Aussie Paul Van Der Heiden’s win today is the first by a rider from Australia on the TT course since Cameron Donald’s 2008 Superstock TT success.
In the Newcomers B Race, Cheshire’s Jonathan Perry was narrowly outside the class lap record on his first lap, clocking 109.301/ 20:422.699 which gave him an eleven second lead from Van Der Heiden (108.299/ 20:54.192 with Marc Ironside (107.335/ 21:05.460 a further eleven seconds behind the Australian in third.
Perry went even quicker on his second lap and even though he was slowing down for the pits, he still posted a lap of 110.1309, which gave him a lead of over sixteen seconds. However, Perry had a disaster in the pits, taking over 2 minutes and forty-two seconds as a result of a blown starter fuse, which meant that Van Der Heiden moved into the lead by Glen Helen, ten seconds ahead of Marc Ironside with Dave Butler moving up into third. Perry rejoined the race but was over a minute and thirty seconds off the final podium place.
Van Der Heiden’s third lap of 105.422 (21:28.418) gave him a lead of over ten seconds from second placed Ironside but behind the leading pair, Perry was fighting back.
Van Der Heiden clinched the Braddan Bridge Trophy in a new race record of 108.574/ 1:23.24.077 ten seconds ahead of Scotland’s Marc Ironside (108.351/ 1:23.34.364) who had the consolation of a new lap record of 111.101/ 22:22.564 on the last lap. In the battle for the final podium place, Perry was only a second behind Butler at Glen Helen and by Ramsey he’d opened a twelve second lead over Butler on the last lap, eventually taking the final podium place in 105.967/ 1:25.27.175
Manx Grand Prix 2016 – Newcomers B Race Results:
1 Paul Van Der Heiden
2 Marc Ironside
3 Jonathan Perry
4 Dave Butler
5 Carsten Svendsen
6 Stuart Hall
7 Wayne Martin
8 Bradley Robinson
DAVE KNEEN Paul van der Heiden (650 Ducati Monster) IMGold Newcomers Race ‘B’.