NEWS

MADE AT THE MANX GRAND PRIX PARADE LAP

2023 marks the turn of a century for the Manx Grand Prix, a landmark occasion to be a celebrated. Having begun in 1923, the Manx is an event steeped in history that holds a special place in the hearts of many fans, as well as the road racing greats who have been ‘made at the Manx’ over the last 100 years.

As part of the 100th anniversary celebrations a special parade lap entitled ‘Made at the Manx Grand Prix’ will take place, telling the story of the most successful riders who started their careers at the Manx before going on to achieve great heights within the motorcycling world.

These are riders, who after cutting their teeth at the Manx Grand Prix went on to achieve significant and sustained success on the world stage, and will pay homage to some of the greatest names in motorcycle racing history.

Fans around the Mountain Course will be able to witness the spectacle of the ‘Made at the Manx Grand Prix’ lap when it takes place at 3pm on Saturday 26th August after the Carole Nash Classic Senior MGP Race.

The lap will feature the 17 most successful riders, who started out at the Manx Grand Prix, with a mixture of the riders themselves, or other riders representing those unable to take part, riding machines synonymous with their careers, either on the TT Mountain Course or further afield.

The riders will start in chronological order and will be narrated on the Manx Radio live coverage of the event, giving fans a deep understanding of the role the Manx has played in road racing history. The event will also feature in a special mini documentary being created for the Manx Grand Prix YouTube channel.

MADE AT THE MANX GRAND PRIX RIDERS

The riders being represented in the Made at the Manx Grand Prix parade have collectively gone on to win 27 World Championships and 131 TT Races and have etched their place in motorcycle history, and with it the role of the Manx Grand Prix in their respective careers.

Starting with the 1930s, riders represented in the parade lap will include Harold Daniell who was victorious in the 1933 Senior Manx GP before going on to win numerous races at TT. The next rider to be featured will be Freddie Frith, who won the junior race at the Manx just two years after Daniell and then went on to be a 4-time TT winner and British World Champion.

Freddie Frith won the junior race at the Manx and went on to be a 4-time TT winner and British World Champion

To put the spotlight on the 1940s, Cecil Sandford is next on the list of riders to be represented. Having finished fifth in the 1949 Junior Manx GP, Sandford went on to become a double TT winner and double World Champion and at 95-years old Cecil is the last surviving motorcycle world champion from the 1950s. Geoff Duke, who also saw a victory in the 1949 MGP ahead of achieving six race victories at the Isle of Man TT Races and multiple world championships will the next rider represented in the parade.

at 95-years old Cecil is the last surviving motorcycle world champion from the 1950s.

Moving on to the 50s and 60s and the parade lap will play tribute to two more motorcycling greats that were ‘Made at the Manx Grand Prix’, Bob McIntyre and Phil Read. McIntyre finished first and second in the 1952 Junior and Senior races before going on to win three races at the TT, including the 1957 Senior where he famously set the first ever 100mph lap of the Mountain Course. Read, meanwhile, won the 1960 Senior Manx GP before going on to become one of Great Britain’s all-time greats and an eight-time World Champion.

At the 1957 Senior, Bob McIntyre famously set the first ever 100mph lap of the Mountain Course

The next two racers to be represented in the parade will be Mick Grant and Charlie Williams, the duo made their debuts at the Manx Grand Prix in 1969 and 1970 respectively. Grant made an inauspicious first appearance, finishing 48th in the Senior MGP, but went on to become a 7-time TT winner whilst Williams took the top spot in the Lightweight races, a year after his debut.

Williams took the top spot in the Lightweight races in 1971, a year after his debut.

Following on from Grant and Williams, the spotlight of the parade will be on the next two ‘Legends’ that made their first appearance on the Mountain Course in the Manx Newcomers races of 1978 and 1979, Brian Reid and Rob McElnea.

Moving into the 1980s and the next three riders to be represented all featured in one of the most famous races in Manx Grand Prix history with Robert Dunlop, Steve Hislop and Ian Lougher finishing first, second and third in the 1983 Junior Newcomers race.

Robert Dunlop finished first ahead of Hislop and Lougher in the 1983 Junior Newcomers

The final four riders featured in the parade all kickstarted their careers with wins at the Manx Grand Prix and are undoubtedly four of the sports greats – Carl Fogarty, Phillip McCallen, Ian Hutchinson and Michael Dunlop.