2022 Manx GP: Curinga takes Junior honours

Francesco Curinga claimed the honours in Saturday afternoon’s Junior Manx Grand Prix, the first Italian rider to win on the Mountain Course since Giacomo Agostini in the 1972 Senior TT – but there was heartbreak for local rider Jamie Williams who retired from the lead at Brandywell on the final lap.

Curinga (ILR/Mark Coverdale Paton) led the way through Glen Helen on the opening lap but only just with his advantage over Williams (KTS Racing powered by Steadplan Kawasaki) a minuscule 0.005s whilst Victor Lopez Santos (Xecretia Road Racing Aprilia) was only half a second adrift in third. Moore, Andrea Majola and Ben Rea completed the early leaderboard. Williams had taken over at the front as they leapt Ballaugh Bridge for the first time, but it was closing up even more with now 0.497s covering the top three and although Curinga and Lopez Santos had near identical times on the run to Ramsey, it was Williams who was quickest and he was suddenly 2.8s clear. An opening lap of 115.039mph gave Williams a slender 1.54s lead over Lopez Santos (114.889mph) with early pace setter Curinga (114.588mph) a further 3.11s adrift in third. Moore slotted into fourth but Lopez Santos’s race soon came to an end as he retired at Crosby early on the second lap. Williams continued to press on second time around and a speed of 115.173mph gave him a more than healthy 14.468s advantage but it was Moore now in second with Curinga third, albeit by just 0.844s. Marc Colvin was up to fourth ahead of Daniel Ingham, Ben Rea and Andrea Majola and through Glen Helen on the third lap, Williams’ lead was down slightly to 13.3s with Curinga back up to second and six tenths up on 1996 Newcomers race winner Moore. As they started the final lap, Williams still