Isle of Man road race championship titles decided at sunny Jurby

Ramsey air-conditioning engineer Rory Parker won the Isle of Man Centre ACU road race championship for the first time at Jurby Motordrome last weekend.

Third in 2024 and a close runner-up to Jamie Cringle last year, the same pair had been in a close contest for the current title when the latter crashed heavily in the TT, ending his season.

Parker, who has never raced on the roads but has participated in British Superstock events, dominated two rounds shortly after the TT and four races last weekend to now put him in an unassailable position at the head of the championship table with only two races remaining on September 13.

Closest to him is Kyle Casement, with Grant Thomson now also sidelined with injury following his smash at the Southern 100 last week.

Thomson and Casement are regular sparring partners in the Supersport class, although Casement was sufficiently in control to win that club championship for the second year in succession and the third time in four years.

Casement is set to make his Manx Grand Prix in a little over one month’s time, along with Illy Quayle who crashed during the morning qualifying session on Sunday and broke four bones in his foot. He will hopefully be OK for the MGP.

Lex Geval sealed two club championships, namely the Petrol Injection 600 and Post-Classic, in which Thomson had been his closest challenger.

Francesco Faraldo won the Single, Twin, Triple and newly branded Supertwin/Sportbike ARA titles to go with the three he won last year. He currently leads the USBK Supersport Cup Championship for B&W Racing in Ireland.

Sean Crone wrapped up his second Lightweight Championship and fellow teenager Billy Kneen had his first ever races on a 600 in the Novice/Clubman races for Manx Racing Legends, winning two of the races and knocking more than four seconds off his previous best lap times.

At least four new lap records were achieved over the weekend, Faraldo achieving two, Sean Crone and Tomo Burnett (CB 500) the others.

The Sidecar Centre Championship went down to the wire with Darren Hope leading Stu Bainborough by only five points going into the final race on Sunday.

Bainborough, passengered by Will Beal, took the lead but on lap four the Baker Suzuki pair had an enormous crash at Snuffy’s and flipped the outfit.

The passenger went one way and the driver the other with the sidecar.

The race was immediately red flagged while the incident was dealt with, but thankfully neither suffered any breakages or serious injuries, simply a few cuts and bruises. Stu believed the throttle stuck open.

The race was declared a result so Hope and Bumfrey are the respective sidecar Centre champions for the third time, having previously won in 2015 and 2017.

It is in fact Hope’s fourth title as he took the passenger championship when partnering Nick Crowe back in 2001.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Douglas visited the track on Saturday as guests of Andreas Racing Association.

The club held its annual free barbecue on Saturday evening, this time in and around the Control Tower as the room at the rear has been transformed from from a storage area to a functional clubhouse. More than 100 people were in attendance.

- The next event is Jurby Day, on Sunday, August 23 between the two MGP race days.