Where legends live on..

Roy Richardson takes honours in Junior Classic race at Manx GP

Roy Richardson on the 1969 Aermacchi Ala D’Oro 349cc led on time by over three 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 fifth 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.