Category: IOM TT - Manx Grand Prix

1. Padgetts MMCG Racing lines up multiple TT winners in their 2012 TT Races team

   Posted on 12:01am Thursday 23rd Feb 2012

   Padgetts MMCG Racing, the Yorkshire based racing team that operates out of its Batley based showroom, has confirmed an exciting line up for the 2012 TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, that contains three race winners from last year's races.

   Eight-time TT race winner Bruce Anstey, who won last year's Monster Energy Supersport Race 1, has again signed up for this year's meeting and will race for the team in the Monster Energy Supersport 1 and 2, Royal London 360 Superstock, Dainese Superbike and PokerStars Senior Races.

   Bruce will be joined for the Supersport and Superstock races by last year's teammate John McGuinness, who, with seventeen race wins under his belt, added the Superbike and Senior races last year to his list of victories.

   John also won the overall title last year, helped by runner up finishes in both the Superstock and second Supersport Races on Padgetts machinery.

   The experienced pair have a new teammate this year in Gary Johnson, who achieved his maiden TT victory in last year's second Supersport Race. Gary will race the Superbike and Senior races for the Padgetts outfit.

   The Padgetts MMCG Racing team has become a byword in consistency at the TT with 9 wins, including Ian Hutchinson's record breaking five in a week in 2010, in the last four years.

   Since 2007, the team has taken a total of fourteen podiums with four fastest laps including two lap records in the Superstock class in 2009 and 2010. In total, the team has twenty-four top five finishes from the last thirty one races they've started in the same five year period. Between the 2008 and 2010 Senior Races they won eight out of the eleven races held.

   Clive Padgett, team boss at Padgett's MMCG Racing, is clearly looking forward to the new season and said: "We've got a great team again this year and I know that all the lads enjoy racing for our team. Everyone gets on really well and feels part of the family when they climb onto our bikes. I'm delighted to welcome Gary on board and I'm sure we can help him, and John and Bruce, to add to their wins on the mountain course. Roll on June."

   Paul Phillips, TT and Motorsport Manager, Isle of Man Government, commented:
   "Padgetts has established themselves as the team to beat on the Isle of Man. There's a saying on the Isle of Man that to win the race you've got to finish it and Padgetts consistent performance has meant that they have had an unbeatable record over the last few years."

2. Double TT winner Cameron Donald confirms Lightweight TT entry

   Posted on 12:01am Monday 20th Feb 2012

   Double TT winner Cameron Donald has confirmed that he'll be contesting the new Lightweight TT in June this year.

   The Isle of Man TT will be the only event where Donald will race in the class and the 34-year old will ride a high-spec ER6 Kawasaki for Mick Charnock's DC Coldplaning team in the 3-lap Lightweight TT, which will take place on the final Friday of race week.

   Charnock and Donald have a successful history together on the Isle of Man having joined forces back in 2005 when the Australian made his TT debut. He went on to take 11th and 16th in the two Supersport TT Races that year and picked up the coveted Newcomer's Trophy in the process.

   Cameron has since gone on to become one of the TT's star performers, winning the 2008 Superbike and Superstock Races. He has also recorded a further four podium positions including the runner-up slot in last year's Dainese Superbike Race.
   He is expected to be one of several previous TT winners making his debut in the new class with further announcements due on the line up once entries have closed at the end of February.

   Paul Phillips, TT and Motorsport Manager, Isle of Man Government, commented:
   "We've already had a great reaction to the Supertwin class and a number of the leading teams and riders have confirmed including a few surprises. It's going to be a very competitive race and represents something different for the fans this year."

3. Honda TT Legends complete successful tyre test

   Posted on 12:01am Saturday 18th Feb 2012

   The Honda TT Legends team has successfully completed a Dunlop tyre test at the Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia in preparation for the 2012 Endurance World Championship, which kicks off in April with the Bol d’Or 24-hour.
   
   The three-day test was the first official outing for new signing Gary Johnson, who will contest in the EWC alongside John McGuinness, Cameron Donald and Simon Andrews. Donald and Andrews – who are both recovering from injury – did not attend.
    
   McGuinness and Johnson put in over 350 laps and covered almost 2,000km as the team trialled a variety of Dunlop tyre compounds in the intense Malaysian heat. They left the Sepang circuit yesterday in a positive mood having achieved all the agreed objectives.
    
   Neil Tuxworth – team manager; The three-day test has been very successful as we accomplished all the goals agreed with Dunlop beforehand. We certainly found some tyres that will not only work well in hot weather, which was the main objective of the test, but will also be beneficial for other races this year.
   
   John McGuinness; The test has been terrific to be honest. I’ve never ridden such a long distance in heat like this but it’s so good to be back on the bike and blowing the cobwebs away. We’ve done a huge amount of work in just three days. We went though a lot of compounds and found some really good set ups on the front and rear so it’s been very positive. I’m  really looking forward to the season now and can’t wait to get going on the 2012 Fireblade.
    
   Gary Johnson; This has been a great first test. I’ve gained a lot of experience and lost a lot of sweat – it was so hot! I’m really pleased that we got so many laps in and over the three days we have made some great progress on both the front and rear tyres. This was my first test with Honda TT Legends and it all went like clockwork. The crew works so well together and it means I can concentrate fully on my job on the bike.

   2012 Endurance World Championship calendar

   14 April - Bol d'Or 24-hour, France
   24 June - Doha 8-hour, Qatar
   29 July - Suzuka 8-hour, Japan
   11 August - Oschersleben, Germany
   8 September - Le Mans 24-hour, France 

4. SCOTT LAWRIE AND JAMES NEAVE CONFIRM ENTRY FOR 2012 ISLE OF MAN TT RACES SIDECAR RACES

   Posted on 12:01am Thursday 1st Dec 2011

   Scott Lawrie and James Neave, one of the UK’s leading sidecar outfits has confirmed that they will be making their first time appearance on the Mountain Course at the 2012 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy. The pair made the announcement at ‘TT Day’ at Motorcycle Live at the NEC.

   Scottish driver Lawrie has had a rapid rise in the British F1 Sidecar Championship and, after finishing 12th in 2010, he shot up the table this season to take a superb 3rd place overall, only denied the runner-up spot to eventual Champion Tim Reeves after bad luck in the closing rounds. With 9 podiums from the 20 race series, it’s clear the talented Edinburgh man will be one to watch as he pits his wits against the 37 and ¾-mile circuit for the first time.

   He also impressed on the World stage and although he only had two appearances in the 2011 World Championship, he made it count with 4th and 5th at the two races held at Oschersleben and 8th in race 1 at Schleiz. That was good enough to place him 9th overall in the Championship table and backed up his 7th place in the 2010 series where his best race result was again 4th, at Rijeka, Croatia.

   Meanwhile, Neave, despite being one of the youngest passengers on the grid at 23, has already tasted race action at the TT having been in the chair with Andy Laidlow in 2009 where they finished 10th in the only race held that year. Their fastest lap was a more than creditable 106.069mph and, having partnered Lawrie since 2009, he’ll be the perfect ballast come June.

   As well as going into 2012 as major British and World Championship F1 contenders, Scott and James are keen to make an impression at the Isle of Man TT, an event they have always been keen to try together and, with this in mind they have readily entered this year’s event where they will contest both three-lap Sure Sidecar Races.

   The pairing have already begun preparing both outfits for the coming season and will call on the expertise of Steve Webster, the ten-times World Champion, who has been assisting their quest in recent years.

   Talking about his debut, Lawrie commented:

   “I’ve been thinking about contesting the Isle of Man for a while and believe the time is now right for me to make my debut. The F2 MR Equipeoutfit will be new to me as well as the Mountain Course, obviously, so I realise that I still have a lot to learn but with James already having solid experience on the Island it will stand us in good stead. The Newcomers have done incredibly well in recent years but I’ll approach the event in my own way and won’t set myself too many targets in my first year. It’s a long term project for me so the main thing for 2012 is to learn the course, do a good, solid job, enjoy myself and come back stronger in subsequent years.”

   With two former World Champions, Tim Reeves and Ben Birchall, again on the entry list for the 2012 TT, as well as the established leading runners, including John Holden and the returning 14-times winner Dave Molyneux, the F2 Sidecar races at the Isle of Man continue to be the most prestigious sidecar races in the world and the two races in June promise action and quality of the very highest order.

   Paul Phillips, TT and Motorsport Manager, commented:

   “I’m delighted that we have secured the participation of this outfit as they are hugely promising competitors who I’m sure will do well on the Isle of Man for many years to come. The sidecar class, once again promises to be the unofficial World Championship and there are a number of very interesting crews in this year’s race.”

   The 2012 Isle of Man TT begins with a week of practice from May 26th through to June 1st with the two three-lap Sidecar Races set for Saturday June 2nd and Wednesday June 6th.

5. Farquhar continues quest for Royal London 360° Superstock TT glory

   Posted on 12:01am Tuesday 22nd Nov 2011

   The Dungannon racer was widely expected to achieve another podium finish in the 2011 race after finishing just one second behind history-maker Ian Hutchinson in 2010. However, a crash at Keppel Gate during the final practice session of this year’s event ended his TT prematurely.

   Farquhar, a race winner in 2004 and 2005 with a number of other podium finishes, was speaking at the Motorcycle Live show in Birmingham and commented: “I still have unfinished business in the Superstock class, particularly after last year’s disappointment. I’m looking forward to next year’s races and will be looking to build on my 2010 performance.”

   Royal London 360° has signed a new three-year commitment which will see it sponsoring the Royal London 360° Superstock TT race until 2014. The Isle of Man based offshore life company, which offers a broad range of award-winning investment, savings and tax-planning products to investors around the world, is the TT’s longest existing sponsor, having supported the event since 2002.

   Farquhar continued: “I am delighted to see a Manx company making such a valued contribution to the success of the TT and I am looking forward to working with Royal London 360° again over the next three years, and hopefully reaching the top step of the podium once more in 2012!”

   Royal London 360°’s investment in the Isle of Man TT extends beyond race sponsorship. The company is committed to promoting the event in the international jurisdictions in which it operates; every year it flies a large number of guests to the Island from places including China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Switzerland and even Jamaica to experience the thrill of TT racing first hand for the first time.

   In addition, Finance and Commercial Director, Mike Crellin, and Technical Marketing Manager, Neil Chadwick, are experienced TT competitors. Although Mike has reluctantly hung up his leathers, Neil continues to race and will compete in the Pre-TT Classic at Billown next May.
   Mike Crellin commented: “Our sponsorship of the Royal London 360° Superstock TT race is a partnership which has worked both commercially and locally for us since 2002, and we are really excited to be continuing our sponsorship of the event for another three years.

   “It is vital for us that we continue to invest in our Manx roots yet promote the Island internationally, and our sponsorship of the Royal London 360° Superstock TT race allows us to do this. It makes such a difference to our relationships with our key stakeholders that we are able to bring them to the Isle of Man, spend time with them and enjoy the TT, and we look forward to this continuing!”

   The Royal London 360° Superstock TT race takes place on Monday 4 June 2012.