A rider who was banned from this year’s Manx Grand Prix has returned a positive test for a recreational drug.
Race organisers ACU Events Ltd revealed last week that Alex Sinclair had been excluded from the event after returning a ‘non-negative’ test result .
The 35-year old from Pontygwaith in south Wales is an experienced rider and has finished on the podium in the Manx Grand Prix three times since first competing in 2012.
Today, ACU Events confirmed that Mr Sinclair had returned a ‘positive result’ for the presence of an unnamed recreational drug after his test was sent away to an ‘accredited’ lab for analysis.
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Mr Sinclair was initially tested as part of the Manx Grand Prix’s drug and alcohol screening protocols, organisers say.
In a statement, ACU said: ‘The quantitative result of the confirmatory analysis is consistent with the misuse of a controlled drug.
‘The matter is now with the Auto-Cycle Union, the national governing body for motorcycle sport in Great Britain (less Northern Ireland). Sanctions for competitors caught doping can be a ban from ACU competitions for a minimum of two years.
‘As previously stated, the Manx Grand Prix Races and ACU share a strict zero-tolerance policy for the presence of drugs and alcohol for officials and competitors during an event period.’