Manx GP results

The 2005 Manx Grand Prix is underway. The Newcomers race opened proceedings on Monday, August 29. The Junior/Lightweight Classic and Junior Manx GP was due to be on Wednesday August 31. The Lightweight/Ultra Lightweight and Senior were due on Friday, September 2, 2005.

Senior

Seamus Greene has won the Manx Senior GP, crossing the line a fifth of a second ahead of closest rival, Junior race winner Ian Pattinson – 10.2 seconds ahead on race time.

Greene set a new lap record in the process – 18min 31.45s with an average speed of 122.207mph. Alan Jackson was third.

Lightweight/Ultra Lightweight

Mario Costello achieved a first in the Ultra Lightweight – becoming the first woman solo rider to get on the podium of a TT or Manx GP race.

The race was won by Paul Corrin. He was 40 seconds ahead of Alan Oversby with Costello in third.

The Lighweight race was run concurrently. Gavin Bell won that despite exhaust problems. He finished 2min 42 seconds clear.

Newcomers:

The Newcomers event saw the 600cc, 250cc and 400/125cc classes fiercely contested. In the 600s, Tim Maher won the race on a Suzuki GSX-R750, from Neill McWhirter (Honda 600) and Davy Clarke (Kawasaki 750). Early leaders Dennis Murphy and Brett Closely both retired after a dropped valve and a fall at Quarter Bridge respectively.

In the 125cc/400cc section, Sam Dunlop was victorious on a Honda 125, fending off the Kawasaki 400 of John Raeside and the Honda 400 of Dan Hobson. Half of the 250cc field failed to make the finish, leaving just two riders to take the chequered flag from a field of four. The win went to Nigel John, from Phil Gillou.

Senior Classic:

Three of the favourites for victory retired on the first lap, as Chris Palmer, Dave Roper and Roy Richardson all encountered mechanical problems. The win went to Grahame Rhodes on a Seeley Matchless. Second was the Honda of Dave Madsen-Mygdal, with John Goodall third on his Matchless.

Manx Junior/Lightweight Classic:

Chris McGahan won the 2350cc Classic race, following the retirement of Roy Richardson on the second lap. Second place went to Tony Cawte, with Dave Madsen-Mygdal third. All the top trio were on Honda machinery.

In the 250s, Ewan Hamilton took victory from Peter Wakefield and Andy Smith.

Sadly two riders died following accidents during the race. Eddie Byers, 56, from Essex lost control of his 350cc Seeley AJS at the 27th Milestone. Tim Johnson, 51, lost control of his 350cc Aermacchi at the Black Hut.

Junior Manx Grand Prix:

The start of the race took place after a delay of 23 hours due to bad weather, and saw the win go to Ian Pattinson, from Seamus Greene and John Burrows. Greene and Pattinson, mounted on virtually identical Honda CBR600s, swapped positions during the race, but the titanic battle finished with Pattinson opening a gap of 3.2 seconds on the last lap, and winning by 6.59 seconds.

Fastest female, Maria Costello, took 16th place, one spot behind the fastest 250cc bike of Gavin Bell.

Rider John Bourke, 37, sustained fatal injuries after losing control of his 600cc Suzuki at Union Mills.