Double Delight For Jamie Williams In MGP Junior
25 August 2025 · 11:45  Manx Motor Cycle Club

2025 Junior Manx Grand Prix
The final day of the 2025 Manx Grand Prix was upon us, and first up was the Junior Manx Grand Prix. Won in 2024 by Andrea Majola, with Maurizio Bottalico in second and 2024 Senior Manx Grand Prix winner Daniel Ingham completing the top three. Conditions in 2024 were the total opposite to the glorious week of weather experienced this year, with mostly perfect conditions for every session and no weather related delays.
First away in the three-lap, 113.19-mile Junior race was Welshman Michael Rees (No. 1) on a Paton, followed by local man Jamie Williams (No. 2) and Irishman Andy Farrell (No. 3) on the A&H Motorsport Team’s Aprilia RS660. Fourth was Lewis Arrowsmith, who had taken his maiden Manx Grand Prix win in Saturday’s Supertwin race, fifth Alex Sinclair, and sixth the KMR mounted Liam Chawke. The most spectacular launch off the line came from Michael Mace (No. 10), who struggled to keep the front wheel down, pulling a series of wheelies along Glencrutchery Road.
By Glen Helen, Jamie Williams held a slender 2.14 second lead over Arrowsmith, with Rees in third. At Ballaugh, Williams had extended his advantage to 4.4 seconds over Arrowsmith, while Toby Shann took third. Michael Rees slipped down to seventh position. Chawke held fourth by just 0.75 seconds over 2024 newcomer Johnny Stewart in fifth, with Michael Gahan only 0.60 seconds behind Stewart to close out the top six.
By Ramsey, Shann had closed the gap to Arrowsmith, just 0.26 seconds behind. Canny moved into sixth as Stewart dropped to eighth, while Harley Rushton, making his debut at this year’s Manx Grand Prix, held seventh, only 0.17 seconds behind Canny. At the Bungalow on lap one, Shann (No. 8) had taken second from Arrowsmith (No. 4) and opened up a 2.45 second gap over the Englishman from Preston. Rushton moved up to sixth.
At the end of lap one, it was compulsory pit stop time. Williams was first into the pits, with a lap speed of 114.539mph (19:45.86), followed by Rees. Drama unfolded when Andy Farrell entered the pits; his pit box was directly in front of Rees. As Rees pulled away, Farrell had to manoeuvre around him, somehow without contact, drawing a huge gasp from the packed grandstand. The fastest pit stop of the race came from Arrowsmith with 26.97 seconds. In comparison, Jamie Williams’s stop was 33.17 seconds and Shann’s 34.08 seconds, again highlighting how a race can be won or lost in the pits.
Newcomer Charlie Hopkins, unfortunately, had the longest pit stop at 3:18.71 due to a loose fairing which had to be secured. Despite this, he set a fantastic lap of 105.32mph (21:29.70) from a standing start, his fastest of the week.
On lap two, Arrowsmith’s rapid pit stop allowed him to lead by two seconds from Williams. However, his hopes of a Supertwin and Junior double were dashed when he failed to reach Glen Helen. Williams then held a commanding 5.74 second lead at Glen Helen. At Ramsey, Williams’s advantage was 3.89 seconds over Shann, who in turn was 8.28 seconds ahead of Chawke on the KMR Kawasaki.
Michael Mace retired at Sulby, and Harley Rushton’s MGP debut came to an abrupt end at Parliament Square when he was forced to retire. By the Bungalow on lap two, tension mounted as Shann cut Williams’s lead down to just 0.011 seconds. Meanwhile, Michael Gahan moved into third ahead of Chawke with his fastest Ramsey to Bungalow sector time of the week, earning a purple marker on the timing screens, while Alex Sinclair held an impressive fifth place.
The battle of the newcomers continued, with ILR Paton mounted Eddy Wormald holding seventh, and local rider Grant Thomson six seconds back in eighth on the Kel Properties Kawasaki 650. At Cronk ny Mona, Shann led the race for the first time by just over a second. However, Williams showed his experience, regaining the advantage and pulling out a 0.5 second lead in the final sector. Williams always holding an advantage over the last few miles of the course with consistently quick times between Cronk ny Mona and the Grandstand.
Fastest Sulby Speed Trap of the race went to Eddy Wormald on the ILR Paton, clocking 155.091mph on lap one. Second fastest was Sinclair on lap three at 153.635mph on the Louigi Moto Aprilia RS660, with Andy Whale third quickest on the Irish Ago Racing Aprilia 660.
At the end of lap two, Williams led Shann by 0.57 seconds. Gahan was a further 8.86 seconds back in third, with Chawke fourth, Sinclair fifth, and Canny rounding out the top six. Michael Rees, unfortunately, retired in the pits at the end of lap two.
Williams, Shann and the rest of the field set off on the final and only flying lap of the Junior Manx Grand Prix.  Canny moved in front of Sinclair (No. 5) who was on the Louigi Moto Aprilia RS660 to take fifth place by Ramsey.   Between the Grandstand and Bungalow the lead between Williams and Shann stayed between 1.5 and just over 2 seconds. Williams, Shann and Gahan all reached Cronk ny Mona and 2024 newcomer Canny set his fastest Supertwin, Bungalow to Cronk Ny Mona sector time of the week, extending the gap to over 6 seconds over Sinclair who was lying in sixth.
Jamie Williams crossed the finish line to take his second victory of the week by 3.232 seconds, with a lap speed of 115.519mph (19:35.81). Toby Shann, a 2024 newcomer, finished second with a lap of 115.258mph (19:38.46) to take his second podium of the week, followed by Michael Gahan in third, 11.75 seconds behind Shann, with a final lap of 114.977mph (19:41.35).
Another emotional winners’ enclosure followed, with Williams performing a burnout while punching the air in disbelief at his two victories so far, with a chance of another later that day. What a difference a year makes, this time last year Williams was laid up in Aintree Hospital after sustaining serious injuries in a crash at Kate’s Cottage during the opening practice session of the 2024 Manx Grand Prix.
Shann and his team were delighted, while Michael Rees claimed his first podium of the week. During the post race interviews, Gahan said: “I am so happy after having to retire on Saturday; I was just hoping the bike would make it back.” Shann commented: “I am over the moon, we are living the dream. I had no pit boards so I was completely blind. Congratulations to Jamie.” Williams added: “That one is for the team. The bike never missed a beat. I tried to give everything in that last lap.”
Another thrilling race at the 2025 Manx Grand Prix in superb conditions, with record numbers of fans around the Mountain Course. Victor Lopez’s 2023 Junior Manx Grand Prix lap record of 117.645mph remains for another year. Only the big one, the Senior Manx Grand Prix, remains to close out a perfect week of racing on the Isle of Man, the road racing capital of the world.
Words: Lee & Carol Bartram  |  Photos: Lucas Croydon / David Lovelady

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VERSION 1  ·  issued/updated 18 Aug 2026 22:18
