By With heavy hearts following yesterday’s tragic incident, racing continued today at the 2026 Bob Smith Spring Cup.
Before a reshuffled fourteen race schedule got underway, morning warm-up sessions began just past 9:00 AM.
Team ILR with Frog Vehicle Developments Franco Bourne, sterling Scarborough newcomer Richard Cooper treated the trackside crowd to entertaining battles for Super Twins Race Two, Supersport (A) Race 1 honours.
The second six-lap Twins race burst saw Bourne, Cooper covered at the finish line by 2.7 seconds (2.708 to be exact) but this told only one percent of the race story with the former BSB riders tightly matched throughout.
It was a similar story within the (A) Supersport contest as Bourne again just held sway, over Cooper who set what proved the race’s fastest lap (1.47.505) and swiftest lap across the meeting, in the process becoming the quickest Oliver’s Mount debutant of this decade.
The NW200 goliath went onto add success in the final Twins race, to Bob Smith Spring Cup feature race triumph, elevating his event wins total to four.
Outside Cooper and Bourne, fourteen more competitors mastered changeable conditions to achieve class successes.
F2/Pre-Injection Sidecar hat-trick heroes Carl Fenwick/Jake Roberts, Greg Lambert/Andrew Haynes.
Dan Frear (400cc Races two & three winner), eight times Sidecar TT Champion Dan Sayle (125/Moto 3 Races two & three winner).
Shaun O’Hara (CB 500 Race Two winner), Grant Aitchison (CB 500 Race Three winner), Stuart Hall (Two Stroke Races one & two), James Dutton (Supermono Races one & two).
Tom Weeden showing his proven wet weather racing skillset, winning both Classic Superbike races.
Michael Allen, Oliver’s first-timer Nicholas Round shared the Supersport (B) race wins whilst Manx GP front runner Toby Shann, TT 2026 bound this year, led home the six-racer participated L.May Plant Support contest field.
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
