Deaths overshadow Manx GP Junior race

Simon Fulton was awarded the Manx GP Junior race after the race was brought to a premature halt following a red flag incident at Alpine Cottage.

The race was stopped with only eight riders having completed the second lap and regulations state that a race is valid if more than half has been completed so Fulton was awarded a win by virtue of being fastest on the opening lap.

Michael Sweeney finished second and Wayne Kirwan was third.

Fulton’s second lap meant that he briefly joined Allan Jackson, Ian Pattinson, Davy Morgan and Seamus Greene in the ‘Tommy Club’ for riders to achieve 120mph laps at the Manx Grand Prix, in memory of Tommy Clucas who first achieved the feat in the Junior Manx Grand Prix in 2004.

They were the first riders since Tommy in 2004 to achieve it on a 600 machine. However as the race was determined on the first completed lap, his record lap does not stand.

Wayne Kirwan and David Lumsden were scheduled away first at the start of the race but misfortune hit David Lumsden when he failed to leave the line. However he was later able to start his machine.

Kirwan was first on the roads to Glen Helen but Jules Croft and Dan Sayle both went quicker to the first checkpoint and by Ballaugh Dan Sayle hit the front, opening up a four second lead from Simon Fulton with Kirwan third.

Sayle was involved in an accident at Signpost Corner and was reported as conscious and taken by ambulance to Nobles Hospital and was later discharged.

This left Simon Fulton to take the lead with an opening lap of 119.516 from Michael Sweeney (118.812). Newcomer A race winner Tim Venables was reported to be off at Greeba Castle and taken by airmed to Nobles hospital.

However, two riders were involved in an incident at Alpine Cottage shortly before 11am and the race was later abandoned.

Chris Bradshaw, 39, a Traffic Police Officer from Tamworth in Birmingham was taken to Nobles Hospital by air-med but was declared dead at the hospital.

James Adam, 28, a serving officer in the Royal Navy, from Prestwick in Scotland who was also involved in the incident was attended to by the air-med team but was declared dead at the scene.