RACE PREVIEW: RST CLASSIC SUPERBIKE MGP

The RST Classic Superbike Race will once again bring the curtain down on the Manx Grand Prix festival and with four former winners on the grid and an entry packed with road racing talent, it promises to be a fitting finale.

Previous winners Dean Harrison, Michael Dunlop and David Johnson are all back for another go as is last year’s victor Rob Hodson, and all four have a great chance again this time.

Just like twelve months ago, Johnson will start with the number 1 plate on his Alasdair Cowan Racing Kawasaki which he took to victory in 2019 and finished third on last year.

Ten seconds after him will be Harrison, the Bradford rider contesting the class for the first time since 2018, the year he took his second win. No longer Kawasaki mounted though, he switches to the Oxford Racing Ducati by Key Racing machine riding an iconic 916.

Michael Rutter starts at number 3 on the Bathams Ales Suzuki, whilst a question mark remains as to whether Jamie Coward will be fit enough to start from his number 4 slot.

Setting off at number 6 is Michael Dunlop, a triple race winner who will be hoping for better luck on the Team Classic Suzuki GSX-R750 SRAD he opted not to race last year due to a lack of qualifying time.

Ten seconds after him at number 7 will be Brian McCormack on the first of the Greenall Racing Kawasakis, with team-mate Hodson starting from number 9 and hoping for a repeat of last year’s victory.

Sandwiched in between is the returning Nathan Harrison who deputises for the recovering Lee Johnston on board the Ashcourt Racing/HRC Honda RC45. The Manxman finished second and set the fastest lap of the race twelve months ago when riding for Greenall Racing.

Craig Neve, who was locked in a battle for the lead with Hodson before retiring on the final lap last year, lines up alongside Johnson at Alasdair Cowan Racing, starting with the number 10 plate. Following him is the only Yamaha in the top twenty courtesy of Mike Browne and the Davies Motorsport YZF750.

Dominic Herbertson (BHR Racing, Kawasaki) is the next rider to set off towards Bray Hill at number 13, followed by Derek Sheils on the third Greenall Racing Kawasaki.

The potential podium finishers keep on coming with the Mistral Racing Kawasaki duo of Paul Jordan and Michael Sweeney taking numbers 15 and 17 respectively, with Shaun Anderson following at number 18 on the distinctive WizNorton Racing rotary Norton.

Julian Trummer (TC Racing/DP Coldplaning, Kawasaki) and Michal Dokoupil (Cookson Travel, Suzuki) complete the top twenty and add further quality to an extremely impressive line-up.

The top 20 for the RST Classic Superbike MGP – scheduled to take place over 4-laps on Monday 28th August at 14:15 – is as follows: