MADE AT THE MANX: 1980s

As part of celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the Manx Grand Prix, a special ‘Made at the Manx Grand Prix’ lap will tell the story of the most successful racers to have graced the ‘Manx’ and who went on to reach great heights in the world of motorcycle racing.

World Champions and road racing greats who all made their mark at the Manx Grand Prix will take part or be represented in a spectacular story-telling parade scheduled to take place at 15:00 on Saturday 26 August.

The 1980s will be represented by five of the road racing’s most famous personalities, three of whom all took part in arguably the greatest newcomer race in Manx Grand Prix history.

CARL FOGARTY

Son of former TT podium finisher George, Carl Fogarty was just 20 when he made his Manx Grand Prix debut in 1985 but immediately showed his potential when he won the Lightweight Newcomers Race, following it up with a third-place finish in the Lightweight Race later that week.

Carl Fogarty was just 20 when he made his Manx Grand Prix debut, winning the Lightweight Newcomers Race

Initially a two-stroke specialist, Fogarty moved up to the TT in 1986 and quickly moved to the four-strokes, winning the first of two Formula One World Championships in 1988. Fourth was taken that year at the TT and a year later he took his first win, edging out Dave Leach and Steve Hislop in a thrilling Production 750cc race. Riding for Honda Britain, further success followed in 1990 when he took a Formula One-Senior TT double.

While Fogarty didn’t stand on the top step of the TT again, two more podiums came in 1991 and 1992 – the latter in the legendary 1992 Senior TT Race that saw friend and rival Steve Hislop take victory with Norton, whilst Fogarty would set a new outright lap record that would stand for 7 years.

However, having won his first World Superbike race earlier that year, his future was on the world stage. Riding for Ducati, Fogarty went on to become, at the time, the most successful Superbike racer of all-time with four world titles, 59 wins and 109 podiums.

Fogarty will be represented in the parade by fellow Lancastrian and Manx Grand Prix winner, Rob Hodson.

PHILLIP McCALLEN

Hailing from Northern Ireland, McCallen quickly made a name for himself at the Irish National road races and did exactly the same on his Manx Grand Prix debut in 1988, smashing the lap record on his way to winning the Lightweight Newcomers Race, and then winning the main Lightweight Race by over a minute and at race record speeds.

On his MGP debut McCallen won the Lightweight Newcomers, then the main Lightweight Races

McCallen’s rise was rapid and a year later he was riding for Honda Britain at the TT, deputising for an injured Joey Dunlop. He remained with the Japanese manufacturer for the next decade, taking his first TT podium in 1991 before getting on to the top step a year later in the opening Formula One Race.

Riding the famous RVF, RC45, CBR600 and Honda Fireblade machinery, further wins were taken in the F1, Supersport, Senior and Production Races to make it 11 in total and although injury meant he missed the ’98 meeting and ultimately brought his career to an end, a 19th podium was recorded in 1999 whilst riding a Yamaha R1.

A firm favourite today, McCallen will ride his own Honda RC45 in the Made at the Manx Parade.

Few races at the Manx Grand Prix were more famous than the 1983 Junior Newcomers with the podium occupied by three legends of road racing – Robert Dunlop, Steve Hislop and Ian Lougher. The trio would go on to win 26 TT wins and take 62 podiums.

Robert Dunlop

The younger brother of Joey, already a three-time winner by 1983, Robert Dunlop was the most well-known of the trio making their debut in the Newcomers race and, riding a 350cc Yamaha, he didn’t disappoint. The then 22-year old led from start to finish to come home just over a minute clear of Hislop.

At just 22 years old, Dunlop led from start to finish to come home a minute clear of Hislop

He immediately moved on to the TT the following year and although a heavy crash blunted his progress in 1986, several top six finishes were taken before he won his first race in 1989, the re-launched 125cc class. He would go on to win the race three more times with another victory coming in the 1991 250cc race but he was also in the mix in the F1 and Senior races, especially when riding the JPS Norton.

Dunlop, who was also a 125cc British Champion, took 5 wins and 14 podiums at the TT, which would undoubtedly have been more had it not been for the serious injuries suffered when his rear wheel collapsed exiting Ballaugh during the 1994 Formula One race. His final TT was in 2004 when he finished second in the 125cc race and one of his ex-JPS Nortons, which he twice finished third on, will be used in the parade.

Steve Hislop

Hislop’s father Sandy contested the Manx GP between 1958 and 1960 whilst younger brother Gary won the 1982 Junior Newcomers race and although he tragically lost his life a month later in a short circuit crash at Silloth, Steve decided to contest the Manx in 1983. He finished second to Dunlop in the Newcomers race and, a year later, took fifth in the Senior on the same 350cc Yamaha.

Hislop finished second to Dunlop in the 1983 Newcomers race

Moving up to the TT in 1985, Hislop finished in the top ten at his first attempt and just two years later won his first race, the Formula Two encounter. Snapped up by Honda the following year, second in the Senior and the third fastest lap ever showed his talent and over the next few years, he was, arguably, the best rider at the TT. The first man to lap at more than 120mph, Hislop took seven wins for Honda between 1988 and 1991, adding two more in 1994.

Sandwiched in between was his victory in the 1992 Senior when, riding the ‘White Charger’ Norton he beat arch-rival Carl Fogarty by 4.4s in what’s since been voted the greatest TT race of all-time. Recognised as one of the all-time TT greats, Hislop took 11 wins and 19 podiums whilst elsewhere he won the 1995 and 2002 British Superbike Championships as well as the 250cc title in 1990. The famous Norton will appear in the parade, ridden by Hislop’s fellow Scot Ian Simpson, himself a Manx GP podium finisher and three-time TT winner.

Ian Lougher

Welshman Lougher’s career started in 1981 and two years later, he took third in the famous Junior Newcomers race and although he failed to finish the Junior race the following year, he’d, remarkably, already stepped onto a TT podium with second in the 1984 500cc Historic race. Mentored by famous Welsh tuner Ray Cowles, Lougher would have to wait five more years for his next podium but then famously won the 1990 Junior after a thrilling, race-long battle with Hislop with his lap record of 117.80mph standing for nine years.

Recently turned 60, Lougher will be in the parade as well as racing at this year's Manx Grand Prix

Equally at home on a 125cc machine as he was on a Superbike, Lougher’s purple patch at the TT came between 1997 and 2006 when he enjoyed support from the official Honda and Suzuki teams and chalked up numerous wins whilst a switch to Yamaha and then Kawasaki yielded countless more top six finishes. He’s also successfully run his own team for more than a decade, nurturing the careers of several riders.

In a TT career that spanned 35 years, Lougher has competed in the second highest number of TT races ever, 136, winning 10 races and standing on the podium 29 times in total. He’s also a two-time winner at the Classic TT and, having recently turned 60, will be in action again in this year’s Manx GP. He’ll take part in the parade on board a Honda Britain RS250.