Category: IOM TT - Manx Grand Prix

1. Yamaha Classic Race Team confirm Isle of Man TT Parade line up to celebrate Yamaha's 50th anniversary

   Posted on 12:00am Monday 31st Jan 2011

   Motorcycling legends and iconic machines confirmed for TT2011 appearance

   Some of the greatest names and most exotic machinery in Yamaha's history will be on the Isle of Man for this year's Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy courtesy of the Dutch based Yamaha Classic Racing Team.

   The international team, which includes multiple TT Race winners and World Champions, will be performing a parade lap as part of the legendary Japanese manufacturer's 50th anniversary, which is appropriately also the 100th anniversary that racing has taken place around the famous 37¾-mile Mountain Circuit.

   The line up includes multiple world champion Phil Read MBE, Yamaha's most successful rider, who also won 8 TT's and will ride the Yamaha RD05A 250cc that he rode to the '68 world championship. One of the greatest names in TT history, Phil will be making his first appearance on a Yamaha since the 1972 TT.

   Germany's Dieter Braun, world champion in 1970 and 1973, as well as a TT winner in 1970, will be riding the Yamaha YZ634 350cc that 7 time TT winner and fellow world champion Chas Mortimer raced on the Island in 1972, while Chas will parade on a Yamaha TZ750.

   Australian Kel Carruthers who won the 1970 Lightweight 250cc TT will be renewing his acquaintance with Rod Gould, runner up in that race but who went on to win that year's world championship from Carruthers. Gould will be on a 1972 YZ635 250cc machine that he and Barry Sheene both raced in the World Championship.

   Ulsterman Tommy Robb will be evoking memories of his popular 1973 125cc Ultra-Lightweight TT victory by appearing on the YZ623cc machine that he won that memorable race on.

   The line up also includes Finland's Pentti Korhonen who will be riding a 350 4 cylinder RR08A and Jos Schurgers who will be on the four cylinder RA31A 125.

   This eclectic group of riders is completed by American 750cc World Champion Steve Baker, who was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1989. The popular rider, known for his flamboyant riding style, was the first American World Champion in the 1977 750cc championship, and he also finished runner up to Barry Sheene in the 500cc championship in the same year as well as winning the Daytona 200. He is making a much-anticipated first appearance on the Island.

   The team will also be bringing some classic machines that will go on display at the grandstand from Wednesday 8thJune. It is hoped that machines that will be on show will include Phil Read's RD56 from 1964 and Bill Ivy's 1960 TT winning RA97.

   As well as the parade, which will take place on Friday 10th June, the team will also be appearing in a Yamaha Classic Racing Team Parade on Douglas Promenade on Wednesday 8th June as part of the night-time entertainment.

   A 'Dawn Chorus' event, with echoes of morning practices, is scheduled for early on Thursday 9thJune, which will include riders and mechanics in period costume in pit lane with all of the bikes on display. Fans will get the chance to meet their Yamaha heroes as part of the 'Day of Champions' also lined up for the TT Grandstand on the same day.

   Ferry Brouwer, Team Owner, Yamaha Classic Racing Team commented:

   "We are delighted that Yamaha's 50th anniversary is coinciding with the centenary celebrations of the Mountain Course and we are sure that the TT fans will enjoy the sights and sounds of these spectacular machines and the chance to see these legendary riders close up."

   Allan Bell, MHK, Minister, Department of Economic Development commented:

   "We are very much looking forward to sharing this special year in the history of the IOM TT Races with the Yamaha Classic Racing Team and celebrating their 50th anniversary year with us."

2. The official website of the Isle of Man TT and official live timing service attracted almost one million visits during the 2010 TT.

   Posted on 12:00am Thursday 15th Jul 2010

   Figures released by Duke Marketing, which operates iomtt.com on behalf of the Isle of Man Government, show visits to the site and its TT Live! service increased to 939,381, up 42% compared with the 2009 TT.

   TT Live!, which offered fans the chance to listen to live commentary on the internet while watching sector times and speeds as they happened, attracted 115,739 visits between May 29th and June 13th, an increase of 272% on the 2009 figures. The service, which was free during the 2010 TT, had an average of more than 30,000 users during the races, peaking at 32,399 during the PokerStars Superbike TT.

   While the number of visits makes positive reading, it is the numbers of unique users – or different people - which truly shows the rapidly growing popularity of the TT website. The figures for ‘unique users’ show how many individuals came to iomtt.com during the TT, and, in 2010, the number of unique users was 342,944 people, up by 34%.

   During the two weeks of the TT, the site had more than 5 million page impressions and data also shows that people were visiting more pages and spending longer compared with previous years on the site. During the festival, TT Live! was used by a total of 69,677 different people.

   The UK and Isle of Man accounted for the highest number of the visits, but the top 10 also included the US, Australia and Spain and more than half the visits from America were new visitors to the site.

   Duke Managing Director Peter Duke, whose company signed a new multi-year contract to continue running iomtt.com in 2010, said:

   “The figures for iomtt.com and TT Live! in 2010 are further evidence of the growing popularity of the Isle of Man TT. To attract almost 1 million visits to the site from nearly 350,000 different people exceeded our highest expectations, and we are very pleased that the website, and especially TT Live!, is contributing so much to the global awareness and popularity of the TT.”

   “We redesigned the website ahead of the 2010 TT to incorporate a new look, video content and other improved features. We also provided online commentary and live timings free of charge, and expanded our social networking presence with a dedicated Facebook page and Twitter account, both of which were regularly updated with news from the course and photos through each race day.”

   “This commitment from the team at Duke has brought extremely positive feedback from site visitors from all over the world. In just a handful of weeks, our Facebook group has built up more than 16,000 fans and the 34% increase in people using iomtt.com speaks for itself.”

   Mr Duke added:

   “The Isle of Man TT is a truly international event, and the use of iomtt.com and TT Live! clearly shows that. During the 2010 TT we had visitors from 179 countries and territories – including the Arctic!”
   “This is only the first year of our new contract, and the improvements made so far have brought excellent results. We will be building on the 2010 TT to deliver even more for the hundreds of thousands of TT fans, new and old, all over the world through iomtt.com.”

   Isle of Man Tourism Political Member Geoff Corkish said:

   “These figures are very encouraging and show that the programmes that we have put in place are increasing the global audience and commercial value of the TT. This will provide tangible benefits not only to the event itself but also the Isle of Man as a whole.”

3. SUZUKI CELEBRATE 50 YEARS IN GRAND STYLE AT THE TT

   Posted on 12:00am Saturday 12th Jun 2010

   The 2010 Isle of Man TT races finished in grand style today - quite literally, as the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Team came to town to celebrate Suzuki's 50th anniversary of International Racing, with Italian legend Loris Capirossi and the GSV-R 800 MotoGP machine.

   With Capirossi making his maiden visit to the Island, the MotoGP rider, who started his 300th Grand Prix in Qatar at the start of the season, arrived on Thursday to acclimatise himself with the Isle of Man before riding the 37.73 mile course.

   On the final, Dainese Senior Race day, Capirossi lead away the Suzuki parade on a Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 for his first ever lap of the famous TT course and afterwards commented, "This place is incredible. I've seen the TV footage before, but nothing prepares you for the TT course. The surface is much bumpier than I imagined and when you see the speeds that these guys run at, it is simply amazing. It's a fantastic event that you could never replicate anywhere else in the world."

   As the final race of the week concluded, Suzuki signed-off the 2010 racing fortnight, with the first ever lap of the TT course by a MotoGP machine, with Relentless Suzuki by TAS TT racer Cameron Donald riding the GSV-R and setting a fastest top speed down Sulby straight at 202mph.

   Donald commented, "Man, that was just amazing. I thought the bike would be really difficult and twitchy to ride, but it was great. I was expecting to ride a steady lap, but it was so good that I was able to get a great rhythm going and pick up a fast pace. In fact, it was so good, I reckon we need to get some regulation changes for next year as this thing with a few more laps on it, would really fly here."

   Despite not looking to smash any records, Donald still managed to set a highest top-speed, with 202mph recorded on the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R down Sulby straight.

4. SAD NEWS TT 2010

   Posted on 12:00am Friday 11th Jun 2010

   The Auto Cycle Union regret to announce that Paul Dobbs, 39, from Onewhero, New Zealand, was killed during the Supersport 2 race at the TT races in a racing incident at Ballagarey.
   
   Paul was an experienced TT competitor with a best finish of sixth in the 400cc lightweight TT race in 2000. He first competed in the Isle of Man TT Races in 1999.
   
   He was married with two children. The ACU wishes to pass on their deepest sympathy to the rider’s family and friends.
   
   Jim Parker, Chairman, ACU, commented: “Paul was a really popular rider in the paddock and was a great competitor. He was a very talented rider who made many friends in the racing community. He will be sorely missed.”

5. Moto Czysz confirm position as favourites for Isle of Man TT Zero Race with unofficial lap record for electric bikes

   Posted on 12:00am Monday 7th Jun 2010

   Portland based team Moto Czysz and their rider Mark Miller confirmed their position as race favourites for the 2010 TT Zero Electric bike race at the Isle of Man TT races with a lap of 94.664mph.

   The team recorded the fastest ever lap – albeit an unofficial lap record as it is not recorded during a race - for an electric bike around the famous mountain course, beating the 2009 race record of their closest challengers Team Agni who recorded 87.434mph average lap speed in winning the 2009 race.

   Moto Czysz lead from the start of the practice and were already over 17 seconds ahead of their nearest challengers ManTTx (James McBridge) at Glen Helen with defending champion Rob Barber and Team Agni third fastest. Martin Loicht’s HTBLAUVA - XX Project, Kingston University (George Spence) and Mark Buckley and Team Ecolve were also timed at over 60mph. Team Agni passed the Manx team before Ballaugh but were unable to match the speeds of the MotoCzysz team who were clocked at 102.566mph to Ramsey, having been recorded at a speed of 131.1 through the Sulby Speed Trap. Barber’s Team Agni also clocked over 100mph at Sulby.

   The Americans continued their impressive charge and were still just below the 100mph (99.974mph) at the Bungalow and eventually finished over 3 minutes ahead of their nearest challengers. Team boss Michael Czysz believes that the team could still claim the £10,000 prize that the Isle of Man Government will award if a team can break the prestigious 100mph average lap speed around the course but acknowledges that it is an uphill task. Reflecting on their success to date he said: “I’m really confident now with the bike and will happily not touch it now until the race. I think that the bike is capable of achieving the 100mph lap as we still have something in reserve but it will require everything going right on race day.”

   Ten teams are participating in the 2010 TT Zero with SERT, the Swedish Electric Race team, unable to practice tonight due to a malfunctioning engine. New parts are being rushed to the Island ahead of Wednesday afternoon’s race.