Rob Hodson of Wigan claimed victory in the inaugural Junior 600 Classic TT race, delivering an impressive performance on the track. In a gesture of sportsmanship and gratitude, Hodson extended his thanks to runner-up Baz Furber for the loan of an engine, acknowledging that without Furber’s generosity, participation in the event would not have been possible.
Hodson, riding the Neil Orford Haulage Yamaha R6, established a new class lap record of 120.276 mph on his way to securing victory in the two-lap race, finishing 24.320 seconds ahead of Baz Furber on the Robinson Timber Yamaha R6. Furber narrowly retained second place, crossing the line just four-tenths of a second ahead after easing off towards the finish. Manx rider Joe Yeardsley came close to snagging second place, ultimately taking third on the Tony Leach Joinery Yamaha R6.
“It went alright, though it was a bit of an unknown going in,” said Hodson. “We’d had problems with it all week, like everyone else, but that’s just how it is with old bikes. Still, I enjoyed it. Neil Orford supplied the bike, and it’s been a lot of hard work leading up to this. We were pretty much out of engines, but the guy standing to my right, who finished second, well, this is a Baz Furber engine. Baz and Martin Robinson kindly lent us one—without it, we wouldn’t have made the race. Not sure if they regret that now! It was great to get out there, though the sun was getting low, and you had to be careful going through Gorse Lea and spots like that.”
Yamaha R6 bikes dominated the top six spots, with Michael Russell taking fourth place ahead of Ryan Whitehall, and Tom Robinson coming in sixth. Manxman Marcus Simpson secured seventh on a Kawasaki ZXR600, while Michael Dunlop didn’t start on his MD Racing Suzuki GSXR600.
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