NOTE Race Sequence Change

Post Classic records tumbled on the opening day of the 2010 Manx Grand Prix sponsored by visitisleofman.com, with both Michael Dunlop in the Senior Post Classic and Chris Palmer in the Junior Post Classic races posting lap and race records. Perfect conditions all around the course were reported as a packed grandstand settled down for the first day’s racing on the Isle of Man.

Clerk of the Course Phil Taubman revised the start order following the speeds posted by the Post Classic Senior machines with the Post Classics Senior class following the Newcomers A away with Newcomers B slotting behind and Post Classic Junior at the end of the pack.

First away in the Post Classics were Olie Linsdell on the Yamaha FZ 746 and Mark Buckley riding the Suzuki XR69. However, it was Michael Dunlop, who set a series of blistering times in qualifying riding 1981 Suzuki XR69 997cc who established an early lead to Glen Helen with a time of 118.485 from Olie Linsdell and Mark Buckley.

Dunlop extended his lead at Ballaugh (124.607) from Linsdell to 4 seconds with Buckley a further 10 seconds back on Linsdell. Linsdell was the quickest through the Sulby Speed trap on the first lap with 164.1 to Dunlop’s 149.1.

Linsdell was first through the Grandstand with 117.271 on the opening lap with a new lap record, but Michael Dunlop improved it to 117.979 shortly after and led by 6.75 seconds with Scotsman Mark Buckley third with 114.575. Dunlop extended his lead to just over 9 seconds from Linsdell by Glen Helen with Mark Buckley a further 46 seconds behind Linsdell, making up the Top 3.

However, Olie Linsdell came off at Bishop’s Court in what was described by race organisers as a serious incident and was taken by Air Med to Nobles Hospital. No further details were available.

On the second lap Dunlop recorded 118.186 to extend his lead to 1 minute 24 seconds over the second placed rider Mark Buckley with Maria Costello moving up into third. Dunlop had a lead of over a minute and a half through Glen Helen from Mark Buckley and completed his third lap in 110.586, a time that included the pit stop at the end of the second lap. At the end of the third lap his lead was almost 2 minutes from Mark Buckley with Maria Costello holding third place.

Michael Dunlop completed the expected victory with a final lap of 117.355 for an overall race record of 1:18.06.23 with Buckley second (1:20.36.81).

However, a costly final lap for Maria Costello of 22:46.13 (99.425) depriving her of her second MGP podium, which would have been only the third occasion a woman has finished in the top three following Costello’s 2005 third place in the Ultra Lightweight and Carolynn Sells victory in last year’s 400cc Ultra Lightweight race. Geoff Martin eventually took the final podium spot from Chris McGahan on the Miles Trident with Maria in fifth place.

After the race Michael Dunlop said:

“ I could have gone faster but I held back to make sure that a few more boys could claim their replicas. I’m just so pleased for all the team who have worked so hard on the bike. I felt the bike could have done 121 or 122mph as the bike was faultless – all the team put a lot of hard work in..”


In the Post Classic Junior race Chris Palmer, on the 1962 AJS 7R 350cc, dominated the race and led from start to finish. He posted an opening lap record of 111.729, giving him a 38 second lead from Brian Mateer (108.268mph) on a Yamaha TZB 249 with Stuart Garton in third place with Barry Davidson fourth and Ewan Hamilton in fifth. The top five in the Junior Post Classic race all broke the lap record on the opening lap.

Palmer extended his lead on the second lap with 109.996 from Mateer with Barry Davidson in third after Garton dropped out before Glen Helen on the second lap. Palmer’s third lap (105.143) gave him a lead of almost 2 minutes from Mateer with Davidson holding third and Palmer eventually came home with an impressive final lap of 109.312 for a win by over 3 minutes from Phil McGurk with Barry Davidson taking the final podium slot.

Chris Palmer

“Traffic wasn’t as bad as I expected but there was definitely a bit of congestion in places. I didn’t want to do anything silly on the last lap so I just rolled it off and came home. The conditions were great on the track and as I’ve been on the Isle of Man for 10 years I now consider myself Manx so it was nice to hear the anthem.”

Manx riders took the honours in both the Newcomers A and B Races at the 2010 Manx Grand Prix, sponsored by visitisleofman.com with Tim Venables and Jonny Heginbotham both standing on the top step of the podium.

Shaun Anderson and Jon Kennaugh led the newcomers A race away but it was Tim Venables who quickly established a lead by Glen Helen, followed by Andy Fenton and Shaun Anderson.

Venables, a student at Loughborough University, continued to set the pace on the opening lap and clocked a new Newcomers MGP lap record of 117.897 to lead by 11 seconds from Shaun Anderson with Andy Fenton in third and Norwegian rider Sebastian Buch holding fourth place.

Fenton was involved in an accident on the second lap at the Creg Ny Baa and was taken by Air Med to Nobles Hospital with leg injuries but at the front of the field Venables extended his lead to 10 seconds by the end of lap two with a lap of 115.607 from Shaun Anderson with Sebastian Buch up to third.

That remained the order on lap three with Venables extending his lead to over 20 seconds from Shaun Anderson with Buch a further 30+ seconds back. Buch in third had the consolation of becoming the fastest Norwegian around the mountain course, beating Per Ivar Breland’s lap record of 110.110.

In the Newcomers B race, Jonny Heginbotham set a new lap record of 109.073 on the opening lap to lead by 36 seconds from fellow Manx man Lee Darbyshire (105.980) with Scott Campbell (105.368) in third.

Heginbotham maintained his lead throughout the race and eventually finished first in a new race record of 1 hour 24:15.40 to win from Darbyshire with Tom Llewelyn in third.

Johnny Heginbotham from Port St Mary on the Isle of Man said:

“I didn’t want to be the fastest going into the race so parked the bike up really during qualifying and kept under the radar.”

Alan Oversby on the 1970MV got the second race of the day away on time at the 2010 Manx Grand Prix, sponsored by visitisleofman.com shortly after 1.15pm with the Junior Classic machines starting ahead of the Lightweight Classic Race.

Roy Richardson on the 1969 Aermacchi Ala D’Oro 349cc led on time by over 3 seconds at Glen Helen from Chris McGahan on the Honda 346cc and Doug Snow riding a1967 Ducati Sebring 340cc. Alan Oversby’s 1970 MV and Mark Herbertson on the ’69 AJS 7R 350cc made up the first five by the first timing point. Oversby moved up to third by Ballaugh ahead of Snow although Snow was the fastest through Sulby Speed trap with 126.4 and Snow regained third place shortly after.

Richardson extended his lead to over 6 seconds from McGahan by Ramsey and by 10 seconds at the Bungalow with Oversby now back in third. They remained top three by Grandstand. Richardson’s opening lap time was 101.615mph with McGahan just shy of 18 seconds behind in second and Oversby a further 10 seconds back. Mark Parrett on the Ripley Honda 350cc was disappointed to pull in at the end of the first lap with mechanical problems.

Oversby was first on the road to Glen Helen by the second lap but Richardson, from a start number of 14, had passed McGahan on the road by the second lap at Glen Helen to extend his lead to 21 seconds from McGahan with Oversby third on time. That remained first three to Ramsey with Richardson maintaining his lead and McGahan 21 seconds back and Oversby a further 30 seconds in third.

Richardson broke his own his own Junior Classic lap record, set in 2007, on the second lap with a time of 21:59.38 (102.948mph) from McGahan and Oversby Richardson completed lap three in 22:11.57 to extend his lead over McGahan by over 45 seconds with Doug Snow getting ahead of Oversby to reclaim third place.

Richardson duly claimed victory, and his seventh Manx Grand Prix title, for the Martin Bullock stable, with a final lap of 101.180 and a new Junior Classic race record of 1:28.50.08 with Chris McGahan taking the runner-up slot. Behind the pair Alan Oversby eventually took third place on the MV after his thrilling battle with Doug Snow, taking the final podium slot by just over 2 seconds.

Roy Richardson’s victory adds to a glowing history for the bike. The bike has been owned by Dick Linton since 1972 and he achieved a replica on the bike in 1976.


Peter Wakefield and Peter Symes got the Lightweight Classic race away at around 1.20pm. Ewan Hamilton on the 1967 Suzuki T20 242cc, led after the opening lap of 94.273 from the Jackson brothers Tom and Bud, Tom leading the family battle by 9 seconds in second place after the first lap.

However, on the second lap Hamilton retired at Sulby Crossroads leaving Tom Jackson at the front of the field ahead of Bud by 8 seconds at Ramsey. Chris Palmer was also a retirement on the second lap, stopping at Ramsey Bus stop.

Bud Jackson dropped out on the third lap at Whitegates leaving Peter Wakefield on a 1966 T20 Suzuki to move up into second place from Dave Smith in third on the ’67 Yamaha TDIC 246cc.

The 61 year old Tom Jackson, with a previous best of 5th in the Manx Grand Prix, was almost home having built up a convincing lead of over 50 seconds by the Bungalow on the last lap but he dramatically ran out of petrol and retired at the Creg Ny Baa with victory in sight, leaving Peter Wakefield to take the top spot with a race time of 1:39.08.32 (91.339mph) from Dave Smith in second and Jeff Ward on a ’67 T20 247cc Suzuki in third place.

Monday Race Results