2024 Manx Grand Prix: Mike Browne wins Classic Superbike finale
First win for Ducati on the Isle of Man TT course since 1995
Mike Browne made up for the disappointment of retiring from Monday's Lightweight race with a dominant victory in the 2024 Classic Superbike Manx Grand Prix.
The race was due to run over two laps, but decreasing visibility over the mountain meant the chequered flag was flown after only a single tour.
Browne led from the off on corrected time on his Bike Specialist & Key Racing Ducati 916 and came under no challenge as he streaked to victory.
In the prior Lightweight race, Browne suffered an early DNF.
He beat Rob Hodson in the single-lap Classic Superbike race, with Derek Shiels rounding out the podium.
Brian McCormack led the field away at number one on the road, but would retire between Ramsey and the Bungalow.
On corrected time, Browne was 3.6 seconds clear of Hodson’s Kawasaki on the run through Glen Helen, with that lead extending to 5.4s at Ballaugh.
On the run to Ramsey, Browne continued to break his rivals, growing his advantage to 9.3s and getting it up to 13.5s at the Bungalow.
With visibility poor over the mountain, Browne eased off through to the finish to score victory by 13.973s from Hodson.
Sheils ran third from the off and held onto that position through to the finish on his Kawasaki, beating Craig Neve and Dominic Herbertson - both also on ZXR750s.
Ian Hutchinson was sixth on his Kawasaki, 10.684s clear of Michel Rutter on the Suzuki XR69. Michael Evans, Amalric Blanc and Baz Furber completed the top 10.
Classic Senior race winner Shaun Anderson was an early retirement at Quarterbridge, while Lee Johnston dropped out of the contest at Douglas Road Corner.
James Hind failed to make the finish, while Jamie Coward and Michael Dunlop were non-starters.
Despite severe weather disruption throughout the 2024 Manx GP, the organisers managed to get all but one race run on Monday.
The Junior Manx GP, which was red-flagged last Saturday, was due to be restarted on Monday but a result was declared when it became clear it couldn’t fit onto the schedule.
Picture credit: Manx Grand Prix Press