Mon, 06 Feb 2023
After announcing the dates for the centennial Manx Grand Prix earlier in the year, the Manx Motor Cycle Club have today confirmed details of the classes for the five-race programme, featuring revisions to the Lightweight Race in a bid to bolster the category.
Six days of qualifying get underway from Sunday 20th August 2023, with the revised Lightweight Manx GP being the first race away on Friday 25th. Home to the thoroughbred 250 Grand Prix race bikes, the rules have been opened up for 2023 to support the field of increasingly rare – and increasingly expensive – 2-stroke machines.
The Lightweight Race will now also cater for 401cc to Unlimited single-cylinder four-stroke machines such as the KTM-derived Krämer EVO2, as well as four-stroke machines between 200cc and 400cc. This will include Moto3, Junior Supersport, and the older Supersport 400 machines that were a mainstay of road racing in the late 80’s and early 90’s, with an award for the highest-placed finisher on these machines.
Saturday 26th August will play host to the Classic Senior and Junior Manx Grand Prix Races which remain unchanged, featuring classic bikes up to 500cc and Supertwin machines respectively.
The event reaches a climax on the August Bank Holiday Monday (28th August) with the Senior Manx Grand Prix for Supersport machines and the Classic Superbike Race, featuring pre-1997 machinery from a golden era of superbike racing.
Away from the racing, an additional program of special events will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Manx Grand Prix. These will pay tribute to the event’s long-established history and celebrate the future successes yet to come, with details to be revealed in the new year.