Monday, August 23 2010
The 2010 Manx Grand Prix got underway after being delayed briefly due to the weather. The event, which is sponsored by visitisleofman.com, witnessed roads closing at 5:20pm, with mountains shrouded in mists and a dousing of rain causing the first racers to leave the stating line at 6:30pm in an un-timed practice session.
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41 riders who were new to the mountain course, stunning in their orange bibs were the first riders to hit the track. The newcomers rode a speed controlled sighting lap that was overseen by Dick Cassidy, Tony Duncan and Dean Harrison who are serving as Travelling Marshals for the isle event. In addition to the Travelling Marshals, also out on the course were Johnny Barton rider liaison officer, Chris Palmer, who has won numerous TT races, Carolyn Sells who was the first female racer to win on the Isle of Man mountain course, and Mark Parrett and Nigel Beattie, who are seasoned TT riders and MGP racers.
Including the 41 newcomers, all in all, there were a total of 265 motorcycles out on the tracks. The racers included 41 newcomers, 22 in the Post Classic class, 27 in the Senior Classic class, 26 in the Junior Classic class, 64 in the Junior class, 18 in the Senior class, with 67 bikes competing in the Lightweight and Ultra Lightweight class. The un-timed practice session was flagged a short time prior to the scheduled ending time of 8:05pm.
Monday will see the first timed practice of Manx Grand Prix; this practice is on schedule to start at 6:20pm for the Senior, Junior and Lightweight classes, while the Post Classic and Ultra Lightweight practice session is scheduled for 7:05.
