Steam Packet passenger figures just released suggest the Manx Grand Prix is still growing in popularity. Figures just released show 29,138 people sailed to and from the Isle of Man during this year's two-week event, beating 28,905 passengers in 2007 and 26,527 in 2006. The number of bikes carried is 18 per cent up on 2006 and has now doubled from the number carried 10 years ago.

ORANGE ARMY. More marshals signed on for the 2008 Manx Grand Prix than signed on for the 2007 Centenary TT! An astonishing response to a request from organisers for marshals on Friday 29th August resulted in an additional 254 people signing on in ONE DAY. Multiple sidecar TT winner Dave Molyneux was on duty at Sulby Bridge for the Senior and Lightweight races while MGP / TT winner Ryan Farquhar preferred Ballaugh Bridge.

'Bit on the side'. Dan Sayle became the first TT winning sidecar passenger to win a Manx Grand Prix race. Nigel Rollason remains as the only driver / rider to win a MGP (1971 Senior MGP) and a sidecar TT (1986). Glyn Jones who finished 14th in this year's Senior also competes in the Sidecar TT and has the fastest OVERALL AVERAGE speed of ANY driver on two and three wheels on the course.

Dan Kneen became the first rider in the event's 85 year history to win three races in one year.

2008 saw the first MGP race to be red flagged and the shortest Senior on record. It was a Manx Grand Prix week that saw every race delayed and shortened, the first event to see two brothers win separate classes of the same event, three full practise sessions were scrapped and a week when the Manx national anthem was played more times at the podium presentations than all the other national anthems combined.
(Thanks to John Watterson for the above compilation)

2008 Manx Grand Prix - BRILLIANT - roll on 22nd August 2009!