For the first time since 29th August 2019, the Manx Grand Prix returned to the TT Mountain Course and with good conditions all around the 37.73-mile circuit, it was an ideal first qualifying session for competitors at this year’s event.
It was Brian McCormack who set the fastest lap of the afternoon with a lap of 120.164mph in the Classic Superbike class on his Greenall Racing Kawasaki with James Hind (Lightweight), John McGuinness MBE (Senior Classic), Stephen Smith (Senior) and Chris Moore (Junior) topping the other leaderboards.
After a 30-minute delay to the Newcomer’s speed controlled lap commenced at 2.00pm and 20 minutes later, the opening Senior and Classic Superbike session got underway and the Team Classic Suzuki pairing of Michael Dunlop and Phil Crowe led the field away.
They were quickly followed by fellow Classic Superbike competitors McCormack, Michael Rutter (Bathams Ales Suzuki), the returning David Johnson (Alasdair Cowan Racing Kawasaki), Jamie Coward (KTS Racing powered by Steadplan Kawasaki), Paul Jordan (Mistral Racing Kawasaki) and Johnson’s teammate Craig Neve with Dean Osborne (TC Racing Honda) and Jamie Williams (NCE Racing Honda) two of the first riders away on the Senior class.
Dunlop was an early retirement at Greeba Castle with Coward stopping at Quarterbridge and Michael Sweeney (Mistral Racing Kawasaki) pulling up at Ginger Hall but Rob Hodson (Greenall Racing Kawasaki) had no such problems and he was quickest on the opening lap with a speed of 120.060mph.
Hodson was followed by Neve (118.453mph), Dominic Herbertson (118.207mph), Jordan (117.861mph), Nathan Harrison (117.024mph), McCormack (116.987mph), Rutter (115.857mph) and Johnson (115.778mph) whilst it was fancied runner Smith (Alasdair Cowan Racing Kawasaki) who topped the Senior class on the first lap with a speed of 114.868mph.
David McConnachy (113.946mph), Jamie Williams (113.138mph), back at the Manx for the first time since 2018, and Tom Robinson (112.198mph) were next up on their Supersport machines but newcomer and local rider Frankie Stennett was a retirement at Ballaugh Bridge.
A number of riders pitted after their first lap to, understandably, make adjustments but Hodson went straight through whilst further retirements were posted by Lee Johnston, Ryan Kneen, Sam West, Julian Trummer, Mike Browne and Jamie Cringle, with 2019 Classic Superbike winner Johnson stopping to make adjustments at Douglas Road Corner before proceeding.
Hodson was quickest all around the second lap but stopped between Crony ny Mona and the Grandstand with a broken exhaust bracket and it was Neve who was first man back with a lap of 119.911mph. Jordan (119.359mph), McCormack (118.598mph), Phil Crowe (117.839mph), Paul Williams (117.683mph) and Michal Dokoupil (117.308mph) all upped their pace and McCormack put in a third lap of 120.164mph to move to the top of the leaderboard.
Jordan (119.635mph) and Johnson (119.606mph) moved into third and fourth overall and Senior pace setter Smith also upped his pace, the Liverpudlian posting an impressive lap of 118.871mph whilst Williams and McConnachy were now up into the 115mph bracket ahead of Marc Colvin.
At 3.30pm it was the turn of the Junior, Lightweight and Senior Classic session, the latter being led away by the Davies Motorsport Yamaha pairing of Dominic Herbertson and Lee Johnston, the similarly-mounted James Hillier (CSC Racing) and 23-time TT winner McGuinness (Winfield Paton).
Ian Lougher and Mike Browne (both Laylaw Racing Yamaha), Michael Dunlop (Crossan Motorcycles Honda) and Hind (Dennis Trollope Yamaha) were some of the first Lightweight machines to leave the line with Andrew Fisher (VRS Kawasaki), Francesco Curinga (ILR Paton) and Victor Lopez Santos (Xecretia Road Racing Aprilia) early Junior starters.
The red flag was out just three minutes later though due to an incident on the approach to Union Mills, the rider reported as being conscious and talking. It was 4.17pm when the session was restarted, Dunlop and Rodger Wibberley the first away on this occasion, the latter on his Junior machine.
Dunlop (112.611mph) was the first back along Glencrutchery Road followed a bit later by Wibberley (102.326mph) but the latter was quickly knocked off the top spot by Mark Herbertson (104.681mph). However, they were firmly upstaged by Victor Lopez Santos who lapped at 109.686mph on his Xecretia Road Racing Aprilia. Francesco Curinga (108.889mph) slotted into second ahead of Chris Moore (106.790mph) on the Dafabet Racing Kawasaki.
Second time around though, Moore went quickest at 112.778mph with Jamie Williams (112.128mph), Curinga (111.763mph), Andrea Majola (110.995mph) and Dan Ingham (110.841mph) also breaking the 110mph barrier.
Lougher (112.258mph) moved into second on the Lightweight times ahead of Hind (111.349mph), Browne (108.028), Phil Harvey (106.789mph) and Dan Sayle (104.644mph) with the running order in the Senior Classic McGuinness (108.044mph), Stefano Bonetti (104.939mph), Jamie Coward (104.481mph), Alan Oversby (103.312mph), Michael Russell (102.725mph), Rob Hodson (102.094mph) and Johnston (101.689mph).
However, both Hind (114.137mph) and McGuinness (109.637mph) left it late to put in the fastest laps of their respective Lightweight and Senior Classic sessions.
