Report on Monday Morning's Blackford Financial Services Pre-TT Classic Road Races

The rains once again descended prior to the Road Closing Orders coming into effect, and with a diesel spillage at Cross Four Ways, the scheduled start of 9.30am for the first race of the day, the Lightweight 250cc Race went away on time.

Mike Hose was a start-line non-starter, as the field got away for the nine-lap race.
By Cross Four Ways on the opening lap, Paul Coward had pulled out an extended lead an at the end of the lap it stood at over 12-seconds over Terry Kermode, making a welcome return to the Billown Course, with John Leech Jnr third.

However by the end of the third lap, Kermode on his 250cc Yamaha had reduced the gap to 4.4 seconds.
A lap later Coward (Ariel Arrow) had had the wake-up call and the lead had increased to 9.3 seconds, as John Leech maintained station in third, albeit 46 seconds adrift.
Fourth to six were Bill Wark, Pete Wakefield and Geoff McMullen.
Positions remained the same for laps four and five. Lap six saw Bill Wark ahead of John Leech, but 4.25 miles later Leech was in front of the fellow Scot.
The penultimate lap, as Paul Coward still led his advantage stood at 10 and a half seconds over Terry Kermode, with Leech and Wark still battling for third a minute behind.
At the flag Paul Coward took the first victory of the day, with conditions slowly improving. Terry Kermode finished second and it was Bill Wark who got the better of his Scottish rival John Leech Jnr for third.

The BDO International Senior Race was next, again over nine laps. The race was red flagged on the opening lap.
Bill Swallow was taken to hospital by ambulance, his injuries not thought to be serious.
The restarted race over six laps, got underway as blue skies started to appear with a brisk wind setting the flags on the grandstand fluttering. Chris Palmer got the hole-shot and at the end of the first lap his advantage was 7.389 seconds over two Alan’s’, Brew and Oversby.
Stamping his authority on the race, last years race winner Palmer steadily increased his lead to over nine and a half seconds at the half distance mark.
The battle for second third and fourth raged throughout the first five laps, when Paul Coward sped past both Brew and Oversby to slot into second place and started chasing Palmer.
Chris Palmer took the chequered flag from Paul Coward by 5.24 seconds, with Allan Brew third a further five seconds down.
Fourth went to Wattie Brown fifth Derek Whalley and sixth Alec Whitwell after Alan Oversby slid off at Castletown Corner on his way to the chequered flag – rider OK.

The final race before a brief lunch break, the Sidecar over six laps set off with almost clear blue skies overhead, as Nick Cutmore and Paul Thomas got the hole-shot and led for four of the six laps, before Ralf Engelhardt and Winfried Viecenz (980 Busch BMW) took over and headed to the chequered flag with a 52.546 second advantage over early race leaders.
Third place went to course newcomers from Belgium, Damien Perilleux and Nancy Detournay on their 998 Windle Imp.