Rushen Heritage Centre mark 100 years of MGP

Thu, 17 Aug 2023

The Rushen Heritage Centre are marking a centenary of the Manx Grand Prix (MGP) with an exhibition profiling some of the Isle of Man’s best Manx Grand Prix riders of the last 100 years.

The exhibition named ‘Centenary of the Manx Grand Prix’, tells the story of the MGP since 1923, when it started life as the Amateur Motor Cycle Championships and will be on show at the Heritage Centre in Bridson Street, Port Erin until Saturday, September 16th.

The nine Isle of Man riders featured include Derek Kelly, Brian Kneale, Gary Carswell, and Tommy Clucas.

Rushen Heritage Trust, Ali Graham said: “Last year we did an exhibition to coincide with TT fortnight, which proved popular with visitors and locals alike, so this year we wanted to focus on the MGP to mark its centenary.

“The centrepiece for the exhibition is the fabulous Suzuki ridden to victory by Richard Fitzsimmons in the 1983 Lightweight Classic, for which we are grateful to Bob Simmons for the loan, with much-needed assistance from Dennis Cole and Richard Done. Barry Wood kindly loaned some of his personal memorabilia for display including a replica, a team medal, and 2nd and 3rd position caps, along with various MGP programmes.

“The research showed just how many great riders the Isle of Man has produced over the years, so we certainly have more than enough content for future exhibitions to tell more MGP stories.”

The free admission Heritage Centre is open 10:00am-4:00pm Tuesday to Saturday.

 

 

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