Shaun Anderson (Classic TT) and Johnny Stewart (Manx GP) set the pace

On both Sunday and Tuesday, the practice sessions for the Classic TT and the Manx Grand Prix had to be cut short following crashes, and because the weather on the Isle of Man has so far left a lot to be desired, the Classic TT riders were only able to complete their first laps on the Snaefell Mountain Course on Wednesday afternoon.

In the Formula 1 class, Shaun Anderson managed to leave all his higher-ranked rivals behind, in some cases by a significant margin. With a time of 18:25.893 minutes (average speed 197.663 km/h), the 42-year-old Northern Irishman finished 0.727 seconds ahead of local favourite Nathan Harrison. Australian David Johnson set the third-fastest time, 5.299 seconds behind.

Falling short of high expectations in the first practice session were TT record winner Michael Dunlop, who finished fifth, and lap record holder Peter Hickman, who finished 18th. Although he was still experiencing some issues with his right-hand glove and a slippery fuel tank, Austrian rider Julian Trummer set the tenth-fastest time out of 31 participants.

In the Senior/Supersport MGP class, Johnny Stewart was the only rider to break the 19-minute mark with a time of 18:48.514 minutes. Moritz Klaus proved to be the fastest German-speaking rider, securing a respectable 19th place. The Austrian Thomas Altendorfer, who, like Klaus, is competing for the first time, finished the practice session in 29th place.

In the Sportbikes class, it was also the Briton Stewart who set the fastest time. The German newcomers Lorenz Rothärmel and Chris Meyer – the latter of whom impressed with 15th place in the reintroduced Ultra Lightweight class, where Paul Cassidy was the fastest rider – finished in 37th and 42nd places respectively.

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As rain has set in again, Wednesday evening’s practice session cannot take place as planned.