Category: IOM TT - Manx Grand Prix

1. Cummins joins Hillier at CSC Racing for Classic TT presented by Bennetts

   Posted on 8:03am Wednesday 22nd Jul 2015

   Two of the Isle of Man TT Races fastest ever riders will be in action in the Classic TT presented by Bennetts with James Hillier and Conor Cummins contesting the event for Somerset-based CSC Racing, firmly signalling the team's intentions for this year's event.

   Hillier, who took three podiums at this year's TT and lapped at 132.414mph to become the third fastest rider in the history of the event, has been a regular at the Classic TT on board the CSC Racing machines.

   The 30-year old took sixth in the 2013 Bennetts 500cc Classic TT Race with a 101mph+ lap and will line up this year on a new 500-4 cylinder for the team, which should see him high up on the leaderboard and he will also ride for the team in the Okells 350cc Classic TT on another Honda machine.

   Cummins, meanwhile, makes a welcome return to the Classic TT after missing last year's meeting and, like Hillier, the Honda Racing rider will contest the Bennetts 500cc Classic TT on a new 500-4 cylinder Honda machine. The Manxman failed to finish the race in 2013 when he was riding a Manx Norton for Dunnell Racing but he did take a good seventh in that year's Okells 350cc Classic TT.

   In addition to Hillier and Cummins, CSC Racing has further strength in depth with Alex Sinclair riding a 350cc Drixton Honda for the team in the Okells 350cc Classic TT. Sinclair was out of luck at the event twelve months ago but had an excellent ride into eighth in 2013 when he also lapped at an impressive 97.480mph

   CSC Racing team owner Steve Caffyn commented:

   "We have not only two of the fastest TT riders riding for our team, but also two of the nicest guys in the paddock to work with and we are really looking forward to the Classic TT, with two riders capable of finishing on the podium."

   "We are also delighted to be able to continue supporting Alex Sinclair who is one of the fastest young riders around racing Classic bikes and who we are sure will surprise a few people with his results this year."

   

2. MARTIN JESSOPP TO MAKE CLASSIC TT DEBUT WITH TEAM YORK SUZUKI

   Posted on 12:31pm Friday 17th Jul 2015

   
   Jessopp, like Johnson, will be having his first taste of the Classic TT as he looks to expand his knowledge of the Mountain Course and the Yeovil rider showed his capabilities at this year's TT Races when he took a best finish of 14th in the PokerStars Senior Race. Competing at the TT for just the second time, the 29-year old also lapped at 128.461mph to become the 23rd fastest rider of all time.

   Jessopp will campaign a TYS/CMB F1 750 for the team, a combination of Kevin Pearson's Team York Suzuki and Craig Brookes' CMB Motorsport. Brookes will be Jessopp's crew chief where he'll be assisted by new team member Rob Acomb and ex-Mark Buckley mechanic George Serc and newcomer to the team, Rob Acomb.

   With sponsorship from York Suzuki Centre, C&A Brack, The Old Ebor Pub, York Digital Image, Maxcestay York, Motul Oils, Maxton Suspension and Race Products Direct, the bike is built around a 1992 ZXR750 Kawasaki with assistance also coming from Mistral Racing. The machine will be one of the most competitive on the grid in the hands of Jessopp who is scheduled to test the bike later this month.

   Speaking about making his Classic TT debut Martin commented:

   "I have been really keen to get involved in the Classic TT for a number of reasons, not least for the extra track time it gives me whilst I am still learning the course. The TT went really well this year and I think we should not be too far away at the Classic TT on the Team York Suzuki bike. I'm very grateful to the team for giving me the opportunity to get involved and I am looking forward to getting back to the Island in August."

3. LEADING SUPERBIKE RIDERS HEAD FOR ITALY AFTER TT LAP EXPERIENCE

   Posted on 10:00am Friday 19th Jun 2015

   A number of high profile World Superbike riders are heading for the next round of the championship in Misano this weekend with their lap of the iconic TT Mountain Course still fresh in their memory.

   Four of the leading contenders, Chas Davies, Sylvain Guintoli, Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes, enjoyed a parade lap around the iconic 37¾ mile circuit in the break between races last Wednesday as part of the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy.

   Following the lap 2014 WSBK Champion Sylvain Guintoli, whose varied career has also included MotoGP and British Championship campaigns said:

   "What an unbelievable feeling. That felt so fast. I had to push to follow the other riders. I looked down at one point at the speedometer and it said 170 and I thought that's not right and I even managed to outbreak myself at one point. What a track."

   Isle of Man resident Jonathan Rea and his Kawasaki Racing teammate Tom Sykes were also on the lap. Jonathan Rea is no stranger to the track and has already enjoyed a closed road lap but it was a first time experience for Tom Sykes who said:

   "I can see why all these riders are so in love with the place. I've never been round it and suddenly looked down and I'm at 170mph as I go through a village. I would have liked to go behind Milky (TT Rider liaison officer Richard Quayle) the whole way round as I felt I was riding blind when I wasn't behind him and was really relaxed when I was. We had a fantastic reaction from the crowd and it was a great experience. I only wish I'd been able to do a few more laps."

   The Kawasaki pair will now resume their head to head at the top of the WSBK leader board in Italy. Rea has built up a lead of over a hundred points with race wins in every round but Sykes ended that run with double victory in the British round of the series at Donington Park.

   The fourth WSBK rider to experience the closed road lap Welshman Chas Davies, the 2011 World Supersport Champion, said:

   "There was so much to take in over one lap. It was like nothing else I've done. My respect levels for the road racers were really high before this but seeing this now, feeling the bumps they're gone through the roof. I'm currently on a safety commission for WSBK and we complain about a few bumps but it's fair to say my perspective has definitely changed."
   
   
   
   Tom Sykes, Jonathan Rea, Sylvain Guintoli and Chas Davies enjoy an ice-cream at the Isle of Man Mountain TT course. 
   

4. John McGuinness takes historic Senior TT win at the Isle of Man‏

   Posted on 9:00am Saturday 13th Jun 2015

   The 2015 Isle of Man TT races drew to a close yesterday with Honda Racing’s John McGuinness storming to victory in the Senior TT race aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP. Team-mate Conor Cummins crossed the line in sixth.

   The six-lap battle originally got underway in perfect conditions at 12.30, however a red flag incident on the second rotation meant the race was restarted at 14.45 and shortened to four laps of the 37.73-mile Mountain course.

   On a mission from the start, McGuinness had claimed the lead by the end of lap one and in a superb display of his renowned skill around the Isle of Man TT, he proceeded to increase the gap sector by sector. After a super-slick pit stop by his crew at the halfway point, McGuinness had opened his lead to 12 seconds.

   During the epic race, the ‘Morecambe Missile' broke the outright Senior TT lap record with a 132.701mph lap and was just a fraction off a sub 17-minute lap. He crossed the line in first place, 14.214 seconds ahead of James Hillier in second and Ian Hutchinson in third. The victory is McGuinness’s 23rd TT win and his seventh in the Senior TT.

   Honda Racing team-mate Cummins put in a solid performance following some adjustments to his machine before the re-start. After a tough start, the ‘Ramsey Rocket' found his rhythm by lap three and managed to catch up with the leading pack to finish sixth.

   It’s been another successful Isle of Man TT for Honda, with four race victories (in the Superbike, Senior and Sidecar races) secured on Honda machinery, taking the manufacturer's tally of TT wins to 176. Honda also received the manufacturer's trophy for another year.

   John McGuinness
   
   Today was a new day. I’ve been struggling a little this week, which is no-one's fault. I have been slow off the line and losing a bit of time, and I needed to find the form I had a few years ago.

   In the restart I didn’t want James Hillier to catch me, so off the start I gave it my all, got my head down and pushed as hard as I could. Lap two I really did give it everything I could and the reaction coming in to the pits was amazing – it felt like it did when I broke the first 130mph lap. My team got me through the pits perfectly and going into the third lap the reaction from the crowd was great and I did think I’d taken the outright lap record.

   I’d like to say a huge thanks to the marshals and the medics out there around the course, who do a fantastic job, and of course to my team and Honda for believing that it was still possible. Riding round the Isle of Man with a 17-second lead felt pretty special!
   
   Conor Cummins
   
   I had a better race today and it’s safe to say it was an electric pace over the four laps. We made an adjustment to the Fireblade after the red flag, which made things a lot better, but it took me some time to adjust and the pace was so fast. I did my best and my team put a lot of work in to make things better for me out there. The last two laps I started to pick up my pace and was making up time. I’m happy with my race and huge congratulations to John for his win - he rode a great race. Also, thanks to Honda for giving me a great bike to ride around here.

   Neil Tuxworth
   
   What a great day for John, the team and of course Honda to win what I suppose is the most iconic race of the week, the Senior TT. John rode superbly and, as I told him, he’s still the man who holds the race record round here on that bike and I knew he had the ability to win the race if he set his mind to it. It was obvious he was in the right mindset today. On lap one when he got to Glen Helen we knew he was fighting for a win and I’m just so pleased for him. He’s been a bit down on himself this week and lost a bit of confidence, which he didn’t need to do, as he’s very strong, along with the CBR and the team. Our lads did an excellent job in the pits and pulled about 10-seconds back. We're so pleased it was a superb performance an d we’re over the moon for him.

   Conor started off a little bit slow but became very strong towards the end and was making up time. A sixth place is very good, the pace was very hot in that race and his average speed was nearly 130mph and he finished in front of some very good riders. To have both machines come home is fantastic.

5. McGuinness wins stunning PokerStars Senior TT on final day of Isle of Man TT Races

   Posted on 6:45pm Friday 12th Jun 2015

   John McGuinness took his 23rd TT victory shattered Bruce Anstey's outright lap record from last year's Superbike race with a sensational speed of 132.701mph as he came home 14.2s clear of James Hillier in the PokerStars Senior race with Ian Hutchinson in third. The victory came after the original race was red flagged on the second lap and a shortened four lap race was restarted at 2.45pm.

   The Honda Racing rider took the lead from Hillier at the Bungalow on the opening lap and when Hutchinson made a mistake at Signpost Corner just before the solitary pit stop, he was able to pull away for his seventh Senior race victory.

   At Glen Helen first time around, Hillier was again in the lead but it was close with McGuinness only eight tenths behind and Hutchinson just a tenth adrift of the Honda rider. Anstey was holding onto fourth ahead of Johnson and Dunlop but Martin had a really poor start and was way down in 13th place.

   By Ramsey, Hillier still led but his advantage was down to six tenths of a second and it was now McGuinness in second with Hutchinson down to third, four tenths further back. Anstey was in fourth with two seconds covering the leading four with Dunlop now in fifth and Hickman sixth.

   An opening lap of 131.850mph - the fastest ever from a standing start - gave McGuinness a 1.2s lead over Hutchinson with Hillier back to third, a further 1.8s back. Anstey, Dunlop and Hickman filled out the top six, the latter having posted his first ever 130mph+ lap, with Martin getting going in seventh.

   McGuinness added half a second to his lead as they swept through Glen Helen for the second time with the top five remaining the same although Martin had moved up to sixth ahead of Hickman. The lead was back up to 1.9s at Ramsey although Martin was now up to fourth, tucking in behind Hutchinson on the road.

   A stunning, new outright lap record of 132.701mph gave McGuinness the lead and the gap had shot up to 10.9s as Hutchinson overshot at Signpost. Hillier remained in third but he was only 0.6s ahead of Martin as the Tyco BMW rider also broke the old outright lap record with a lap of 132.398mph. Anstey was now in fifth and Dunlop sixth and in an astonishing lap, the first 11 riders all lapped at more than 130mph.

   The order remained the same at Glen Helen on lap three and McGuinness had added almost a second and a half to his lead. Hutchinson, in turn, was over five seconds clear of Hillier who had also edged away from Martin also to the tune of five seconds but Dunlop was slipping back and was now in eighth.

   The Morecambe Missile added another second on the run to Ramsey and as he started his final lap around the Mountain Course, his advantage over Hutchinson was an impressive 17.5s. Hillier was a further 6.6s in arrears and he was coming under serious pressure from Martin once more with the difference between the duo now just 2.5s.

   McGuinness was in full control of the race and all eyes were on the battle for second now as Hillier took over the second podium position at Ballaugh, extending his gap to Hutchinson to four seconds as they rounded Ramsey Hairpin for the final time.

   It was all about McGuinness though and the Honda man duly came home for his 23rd TT victory, equalling the seven Senior TT wins of Mike Hailwood. Hillier completed his excellent week in second, also lapping inside the old lap record at 132.414mph, with Hutchinson holding onto third from Martin.

   Dunlop - whose final lap was 132.515mph - and Cummins took fifth and sixth as Anstey faded to eighth and so it was Hickman who took seventh. David Johnson finished ninth and Michael Rutter tenth.

   Hutchinson had the consolation of winning the overall Joey Dunlop TT Championship and with Dan Cooper finishing in 17th place, he secured the TT Privateer's Championship.

   James Hamilton was the rider involved in the incident and he was taken by airmed to Nobles Hospital where his condition was described as serious but not considered life threatening.