LOUGHER LANDS LIGHTWEIGHT HONOURS
Ian Lougher took yet another victory around the Mountain Course on Monday afternoon as he won the single lap PE Lightweight Manx Grand Prix, the Laycock Racing Yamaha rider taking advantage of problems for Michael Dunlop to win by 22.2 seconds from Lee Johnston (Reed Racing Honda) and Stuart Hall (Whippet Racing Yamaha).
Through Glen Helen for the first and only time, Dunlop (MD Racing Honda) led Lougher by just 0.932 seconds with Johnston five seconds back in third. Meanwhile previous Lightweight champion Mike Browne was already out having only got as far as Quarter Bridge before being forced to retire the second Laycock Racing machine.
Johnston lay in third, but he was only half a second ahead of Hall with Rhys Hardisty (Phil Anslow Coaches/Kaymac Yamaha) slotting into fifth ahead of James Hind (Dennis Trollope Yamaha) as Michael Evans (Atherstone Accident Repair Centre KTM) placed seventh, the first of the non-250cc two-strokes and leading Ultra-Lightweight machine
On the run to Ballaugh, Dunlop added almost three seconds to his lead with Lougher now almost 11 seconds clear of Johnston but the latter had dropped back to fourth as Hall moved ahead of him, the gap between third and fourth just two seconds. Hind had also got ahead of Hardisty for sixth, but he was soon reported as having stopped at Sulby Bridge with Chris Moore another to stop and make adjustments at Sulby.
By Ramsey Hairpin, Dunlop’s lead had moved out to 6.3 seconds and whilst Lougher was looking comfortable in second, the gap to third now 13.7 seconds, the battle for the final podium position continued to rage with just 1.2 seconds between Hall and Johnston.
Hind’s issues, which saw him ultimately retire at the Gooseneck, promoted Hardisty back up to fifth with Evans now sixth whilst the race for the leading 400cc rider was also close, eighth placed Stefano Bonetti (Speed Shadows Racing Yamaha) only 3.5 seconds ahead of Joe Yeardsley (Neil Wood Painting and Decorating Kawasaki).
Dunlop’s lead was almost halved as he crossed the tramlines at the Bungalow, Lougher now only 3.2 seconds adrift, and by Cronk ny Mona the Welshman led! Dunlop was clearly in trouble though as he’d dropped to almost 40 seconds behind and, indeed, he looked like he’d miss the podium altogether.
Lougher took the chequered flag after lapping at 114.100mph and that gave him a 22.2 seconds victory over Johnston (112.011mph), the Northern Ireland rider getting the better of Hall (111.782mph) by 2.481 seconds as Dunlop coasted across the line.
Hardisty (110.429mph) came through for fourth ahead of Evans (109.631mph), the leading Ultra-Lightweight machine, and Bonetti (109.206mph) with Gareth Arnold, Yeardsley, Paul Cassidy and Owen Mongahan rounding out the top ten. Dunlop was eventually placed 15th.
