Classic TT podium contender Alan Oversby warmed up for the Island races later this month by winning the 350cc race at the Donington Classic Festival on the Davies Motorsport Honda twin.

The 48-year-old Lancastrian beat Richard Molnar, on the Molnar Precision Manx Norton, by 0.154 seconds in the six-lap race. “The bike’s going well. We didn’t want Alan to make any mistakes just ten days before we go to the Island,” bike builder John Davies said.

“I caught Richard but then got mixed up with backmarkers. Then Richard made a mistake and I got by,” said Oversby, who will be seeking his first win in the Classic TT races on August 27 and 29. He will ride the 350cc Honda in the Junior Classic TT, and Davies’ 68bhp four-cylinder machine, based on a CB500 road engine, in the Senior event.”

John Davies is also seeking his first win as a team owner on the Mountain Circuit, after recording two second places in previous Classic TTs.

Steve Baker, the first American to win a world road racing championship, with the 1977 F750 title, entertained crowds by parading a TZ750D Yamaha provided by British collector Roy Flower. “This bike is No 6 of about 30 built in 1977,” Roy said. “I always liked Steve Baker after I saw him ride in England, and I had this bike painted in his colours ten years ago.”

Some 500 bikes are on track during the three-day Festival, with 50 races catering for bikes from the thirties until 1986, organised by the CRMC.