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Belfast Telegraph
20 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Bangor rider taken to hospital after red flag crash as Manx GP qualifying is abandoned
McAllister came off at the notorious Black Dub section of the 37.73-mile Mountain Course in the Junior/Supertwin session. The incident resulted in a red flag at around 6:40pm, with competitors returning to the Grandstand under convoy with travelling marshals. McAllister, a regular at the Irish road races, was taken to Noble's Hospital in Douglas with reported arm injuries. The Bangor man was described as 'conscious and talking' in an update provided by the event organisers. MGP Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson stated his aim of running a practice session for the Senior/Supersport machines following the stoppage, but with the clean-up operation taking longer than expected, coupled with fading light, the decision was taken to abandon the remainder of the evening schedule. Practice for the Manx Grand Prix commenced on Sunday afternoon in perfect conditions on the Isle of Man, with riders gaining plenty of track time. Scotsman Chris Cook topped the Senior MGP times with the fastest lap at 117.731mph on his 600cc Kawasaki to lead the way from Manxman Jamie Williams and the Republic of Ireland's Andy Farrell, who is competing at the event after an absence of several years. In the Junior/Supertwin class, Michael Gahan from Limavady set the pace on the Scott Racing Aprilia at 111.85mph to lead Williams by only six tenths of a second. On Wednesday, many of the top names from the Isle of Man TT will participate in the first qualifying sessions for the resurrected Classic TT, including record-breaking 33-time TT winner Michael Dunlop and fellow leading contenders Davey Todd and Dean Harrison. Last year's Manx Grand Prix was decimated by inclement weather, with the worst disruption in many years caused by high winds and torrential rain from Storm Lilian. Six races were crammed into the final day of the 2024 meeting, reduced in distance to a single lap to ensure the schedule was completed. However, the forecast is set fair on the Island this week and race boss Thompson is optimistic there will be no repeat of last year's disruption, with greater flexibility around the schedule over the next fortnight following the reintroduction of the Classic TT, which was last held as a standalone event in 2019. 'We'll utilise the contingency sessions carefully, and if I can take this opportunity, I do appreciate and thank everybody for their resilience and patience in the past,' Thompson said. 'Obviously we had a testing TT weather-wise, we had a testing Manx Grand Prix last year – so we are due a good one actually, and we will get that in the next few days.' However, Thompson is mindful of the reduced window for evening qualifying sessions with fading light at this stage of the summer. 'We've got a natural reduction in light compared to what we have for the TT event in May,' he said. 'At the Manx Grand Prix/Classic TT we have to flag all [sessions] at eight o'clock during qualifying week, so we automatically lose almost an hour of qualifying practice.' With last night's qualifying session lost, the organisers will be hoping everything runs smoothly over the next few nights ahead of Saturday's first races. Qualifying is scheduled to resume at 6:30pm on Tuesday.
Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Michael Dunlop set to follow dad Robert's path at Isle of Man Classic TT
The 33-time Isle of Man TT winner has taken over the ride in place of fellow Northern Ireland man Shaun Anderson, who raced the rotary machine to victory in the Classic Superbike race at the Tandragee 100 in June. The Classic TT has been reinstated this year for the first time since 2019, with Dunlop due to line up on the Norton in the Formula One race. He is among a host of leading TT names in action at the event, including Davey Todd, John McGuinness, Dean Harrison and Conor Cummins. Dunlop's late father, Robert, famously won on the factory JPS Norton at the North West 200 in the 1990s, creating some of the most iconic moments in the storied history of the Northern Ireland road race. Robert also finished on the podium for Norton at the TT in the 1990 Formula 1 TT and 1992 Senior TT, while Scottish legend Steve Hislop famously won the '92 Senior race riding a Norton after a battle with Yamaha-mounted Carl Fogarty. The Dunlop and Norton reunion will be one of the big talking points at the Classic TT, where practice is scheduled to commence on Wednesday. Last year, Dunlop was out of luck after opting to ride a Ducati 916 at the Manx Grand Prix for the first time, with the machine plagued by problems from the beginning. The 36-year-old will be up against it on the Norton as he goes head-to-head with rivals including Todd on a Ducati 916, while last year's winner Mike Browne and former Classic Superbike race winner Rob Hodson are also riding Ducati 916 machines. With Dunlop drafted into the team, Anderson has been left without a ride and admits he is unlikely to secure an alternative machine with only days remaining before practice begins. The Banbridge man said he had been left 'gutted' and 'let down' in a post on his Facebook page. However, Wiz Norton Racing said Anderson remained part of the team and that the chance to have Dunlop on their machine was too good to turn down. A statement read: 'We have worked with Shaun for a number of years, both at the Classic TT/MGP and at the TT, where we have run him in the Supersport and Superstock classes. 'We understand Shaun's disappointment to miss out on riding the Norton again on this occasion, but we discussed it with him as a team, and he understands that running Michael was an unmissable opportunity for us. 'Shaun will still be riding our DKW W2000 in the Historic Junior class, and he firmly remains part of the WizNorton Racing team.' Trevor Nation, who also rode for the JPS Norton team alongside Robert Dunlop, will take part in a special parade lap featuring famous machines from the 1980s and 1990s. This year's Classic TT will also pay homage to Joey Dunlop, marking the 25th anniversary of his victory in the Formula One race in 2000. Dunlop won three races at his final TT before tragically losing his life in a racing incident in Estonia shortly afterwards. His nephew, Michael, will ride a replica of Joey's Formula One race-winning Honda on a tribute lap to mark the occasion.
Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Michael Dunlop to pay homage to his famous father Robert by riding legendary bike at Classic TT
The 33-time Isle of Man TT winner has taken over the ride in place of fellow Northern Ireland man Shaun Anderson, who raced the rotary machine to victory in the Classic Superbike race at the Tandragee 100 in June. The Classic TT has been reinstated this year for the first time since 2019, with Dunlop due to line up on the Norton in the Formula One race. He is among a host of leading TT names in action at the event, including Davey Todd, John McGuinness, Dean Harrison and Conor Cummins. Dunlop's late father Robert famously won on the factory JPS Norton at the North West 200 in the 1990s, creating some of the most iconic moments in the storied history of the Northern Ireland road race. Robert also finished on the podium for Norton at the TT in the 1990 Formula 1 TT and 1992 Senior TT, while Scottish legend Steve Hislop famously won the '92 Senior race riding a Norton after a battle with Yamaha-mounted Carl Fogarty. The Dunlop and Norton reunion will be one of the big talking points at the Classic TT where practice is scheduled to commence on Wednesday. In 2024, Dunlop was out of luck after opting to ride a Ducati 916 at the Manx Grand Prix for the first time, with the machine plagued by problems from the beginning. The 36-year-old will be up against it on the Norton as he goes head-to-head with rivals including Todd on a Ducati 916, while 2024 winner Mike Browne and former Classic Superbike race winner Rob Hodson are also riding Ducati 916 machines. With Dunlop drafted into the team, Anderson has been left without a ride and admits he is unlikely to secure an alternative machine with only days remaining before practice begins. The Banbridge man said he had been left 'gutted' and 'let down' in a post on his Facebook page. However, Wiz Norton Racing said Anderson remained part of the team and that the chance to have Dunlop on their machine was too good to turn down. A statement read: 'We have worked with Shaun for a number of years, both at the Classic TT/MGP and at the TT, where we have run him in the Supersport and Superstock classes. 'We understand Shaun's disappointment to miss out on riding the Norton again on this occasion, but we discussed it with him as a team, and he understands that running Michael was an unmissable opportunity for us. 'Shaun will still be riding our DKW W2000 in the Historic Junior class, and he firmly remains part of the WizNorton Racing team.' Trevor Nation, who also rode for the JPS Norton team alongside Robert Dunlop, will take part in a special parade lap featuring famous machines from the 1980s and 1990s. The 2025 Classic TT will also pay homage to Joey Dunlop, marking the 25th anniversary of his victory in the Formula One race in 2000. Dunlop won three races at his final TT before tragically losing his life in a racing incident in Estonia shortly afterwards. His nephew, Michael, will ride a replica of Joey's Formula One race-winning Honda on a tribute lap to mark the occasion.
