.5 seconds at by the Bungalow and the pair raced in close proximity for the rest of the lap.

The pair came into the pits together at the end of the second lap and were quickly away again with Fulton leading Kirwan by 8 seconds but David Lumsden, who was running fourth, couldn’t fire the bike up again and retired in the pits.

Kirwan was first on the road to Glen Helen on the third lap but Fulton, who was tucked in behind him, was ahead by 9 seconds on corrected time with Lintin a further 40 seconds back in third.

The leading pair both recorded laps of 115mph on the third lap, a time that included the pit stop, and Lintin consolidated his third place with 111.592mph. Fulton was again ahead on the road as well as on time by the Bungalow and he held the position to cross the line almost alongside Kirwan with a final lap of 118.555mph and an overall race time of 1hr: 16 minutes 33.11 with Kirwan 10.59 seconds back in second. Lintin held his position to take the final podium slot with 1:17.55.62.

Fulton follows in the footsteps of famous names such as Geoff Duke, Ryan Farquhar and Phil Read, who won the Senior Manx Grand Prix 50 years ago, in winning the Blue Riband event in the Manx Grand Prix meeting. Fulton received the Senior Manx Grand Prix trophy from 5-time 2010 TT winner Ian Hutchinson, himself an MGP winner with victory in the 2003 Newcomers Race.



Commenting on his win at the end of the race Simon Fulton said:

“That was fantastic. I can’t believe that I’ve won at last. Fair play to Wayne, he raced me hard. The bike was awesome and my pit crew were text-book perfect. There was a bit of wind around the course, in points like Gorse Lea and I was just trying to get past Wayne to get a clear run. I wanted to stay behind him and get it home but a couple of times the red mist came down and it was nice to cross the line first.”