Clear blue skies and a gentle breeze welcomed competitors, officials and racing fans at Oliver’s Mount as practice and qualifying got under way for the first day of the 2014 Barry Sheene Road Race Festival.
The first race for 500cc, 350cc and 250cc non-Japanese classic machines over seven laps saw James Cowton take the hole-shot when the flag was dropped (by 15-times world champion, Giacomo Agostini), but by Mere Hairpin he had been swallowed up by the two Patons of Ryan Farquhar and Ian Lougher.
At the end of the lap it was Lougher, 1.8 seconds ahead of Cowton on the Manx Norton. A lap later it was Farquhar at the head of the field by half a second from Lougher and Cowton now third.
By lap 5 the gap had extended to 4 seconds, with John Fawcett now third after Cowton had slipped off (unhurt) at Mere Hairpin.
The advantage to Farquhar as he started his final lap was 6.3 seconds over Lougher with Fawcett third a further 92 seconds down.
Ryan Farquhar took the chequered flag 8.5 seconds ahead of Ian Lougher, making it a Paton 1-2, with John Fawcett on a Seeley G50 third.
The SuperTwin race saw James Cowton lead the pack into Mere Hairpin for the start of this seven-lapper and was still in front at the end of the lap, followed by Ivan Lintin 1.1 seconds back and James Neesom third.
But a lap later it was Lintin ahead of the field 0.6 of a second in front, with Neesom now almost 8 seconds down.
Lap three and the lead was now three seconds; lap four it was up to 4.6 seconds; lap five and a further second had been added; lap six and only a tenth of a second was added to the advantage. At the flag it was Ivan Lintin five seconds ahead of James Cowton, with James Neesom third, as he had been throughout.
Race three, the first leg of the Classic Superbikes for the Geoff Barry Trophy, this one over eight laps.
The hole-shot went to Ryan Farquhar, nut it was Dean Harrison who was in the lead at the end of the lap, 4.7 seconds ahead of Russ Mountford with Farquhar third.
But it was a short lived lead, as Harrison stopped with machine trouble half-way round the second lap.
Farquhar was leading at the conclusion of the second circuit by 1.5 seconds ahead of Mountford with Martin Harrison now third.
The Ulsterman added a further three seconds to his advantage at the end of lap three from Mountford, but it was now Paul Coward in third one second in front of Harrison.
At half distance, the lead was up to 8 seconds as he upped the class lap record to 76.392mph.
Another two seconds were added on lap five then on lap six Mountford retired with machine trouble promoting Coward to second some 22 seconds down on race leader Farquhar, with Harrison now third.
At the chequered flag after eight laps, Ryan Farquhar recorded his 100th race win at Oliver’s Mount with Paul Coward second 24.9 seconds down and only 0.2 of a second ahead of Martin Harrison third.
Race four, another eight lapper, this time for 600cc ‘modern’ machines, which was to prove to be a start to finish victory for James Cowton, who increased his advantage lap by lap to take the chequered flag 6.4 seconds ahead of Daley Mathison with Mark Lister third.
Third for the first five laps James Neesom received a 10-second penalty for missing Farm Bends which dropped him to fifth at the flag.
The final race of the first day’s Barry Sheene Road Race Festival was for modern Senior machines up to 1300cc, over seven laps.
Ivan Lintin was in pole position and got the hole-shot into and out of Mere Hairpin and was still in front at the end of the opening lap, less than a second in front of Dean Harrison and Daley Mathison, although the latter was nearly four seconds adrift in third.
The gap was down to a mere 0.219 of a second after another circuit of the 2.43-mile hillside course.
At the end of lap three the distance between Lintin and Harrison had doubled to 0.474 of a second.
The gap remained the same on the fourth lap although third place man Mathison was dropped off with14 seconds the difference.
Lap five saw the gap extend to 0.617 of a second, with Mathison still third, but falling even further behind, the distance now up to 21 seconds.
Harrison caught back 02. of a second on the sixth lap.
However, at the chequered flag it was Dean Harrison from Ivan Lintin by 2.3 seconds with Mathison third.