Manx Grand Prix remains 'important TT feeder event', says course clerk

Gary Thompson is clerk of the course for both the MGP and the TT

The clerk of the course for the Manx Grand Prix (MGP) says the races remain a "really important event" in the Isle of Man's racing calendar.

Qualifying for the 2023 event on the 37.75-mile (60km) Mountain Course begins on Sunday.

The event, which is in its centenary, has been a starting point in Manx road racing for many future TT winners.

Gary Thompson said while the global audience for the MGP was smaller, the races remain a feeder class for the TT.

First run in 1923 as the Manx Amateur Road, the event was renamed the Manx Grand Prix in 1930.

Reflecting on the 100-year milestone, Gary Thompson said: "It's an iconic event and I just hope that everybody who comes to the island to see the MGP races in its centenary year has a great time."

He said the current mix of modern and classic racing was a "big thing and a good thing for all the bike enthusiasts".

"We've got the two feeder classes - the MGP Senior and the MGP Junior, which are the two feeder classes for the TT, so the 600cc and the super-twins - and then we've got the three classic races, Classic Superbike, Senior Classic and the MGP Lightweight," he said.

"To have the likes of Michael Dunlop, John McGuinness, Dean Harrison - the TT stars - here at the MGP is wonderful, and to see them on the old machinery is wonderful.

"You've got the iconic TT stars on the iconic old machinery, it's a fantastic mix."

The centenary of the Manx Grand Prix is being marked this year

Although previously a two-week event, an overhaul of the schedule for the return of the event in 2022 after a two-year hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic has seen it shortened to nine days.

That led to a focus on the bank holiday weekend in August for the five-race schedule, which is something Thompson said was "more manageable from a race organiser's point of view".

He said in previous years there could be a "real struggle to man the course in terms of marshalling and medics for the last two race days" after the bank holiday was over.

"But I think also for anybody who comes to the Manx Grand Prix, to have that finale on the bank holiday Monday as a last day, it just brings a nice end to the event," he said.

He said those behind the races were "constantly doing reviews" of the safety of each event on the Mountain Course, and new measures to highlight the "short lapping" process had been rolled out for the 2023 MGP.

"As we finish one session and start the next session, we've brought in two digital chequered flags at Governor's Bridge just to give that extra visibility to riders that the short lapping process is taking place, and that's been well received."

With the start of the event a day away, anticipation is high.

"The important thing is we get Sunday under our belts," Thompson added. "The weather's looking good, and for the riders it's a good long session.

"For the competitors to be able to qualify from 13:30 through to 17:30, a good four-hour session, is just what is needed to get everybody set up, settled down and get lots of laps under their belt on the first day."

Roads around the course are due to close at 12:45 BST on Sunday and reopen no later than 18:00 BST.