Classic TT: Rob Hodson wins inaugural Junior 600 race and thanks runner-up Baz Furber for engine loan 'otherwise we wouldn't have been out there'
Wigan’s Rob Hodson won the inaugural Junior 600 Classic TT on the Isle of Man on Monday evening.
Hodson (Neil Orford Haulage Yamaha R6) set a new lap record for the class at 120.276mph as he won the two-lap race by 24.320s from Baz Furber (Robinson Timber Yamaha R6), who held on for the runner-up spot by four tenths of a second after touring across the line.
Manx rider Joe Yeardsley narrowly missed out on second place as he finished third on the Tony Leach Joinery Yamaha R6.
“It was alright and it was a bit of an unknown going into that,” said Hodson.
“We’ve had problems with it all week, as has everyone, and it’s just part of it with old bikes.
“It was good, I enjoyed it. Neil Orford supplied the bike and leading up to it, it’s been a lot of hard work.
“We were kind of out of engines and the bloke who’s stood to my right here and finished second, it’s a Baz Furber engine this.
“Baz and Martin Robinson have kindly leant us an engine otherwise we wouldn’t have got out in that race, so I don’t know if they regret their decision now or not!
“It was good to get out there, the sun’s getting quite low now and you just had to watch going through Gorse Lea and places like that.”
Yamaha R6 machines filled the top six positions, with Michael Russell in fourth ahead of Ryan Whitehall, and Tom Robinson in sixth.
Manxman Marcus Simpson finished seventh on a Kawasaki ZXR600.
Michael Dunlop was a non-starter on his MD Racing Suzuki GSXR600.