Arrowsmith Seizes Maiden Manx Grand Prix Win In Supertwin Thriller
23 August 2025 · 16:15  Manx Motor Cycle Club

2025 Supertwin Manx Grand Prix
The race got underway in perfect conditions once again and, by Glen Helen, Lewis Arrowsmith led the field by three seconds from Jamie Williams, who was only 0.2 seconds in front of Michael Gahan, with Rees in fourth, Shann fifth and Liam Chawke rounding out the top six. Newcomer Eddy Wormald slotted into ninth at Glen Helen on lap one.
At Ramsey, Gahan had taken the lead by just 0.25 of a second from Arrowsmith, with Jamie Williams in third, 1.6 seconds back. Gahan extended his lead to just over a second at the Bungalow, however by the time they reached the Grandstand to take the mandatory pit stop Arrowsmith had edged in front by just under a second from Gahan. Arrowsmith had the quickest pit stop of the day at 31.25 seconds, followed by Gahan’s stop of 34.5 seconds and Liam Chawke’s at 32.1 seconds. The Mountain Course pit lane has a slight downward slope, so riders have to be very careful when entering to ensure they don’t pick up too much speed and exceed the pit lane limit of 60km/h (37mph).
By Glen Helen on lap two, Arrowsmith had extended his lead to 5.52 seconds, aided by the fastest pit stop of the day. Michael Gahan was second, just over six seconds ahead of local man Jamie Williams. Toby Shann was starting to pick up the pace, looking to overhaul Williams for third, however Shann was only 0.46 ahead of Liam Chawke. On the run to Ramsey, Gahan had reduced the gap to 3.6 seconds and Chawke moved into fourth ahead of Shann.
At the end of lap two, as the riders started their only flying lap of the race, the third and final lap, Arrowsmith had extended his lead to 6.71 seconds over Gahan. Shann had overhauled Williams and slotted into third, with Williams dropping back to fourth, Chawke in fifth and Canny completing the top six. The battle for the best newcomer was on heading into the final lap, as ILR Paton-mounted Eddy Wormald was in tenth, just over six seconds ahead of local Manxman Grant Thomson in 11th.
On the final lap Michael Gahan was chasing down Arrowsmith and, by Ballaugh, he had halved the gap to 3.1 seconds. By Ramsey Hairpin it reduced again to 1.88 seconds, it was clear Gahan was on a charge and looking for his first win on the Mountain Course. At the Bungalow the gap had further reduced to just 0.74 seconds, a real duel between the two Aprilia-mounted riders, with both on course for 115+ mph laps. Drama then struck as Gahan was reported to have stopped at Keppel Gate with an issue, only a few miles from home and potential victory. This left the way clear for Lewis Arrowsmith to take his first Manx Grand Prix victory after a previous best result of 11th in 2023. Arrowsmith’s final lap was an impressive 115.357mph (19:37.45).
2024 MGP newcomer Toby Shann took second place with 115.276mph (19:38.28) and Jamie Williams claimed third with 115.332mph (19:37.70). Fourth went to Liam Chawke, who lapped at 114mph, fifth to Caomhan Canny with another 115mph lap, and rounding out the top six, making his Manx Grand Prix debut and setting the fastest Supertwin lap of the week, was Harley Rushton with 115.400mph (19:37.01). This is a new lap record for the newly-formed 2025 Supertwin MGP class.
The winners’ enclosure was emotional, with cheers and tears as Arrowsmith struggled to believe he had taken his first win. He celebrated with a burnout and, during the post-race interviews, said: “I just tried to push from the start, it spurred me on chasing Andy Farrell. I’m buzzing, all this year has been about this race. I just love riding the twin around here.” Toby Shann finished a fine second, while Jamie Williams took advantage of Gahan’s retirement to make it onto the podium in third position. Shann confirmed that on lap two the bike started misfiring and had been juddering from then on. A very emotional Jamie Williams said: “This is where dreams are made.”
Eddy Wormald took best newcomer honours as he finished eighth overall with a fine lap of 114.27mph (19:48.638). Next best newcomer was Grant Thomson in tenth, who upped his pace to 113mph on the final lap of the Mountain Course. Local rider Luke Blevins was black-flagged at Ballacraine on lap 3 due to a loose belly pan, just after moving into the 103mph bracket on lap 1, from a standing start.
A fantastic exciting start to the 2025 Manx Grand Prix during the event’s 102nd anniversary.
Words: Lee & Carol Bartram  |  Photos: Lucas Croydon / David Lovelady

----------------------------------------------------
VERSION 1  ·  issued/updated 19 Jul 2026 01:28
