The Six-hour Plop Endurance promoted by Jurby MRSports took place at the JCK Kart Track recently.

The event started in dry but cold wintry conditions before being interrupted by a heavy squally shower about 4pm which proved tricky for the competitors.

The event had 22 teams of one bike and a maximum of four riders per team, a true test of endurance and reliability for the step-through warriors and their trusty steeds.

Some 300-plus laps was estimated for the leading bikes by the event’s end and, despite a 20-minute stoppage and challenging conditions, six teams achieved this goal.

The enduro is always a fun event with teams choosing imaginative and quite often risqué team names. Victors on this occasion were Rory Howell’s team – whose name cannot be repeated here – which included Sam Corlett and Ryan Kneale who completed 312 laps.

There were plenty of incidents over the six hours, with the three early frontrunning teams of 1664 Developments (Max Ingham, Mikey Evans and Jamie McCanney) – the 2022 winners – who suffered punctures and lengthy delays in the pits which cost them over 60 laps.

Despite that, they still managed to post the quickest lap of the day at 58.610 seconds in the hands of Ingham.

Team Moto Bregazzi - brothers Chuck and Wig Bregazzi - the 2023 and 2024 winners, were also in the wars with multiple crashes and an engine let go on lap 150 at the banked Bomb Hole section which led to a red flag.

Warrick Hunt and Two Dingles - former Isle of Man Centre road race champions brothers Ryan and Jamie Cringle plus Gavin Hunt - all had several crashes and suffered machine problems on their way to finishing in 21st place, with 1664 Developments in 19th.

Awards were on offer for machines of 110cc and 9Occ. Two strong teams of experienced visiting riders had made the trip from the UK, including Team Sharp Knife who fielded a fantastic-looking step through machine with much modification and finished an excellent second overall, four laps down on the winners.

Endurance it was as the name suggests and there was plenty of that with the challenging conditions, crashes, engine blow outs and punctures.

One of the unluckiest teams of the day was Nozzleplop Racing, consisting of plop regulars and circuit winners Ashley Kelly and Craig Norrey.

Having taken control of the race at mid-distance, they looked to be holding off the challenge of Sons of Anagh Coar (led by Tom ‘Tweeks’ Dawson) but saw their engine give way and, despite frantic efforts to get restarted, were forced to give up the ghost two laps later.

Links Racing, the other visiting team, finished in third place with 303 laps, holding off a late challenge from Flowered Powered led by regular Gary Flowers and Adrian Smith, the first C90 team home after also completing 303 laps.

In fifth overall and second in C90 class was TT sidecar champion Ryan Crowe’s team – again, name censored – who resisted a late charge, this time from the Bregazzi brothers, while Sons of Anagh Coar dropped to seventh following problems with a slipping clutch.

At the end of the day despite the disappointments, machine problems and bitterly cold wind sweeping across the Great Northern Plain, it was a great curtain closer for the organisers Jurby MRSports.

A big thank you from the commentary team goes out to Tom Callister for all his help chasing round the teams and pits, providing first-hand information as it unfolded during the day.

PETER MYLCHREEST AND PAUL COPPARELLI