Michael Cooper, riding the Craven Norton of Yorkshire team owner Ted Woof, won £500 worth of that almost-gone element in motorcycle racing, prize money, in the ACU 500cc Classic championship at the Donington Festival.

Cooper pocketed the cash and increased his lead in the ACU series when he defeated 20-year-old Richard Molnar, on the Molnar Precision Manx Norton. Truck driver Cooper, 32, said: “These are lovely things to ride. I also ride a TZ350, but some days you don’t gel with it. Jump on one of these Manxes, though, and it goes even if you’ve not been on one for months. The secret is to carry corner speed. You don’t have to worry about being thrown over the handlebars on these.”

The race paid a total of £1000 in cash. Lee Hodge, on a Minnovation Matchless G50, looked like he was going to win until his bike expired with mechanical problems.