Opening Classic TT race postponed after red flag

The opening race of the Classic TT on the Isle of Man was postponed after a crash led to the session being red-flagged.

Andy Whale, from Birmingham, came off his machine at Glen Helen on lap one of the three-lap Lightweight race shortly after 17:40 BST.

The racer, who was reported to be conscious and talking, was taken to Noble's Hospital by helicopter for further assessment.

Organisers said Gloucester's Dan Hanby had been involved in a separate incident at Ballagarey but was reported to be "OK" and had also been taken to hospital.

The clerk of the course had initially announced plans to restart the race over a reduced length, but reversed that decision after consultation with the teams over the amount of daylight remaining.

The Lightweight race had been brought forward from Wednesday due to the unsettled weather forecast for later in the week.

Running in parallel to the Manx Grand Prix (MGP), this year marks the return of the Classic TT brand to the August race programme on the 37.7-mile (61km) Mountain Course since 2019.

The Department for Enterprise said the decision was taken to reintroduce the classes in a bid to boost visitor numbers to the island during the period.

The Lightweight race was the third in Saturday's rescheduled programme, which also saw the Junior and Senior MGP contests run earlier in the day.

Racing in the Classic TT is scheduled to continue on Wednesday and Friday.

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