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Category: Superbikes
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The first qualifying session for the 2018 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, got underway in perfect conditions on Saturday evening. Dean Harrison and Michael Dunlop topped the Supersport and Lightweight leaderboards having lapped at 125.797mph and 120.875mph respectively, the latter inside the class lap record, albeit unofficial to lay down an early marker for the Bennetts Lightweight TT Race on Wednesday 6th June.
The session was slightly delayed due to oil being cleared between Cronk ny Mona and Signpost and it was 6.25pm when Rider Liaison Officer Richard Quayle set off with newcomers Adam Lyon, David Jackson and Davey Todd for their escorted lap although Jackson only got as far as Ballig Bridge before stopping with a machine that was reported to be smoking.
At 6.53pm, the session proper started and Martin Jessopp (Riders Motorcycles Triumph) and Peter Hickman (Trooper Beer by Smiths Triumph) were first away, swiftly followed down Glencrutchery Road by Harrison (Silicone Engineering Kawasaki) and Michael Rutter (Paton), the latter the first of the Lightweight machines away.
Michael Dunlop (MD Racing Honda) and Conor Cummins and Ian Hutchinson (both Padgetts Racing Honda) were also away early in the Supersport class with Lintin (Dafabet Devitt Racing Kawasaki), Danny Webb (IEG/KMR Kawasaki) and Ian Lougher (Paton) going out on their Lightweight mounts. Also out on a Lightweight David Johnson was also out on a lightweight bike, the Aussie a late-replacement for Ian Hutchinson on the RST/KMR Kawasaki.
Cummins was first to complete a lap and he was fastest with 123.207mph swiftly followed across the line by Dunlop (122.607mph), Harrison (121.793) and James Hillier (121.356). However, late starter Dan Kneen slotted into second as he lapped at 122.700mph on the Jackson Racing Honda. Hutchinson eased his way back in with a lap of 118.030 but Gary Johnson was out of luck though and stopped at Crosby Crossroads.
Ivan Lintin was comfortably fastest in the Lightweight class at 118.196mph on the first lap followed by David Johnson (115.253), Rutter (114.684), Lougher (114.394) and Derek McGee (113.919). Joey Thompson was an early retirement at Ballacraine.
Second time around and Cummins upped the pace to an impressive 125.152mph with Harrison moving up to second on the timesheets with 124.587. He was closely followed by Hickman (124.313) and Kneen (124.319) with Hutchinson upping his speed slightly to 119.734.
Meanwhile, in the Lightweight class David Johnson improved to 117.029mph no mean feat given this evening was the first time he’d sat on the bike with team-mate McGee going equally well at 117.571 and Italian Stefano Bonetti just behind on 117.119. Lougher and Webb had also lapped in excess of 116mph but Gary Johnson’s woes continued as, having made it back to the paddock, he stopped at Quarter Bridge on the WK Moto.
At the head of the field Hillier improved his speed to 122.769mph on his third lap but Michael Dunlop went quicker at 123.715mph whilst Lintin (121.918) and William Dunlop (121.249) were also quickening their pace.
However, it was Harrison who was making all the headlines on his fourth lap and he flashed across the line at 125.797mph to go to the top of the leaderboard although Michael Dunlop was only half a second slower at 125.741mph. Kneen was another rider to post an impressive fourth lap as he improved to 124.703mph to go fourth quickest with Hutchinson setting his first 120mph+ lap of TT2018 with 121.327mph.
Lintin was also flying having gone back out on his Lightweight machine and his lap of 119.908mph put him some 23 seconds clear of second-placed McGee. The Southern Irishman was eventually bumped back down to third though as Michael Dunlop lapped at 118.952mph on the Paton. But Lintin left it late to go even quicker still at 120.660mph only for Michael Dunlop to upstage that with his 120.875mph lap, which was just inside James Hillier’s lap record from 2015.
The newcomers also impressed during the course of the evening and although Lyon was initially the quickest at 114.793mph on his Honda Superbike, he was upstaged by Todd who posted a speed of 116.044mph on his Superstock mount. Not to be out done though, Lyon went quicker still, this time on his 600cc Yamaha at 116.45mph.
The sidecar newcomers also had their speed controlled lap at the head of the field with John Holden, Tony Baker and Dave Molyneux leading Francois Leblond/Marlene Couillard, John Saunders/James Saunders, Darryl Rayner/Wendy Campbell, Brian Alflatt/Aaron Gorman, Paul Leglise/Ben McBride, John Shipley/Andrew Haynes and Mike Roscher/Shaun Parker around.
Japan’s Masayuki Yamanaka was reported to be off in the Supersport session at Whitegates but after being assessed at Ramsey Cottage Hospital and transferred by airmed to Nobles, he was reported to have sustained a minor ankle injury.
Monday’s schedule with open up with the first appearance of the Superbikes and Superstock machines at 18.20 with Supersport and Newcomers except Lightweight also part of the session. At 19.25 it will be the turn of the Supersport, Lightweight and Newcomers all classes before the sidecars open their qualifying programme at 20.00.
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Steve Mercer will line up in the colours of Jackson Racing for the 2018 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, having secured a late deal with the Preston-based team.
The Kent rider had been testing with the official Honda Racing team and was ready to deputise for Ian Hutchinson, but with the Bingley rider having declared his fitness last week, Mercer will now ride a Honda Fireblade SP2 for Jackson Racing in the RST Superbike, RL360 Superstock and PokerStars SeniorTT Races.
The move sees him reunited with the team he’s enjoyed great success with having ridden for them in 2011, 2012 and 2016, the latter seeing him have his best ever year around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course when also riding Honda machinery.
Mercer equalled his best ever result with eighth in the opening Monster Energy Supersport Race and backed this up with tenth in the RL360 Superstock Race, 11th in the second Monster Energy Supersport encounter and 12th in the RST Superbike Race.
In addition, the now 36-year-old posted personal best laps on all of the machines including a lap of 129.323mph in the Superbike class, which makes him the 22nd fastest rider of all time, and 124.392mph on the Honda CBR600RR.
Since making his debut in 2009, Mercer has racked up no less than 16 top twenty finishes, which includes nine in the top twelve, and has won 11 silver and 10 bronze replicas in that nine year period.
As well as Mercer, Jackson Racing will field Manxman Dan Kneen and Craig Neve on Honda CBR600RR’s in the two Monster Energy Supersport races at the TT with Lincolnshire’s Neve also riding a BMW S1000RR in the RST Superbike and PokerStars Senior TT races.
Steve Mercer:
“It’s certainly been a busy few weeks and I’m delighted to be back with the Jackson Racing team as I’ve really enjoyed riding for them in the past. My best results, whether on the roads, short circuits or in World Endurance have always been on Hondas and with all the work that’s gone on recently, I will be on one of the best SP2’s available. I was incredibly grateful to get the call from Honda Racing to fill in for Hutchy at the tests at Castle Combe and Cadwell Park and it really helped get my confidence back.”
“I was happy to be on stand-by and would have been ready to race if Ian wasn’t ready but, equally, having done a lot of work on the bike and got my hunger back for the TT, I didn’t want to be on the sidelines so I’m very thankful to all concerned for putting the deal together. Alan and Andy (Jackson) are like family to me and Alan’s always been on hand with advice over the years and they always put out great bikes. Like I say, my confidence is back and I’m itching to get going.”
Alan Jackson, Team Manager:
“Unfortunately, we parted company with Daley Mathison a few weeks ago but we were keen to maintain a strong presence in the 1000cc races at the Isle of Man and we’re delighted to welcome Steve back to the team. We’ve worked really well together in the past and enjoyed some great results, particularly in 2016 when he finished in the top twelve in four races at the TT and recorded a whole host of personal best laps.”
“We both know how each other work and he’s been getting plenty of mileage in testing Hutchy’s Honda’s as well as at the Le Mans 24-Hour World Endurance round so he’ll be ready and raring to go come the last week of May. Jackson Racing and all of the team’s sponsors have worked hard to put the deal together and with Steve joining Dan and Craig, we feel that we’ve got a really strong line-up with all three riders capable of making a major impression at TT2018.”
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• Manx rider Conor Cummins takes prestigious number one plate
Michael Dunlop heads a stellar line up of some off the fastest road racers on the planet who line up among the top twenty seeded riders for the RST Superbike, PokerStars Senior and RL360 Superstock TT Races at this year’s Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy.
Despite the withdrawals of John McGuinness on the SG7 Norton and Padgett Racing’s Bruce Anstey, all of the seeded riders have lapped comfortably over 128mph. There is a total of 52 TT victories and 140 podium finishes across the entire field, reinforcing the fact that the strength in depth and quality at the top end of the field is at an all-time high.
Conor Cummins and Padgetts Racing have the honour of being first down Glencrutchery Road. It is the first time the Manxman, who will be looking to get back to the form that took him to a brace of podiums in 2014, has taken the number 1 plate.
Ian Hutchinson and Michael Dunlop are set to renew their fierce rivalry. They are just twenty seconds apart for the third time in a row with the former at number four and the latter at six.The leading duo have switched teams for 2018 with 16-time winner Hutchinson lining up for Honda Racing and Dunlop on the Tyco BMW. A big question mark remains over Hutchinson’s fitness and although Dunlop is the favourite to add to his 15 wins, the determination of the Bingley Bullet cannot be underestimated.
The duo will certainly face strong competition from many of the other seeded riders including the three other 132mph+ men in the field – Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW), Dean Harrison (Silicone Engineering Kawasaki) and James Hillier (Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki).
Hickman, who retains the number ten plate that served him well in 2017, has been a revelation since he first tackled the TT in 2014. Last year saw him finish on the podium in all five of his races on the island and the Burton upon Trent rider will be looking for his first win at the TT.
Harrison took his first Superbike podiums last year, finishing third in both the Superbike and Senior TT races, clocking his first 132mph lap. Still only 29, he is well placed to take a race win. The Bradford based rider goes at number five, ten seconds ahead of Dunlop.
Hillier starts at number two and although he will need to get back into the 132mph bracket, which he last did in 2015, he could have been on the podium in last year’s Superbike Race but for a refuelling issue during his first pit stop.
Michael Rutter (3), Gary Johnson (7), Dan Kneen (8) and David Johnson (9) are the other riders in the top ten. Rutter (Bathams Racing BMW) is riding as well as ever around the Mountain Course. Last year saw him record a personal best lap of 131.709mph as well as his Lightweight TT race victory so should be amongst the leading pack while Johnson will be hoping to challenge for the wins on the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki after a disappointing 2017.
Kneen starts in the top ten in the 1000cc races for the first time and is expected to go well on the Tyco BMW. The Manxman has a great chance of adding to the single podium he’s taken to date. Australian Johnson adds to the BMW challenge in the new Gulf BMW team and will enjoy being in the pack as opposed to starting at number one as he did in 2016 and 2017.
In McGuinness’s absence, the Norton challenge will come from Josh Brookes who lines up at number 11. The Australianhas a great chance of improving on both his sixth place finish in last year’s Senior TT race and his personal best lap of 130.883mph.
Martin Jessopp, starting ten seconds behind Brookes, is another rider moving up the grid in 2018. Already a member of the 130mph club and a podium finisher in the Lightweight TT Races, the Yeovil man is looking to make an even greater impression this time around.
Lee Johnston, lining up with Honda Racing this year, takes his usual number 13. The Ulsterman will be determined to make amends in his first year as a factory rider after last year’s practice crash at Greeba Castle ruled him out of race week.
Fellow Northern Ireland rider William Dunlop, lining up in the colours of the Temple Golf Club on the only Yamaha in the top twenty, is next on the grid.Derek Sheils, riding for the Penz13.com BMW team,is ten seconds further back at 15. The Dublin rider’s recent efforts are rewarded with a seeded berth for the first time.
The seeded riders are completed by Sheils’ team-mate Jamie Coward, Phil Crowe (BMW) and Steve Mercer with Mercer expected to take Hutchinson’s Honda ride if he loses his fitness battle.
There are plenty of talented riders to be found outside of the seeds though including Ian Lougher (Suter MMX), Horst Saiger (Saiger Racing Yamaha), Ivan Lintin (Dafabet Devitt Racing Kawasaki), James Cowton and Adam McLean (both McAdoo Racing Kawasaki), Sam West (PRL Worthington BMW) and Daley Mathison (Stobart BMW). The entire top 30 have all previously lapped at more than 126mph
As well as regular overseas competitors such as Stefano Bonetti, Kamil Holan, Xavier Denis, Raul Torras Martinez and Bjorn Gunnarsson, this year’s entry also includes a number of Manx Grand Prix graduates including last year’s double winner Michael Evans.
Eighty-one entries in total were accepted including newcomers Davey Todd, David Jackson and Adam Lyon.
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SCOTT REDDING IN THE POINTS
The hopes of Aleix Espargaró, comforted by his good qualifiers yesterday and especially by the good pace demonstrated both in FP4 and in the warm up, were dashed on the first lap when his V4 was stopped by a loosened screw on the pneumatic circuit. A problem that was as simple as it was decisive in compromising a race that, in light of what happened on the track and considering Aleix's pace and that of is closest rivals, could have ended with a good result for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini.
Scott, who is still trying to find the best setup for his RS-GP, finished in the points with fifteenth place.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I want to take the Aprilia onto the podium. I am riding like I never have before in my entire career and I feel like we can succeed. Today we missed a great chance, given the pace demonstrated in the warm up and my feeling. Unfortunately, a DNF for technical reasons does not help my morale. This weekend we worked well and I am certain that we could have had a say in the race. Now, with the position in the overall standings compromised, I will always be giving 101% in every race from here to Valencia."
SCOTT REDDING
"We decided to take a risk choosing the hard rear that did not work in the right temperature range. In the race I had problems with grip again. With nothing to lose we took a gamble but things didn't work. Fortunately, we will be testing in Mugello in a few days where we will try to work on rear grip which is the problem that is slowing me down at the moment."
ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
"This week we'll be on the track at Mugello to improve the setup for Scott who is still not entirely sorted from this point of view, unlike Aleix who has good performance which once again proved to be in vain. We are having a series of problems that prevent us from reaping the fruits of our labours. This season has begun uphill, but it is time to hang tough because we know that, in terms of pure performance, we are not far from the leaders and we can come back and do very well."
FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
"I am absolutely convinced that we have a quality project and that the bike is worth much more than what we have been able to achieve. We need to dial in a lot of small things that are the ones that make the difference. It is not easy to do that in the race and when you have days like this one, but this is precisely the moment to demonstrate the value of the team. We need to grit our teeth for those who believe in this project, for the riders, the team and all those who are working back home."
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TENTH PLACE FINISH JUST A SHOUT FROM EIGHTH
Nineteenth at the start, twelfth on the tenth lap, tenth under the chequered flag: that about sums up Aleix Espargaró's race at the Circuit of the Americas, protagonist of an extraordinary comeback, riding his Aprilia RS-GP into the battle for eighth place. It was a result that he missed by just 3 tenths of a second, when he was unable to demand any more of his tyres in the race finale, already put to a hard test.
The foundation for a good performance today was laid in the warmup session which ended with Aleix in fifth place - demonstration of the excellent analysis conducted after the complicated sessions on Friday and Saturday.
His teammate, Scott Redding, struggled to find the right feeling with the hard tyres chosen for the race, having to settle for a seventeenth place finish in the end. The tests scheduled for tomorrow on this track, where both the Aprilia riders will participate, will be useful to give Scott a chance to increase his familiarity with the RS-GP and better prepare for the arrival of the European races.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
“We knew that this track would be one of the toughest for the RS-GP, plus yesterday we had difficulty with the setup, so my race started as an uphill battle. In spite of this, I was very focused and aggressive at the start. Already in the early laps I had overtaken a lot of other riders, beginning to make up positions. Today my bike truly worked well. The tenth place finish is not an exceptional result, but it was not simple starting from that far back. The only pity was not being able to get past the two riders ahead of me, but in the final laps, the tyre really deteriorated and I had very little traction. It was a solid race that makes us look toward the first European race with great confidence. Our level is high and we can be a surprise on more than one occasion.”
SCOTT REDDING
“Our weekend has started off well, but then I was unable to progress as much as I would have liked to. I rode the race with the hardest tyre both on the front and on the back and the situation improved in terms of the front end, but I was lacking grip at the rear. To be honest, I expected more, but I can't be disappointed: Aleix did an excellent job today and that demonstrates that the bike has good potential, I just need to keep improving and learning.”
ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
“We are very happy because today we showed our true potential, among other things on a track that is traditionally tough for us, with Aleix riding a stupendous comeback race. After the complicated qualifiers yesterday, we were the only ones who went with the hardest compound tyre on the front and the decision paid off, letting Aleix push hard for the entire distance, thereby recovering several positions. We have an outstanding bike and an outstanding team. Today's performance confirms that. Scott is still at a stage where he needs to get to know the bike better in order to be able to take full advantage of it. Tomorrow we'll be back on the track for a day of testing and we'll work hard to dial it in to his comfort, trying various changes in terms of setup.”
FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
"Already after doing a good warmup session, we had the feeling that we could ride a great race and with Aleix we succeeded in doing just that. The tenth place finish after starting nineteenth and battling in the finale for eighth is definitely positive. Also taking into consideration the difficulties we have always encountered on this track, I must give everyone a round of applause. There has been clear progress. It was not an easy weekend, but it is a good starting point for us in anticipation of the races in Europe."
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