BROWNE TAKES RST CLASSIC SUPERBIKE VICTORY
Mike Browne brought the curtain down on this year’s Manx Grand Prix with victory in Monday evening’s RST Classic Superbike Manx Grand Prix, the Key Racing Ducati rider getting the better of the Greenall Racing Kawasaki pairing of Rob Hodson and Derek Sheils.
Browne claimed victory by 13.973 seconds with the race being stopped after one lap due to worsening conditions and his win was the first ever for the Ducati 916 around the Mountain Course. It was also Ducati’s first victory since Rob Holden won the 1995 Singles TT race.
Browne claimed the first Ducati win since 1995
Getting underway at 6.20pm in a bid to beat the weather conditions that were closing in around the Mountain Course, Browne was quickest on the opening nine-mile run to Glen Helen, his lead over Hodson 3.6 seconds with Dominic Herbertson (BHR Racing Kawasaki) a further 2.7 seconds back in third.
Sheils was only 0.205 seconds adrift of Herbertson and, indeed, the top six were closely packed with Craig Neve (Bathams Ales Kawasaki) in fifth only a tenth of a second behind Sheils. Brian McCormack (Mistral Racing Kawasaki) slotted into sixth another second back.
The gap between 3rd and 6th was small but Sheils kept hold of it
Over Ballaugh Bridge for the first time, Browne had added almost two more seconds to his lead over Hodson, but it was Sheils who was now third and Neve, quickest through the Sulby speed trap at 174.261mph, fourth with Herbertson dropping back to fifth. Lee Johnston was out though having retired the Reed Racing Honda at Douglas Road Corner with the two WizNorton Racing machines of James Hind and Shaun Anderson also coming to a halt.
Round Ramsey Hairpin for the first time and Browne had extended his lead further, the gap to Browne now standing at 9.379 seconds, whilst Herbertson had moved back to fourth albeit just 0.003 seconds ahead of Neve!
As the leading riders reached the Bungalow though, news came through that the race would be stopped at the completion of the first lap due to deteriorating weather conditions and visibility over the Mountain and with a lap speed of 123.919mph, Browne got the victory over Hodson (122.359mph) by almost 14 seconds.
Detiriorating conditions ended the race early but Hodson retained his second place
Sheils (121.899mph) took a fine third place, repeating his podium finish of 2019, with Neve (120.187mph) taking fourth ahead of Herbertson (120.039mph) and Ian Hutchinson (118.916mph) on the Steadplan Kawasaki.
McCormack retired on the run up the Mountain and that meant Michael Rutter (Bathams Ales Suzuki) came through for seventh ahead of Michael Evans (Good with Wood Suzuki), Amalric Blanc (Hampe Racing Kawasaki) and Barry Furber (DC Auto Repairs Newtown Suzuki).
