2022 Manx GP: Smith dominates for Senior win

Stephen Smith (Alasdair Cowan Racing Kawasaki) won the Senior Manx Grand Prix on Monday afternoon where, aided by a new lap record of 121.796mph, he came home 38.6s ahead of Daniel Ingham (Russell Brook/Brook Built Yamaha) with Jamie Williams (NCE Racing Honda) taking third.

Overnight rain and morning hill fog meant a two-hour delay to proceedings, and there were still several damp patches around the course when racing finally got underway at 1.30pm, but it was Williams who led David McConnachy (Peter Dobson Triumph) through Glen Helen on the opening lap by 2.3s. Smith sat in third after a slightly sluggish start. By Ballaugh, Smith, who had set the quickest time in practice, had got into his stride and he’d taken over the lead from Williams albeit by just 0.3s. McConnachy had dropped back to third with Ingham and Chris Cook in fourth and fifth as only four seconds covered the leading five riders. Smith extended his lead throughout the lap and with an opening lap of 120.973mph, his advantage over Williams jumped up to almost 14 seconds. Williams’ lead over McConnachy was a slender 2.2s with Ingham only 3.5s adrift. Cook, in turn, was only a further 2.9s behind with Spaniard Victor Lopez Santos running in sixth. On lap two, Smith extended his lead through all the sectors and after lapping at 121.796mph – a new lap record – his lead was up to a commanding 37.6s as he pitted for fuel at the end of lap two. Williams was still in second but the gap to new third place man Ingham was down to 5.7s. He only had a half second advantage over Cook with the two both lapping at more than 119mph whilst McConnachy was also well in touch, the Triumph rider only a further 1.4s in arrears. Lopez Santos still sat in sixth. Cook lost time