Sidecar legend Dave Molyneux overcame the odds to collect his 13th Isle of Man TT winner in the record-breaking Bavaria Beer Sidecar B race today.
After a problem-hit practice week, Manxman Moly and his passenger Rick Long faced further drama on the start line when the dashboard started playing up.
However, a 15-minute delay caused by a dog on the course gave Moly’s team just enough time to replace the unit and lead the field away.
Moly and Long were leading on the road at Glen Helen on the first of three laps, but it was another local crew, Nick Crowe and Daniel Sayle who led on time, followed by Klaus Klaffenboch and Christian Parzer.
By Ballaugh Moly and Long’s outfit had slipped further back, with John Holden and Andy Winkle in second position with Klaffi running third. Holden was also fastest through Sulby at 144.300mph.
At Ramsey Crowe and Sayle had the lead on the road, just ahead of Moly.
The two Manx crews reached to Bungalow together, but were separated by 10.93 seconds on time, the advantage with Crowe/Sayle
The lead was 14.73 seconds at the end of the first lap, Crowe going through the Grandstand at 132.60mph, with a lap time of 114.833mph.
Moly passed the pits at 129mph, with Holden third and Klaffi fourth.
The gap between the Manx crews was up to 20 seconds at Glen Helen on lap two, with Holden still maintaining third place in front of Klaffi.
Crowe and Sayle went through Ramsey closely followed by Moly and Long, but were 31.86 seconds ahead on time.
By the Bungalow the lead was up another 3 seconds.
As Crowe and Sayle finished the second lap they smashed the record, with a 116.667mph. That helped build the lead to an apparently comfortable 38.69 seconds over Moly and Long.
But the dramatic race wasn’t over yet. The Crowe/Sayle outfit was reported to be stopped at Ballahutchin. Soon news came through the race leader had retired, more disappointment to add to the retirement from the Sidecar A race on Monday.
And there was more to come - Klaffi and Parzer were also reported as having stopped at Union Mills.
That let Moly/Long into the lead, with 14 seconds over Holden and Winkle.
At Ramsey the lead had extended to 18 seconds, and at the Bungalow the difference was 22.40 seconds.
Moly and Long took the chequered flag for a hard-earned victory, the second of the week, while Holden/Winkle finished second, 26.15 seconds behind. Steve Norbury and Scott Parnell took third to make it a repeat of the A race.
Not only was this Moly’s 13th TT win, making him the third most successful competitor behind Joey Dunlop on 26 and Mike Hailwood on 14, but the win also made Rick Long the most successful passenger in the history of the TT.