After the frustration of Saturday’s cancelled session, the weather improved allowing a full qualifying session for the 2016 Manx Grand Prix powered by IMGold on the Isle of Man tonight.

Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson MBE got the session away at 6.25 and advised competitors that there were a number of damp patches around the course including Doran’s, Laurel Bank, Glen Helen, Sulby, 27th and Governors.

First away were the newcomers on their speed controlled lap and Thomas Maxwell from the Republic of Ireland, Spain’s Raul Torras Martinez, Preston rider Sean Montgomery had the honour of being first on the track on their sighting lap, under the watchful eye of the likes of Dominic Herbertson, Nick Jefferies and Alan Oversby.

Andy Fenton was the early pace setter in the Senior session and was fastest to Glen Helen but came off at Sulby Bridge on the opening lap leaving Richard Charlton (114.772/ 19:43.459) and Andrew Dudgeon (114.754/ 19:43.641) to top the board on their Junior machines that they will also run in Friday week’s Senior race.  Fenton was reported to be unhurt following his accident.

Tom Weedon on a Triumph was third fastest in the Senior class from Davy Lambert, also riding a linked 600 machine the third fastest Junior and fourth on the Senior board. New Zealand’s Michael Moulai, the 2014 Senior MGP runner up, eased himself into the meeting with a lap of 111.983.

Dudgeon went one better in the SuperTwin session, topping the board with 108.735/ 20:49.167 from Dean Osborne (107.235/ 21:06.636) and David Lumsden (106.579/ 21:14.429) while in the Lightweight eight time Sidecar TT race winning passenger Dan Sayle, who won the MGP Lightweight in 2008 and 2009, showed that he will be the man to beat in the race with an opening lap of 106.212 (21:18.841). Nick Anderson, Mike Carter, Gavin Brown and Dave Taylor all posted 100mph plus laps in the session.

Local riders Michael Evans (107.490), Brendan Fargher (106.734) and Jamie Williams (105.751) were the fastest three in the Newcomer A class with ten riders posting the prestigious ton in their first closed road laps while Cheshire’s Jonathan Perry (100.626) was the only rider in the Newcomer B class to clock a 100mph lap on the opening night.

Shaun Wynne was reported off at Governors Dip but without injury in the Newcomer A session as was Jim Barnett at the same location in the Junior session while Savvas Kosmidis was taken by airmed to Nobles Hospital with lower limb injuries following his accident at Cruickshanks while Tommy Heaphy was described as okay after coming off slightly further up the road at Water Works.  Phil Walters was taken by airmed to Nobles following an accident at Brandywell.




Photo credit: Dave Kneen / Manxphotosonline.com