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Category: Superbikes
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Irish road racer Lee Johnston will line up for Jackson Racing at this year’s Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, with the diminutive Irishman riding Nicky Hayden’s 2016 World Superbike spec Honda CBR1000RR.
The 27 year old will ride the Ten Kate prepared Fireblade that carried the 2006 MotoGP world champion to a World Superbike Race win last season at Malaysia and fifth overall in the Championship, in the RST Superbike and PokerStars Senior TT Races. He’ll also campaign Hondas in the RL360º Quantum Superstock and two Monster Energy Supersport Races.
Johnston made his TT debut in 2012 and won the coveted TT Privateer’s Trophy, riding Honda machinery, a year later. He was again Honda-mounted in 2014 when he took a best finish of fifth in the Superstock Race and a switch to BMW power in 2015 gave him his first TT podium with third in the Superstock Race. He recorded his best lap to date of 130.851mph in the race and backed it up by the same result in the SES TT Zero Race.
Winner of the 2014 350cc Classic TT, last season was ruined by leg injuries suffered in a crash at the Scarborough Spring Cup in April but he still had some fine rides on the Mountain Course with a brace of sixths taken in the two Monster Energy Supersport Races, eighth in the PokerStars Senior and tenth in the RST Superbike Race.
However, when his East Coast Racing team quit the sport at the end of the year the Fermanagh man was without a ride for 2017. The new deal though means Johnston will also have the new 2017 SP2 spec Fireblade available in stock trim but by opting to ride the 2016 spec ex-Hayden Honda he hopes to avoid any problems in finding a good set up with a brand new bike.
Jackson Racing has a wealth of experience at the TT with the Preston-based squad having previously run, among others, John McGuinness, Steve Mercer, Ian Lougher, Conor Cummins and Mark Miller. Former Manx Grand Prix outright lap record holder Alan Jackson jnr will again head up the team, with Johnston also contesting the North West 200, Ulster Grand Prix and Macau road races.
Lee Johnston said:
“I want to be back at the front again, winning races and I think this is the bike that can help me to do that. I had plenty of offers for this year and in the end it was all of the little things coming together that sealed the deal. We are getting help from Honda but with Alan and his team I can run my own choice of kit, bring some of my own people to work on the bikes and keep my own sponsors.”
“I was over in Holland last week at the Ten Kate workshop and they are super keen to be going back to the TT. Honda doesn’t bring out bad bikes and if the stocker is on the pace then we will have a go on it but realistically I should be winning a Supersport TT before I’m winning a superbike race. I hold the lap record on a 600 at the North West and the Ulster and I’ve won lots of races on that bike but I haven’t turned it into anything at the TT yet. I’m hungrier than ever and I just want to win more races than I did in 2016!”
Alan Jackson said:
“We’re not fazed by the challenge and we have run top road racers like John McGuinness, James Hillier, Ian Lougher and Chris Palmer on our bikes so we’re eagerly looking forward to Lee’s first test on the new bikes in March. With Lee riding our bikes we think we’ve got a strong team with great potential and are keen to talk to potential sponsors and individuals who want to come on board.”
Tickets are now on sale and selling fast for the 2017 TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy. There is limited availability for the Glencrutchery Road Grandstand race day tickets apart from Senior Race day, which is already sold out.
There are still TT Grandstand tickets available at Creg Ny Baa and the two Nobles Park, grandstands during qualifying and race days.
Grandstand tickets are also available by purchasing VIP or Platinum Hospitality tickets.
All tickets are available from iomtt.com or by phoning 00 44 (0)1624 640000.
The full race schedule for the 2017 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy is as follows:
Saturday 3rd June
1100hrs RST Superbike TT Race
1400hrs Sidecar TT Race 1
Monday 5th June
1045hrs Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 1
1415hrs RL 360 Quantum Superstock Race
Wednesday 7th June
1045hrs Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 2
1415hrs Bennetts Lightweight TT Race
1620hrs SES TT Zero Race
Friday 9th June
1015hrs Sidecar TT Race 2
1230hrs PokerStars Senior TT Race
Qualifying takes place from Saturday 27th May to Fri 2nd June between 1820hrs – 2050hrs
For more information on Jackson Racing go to jacksonracing.bike
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Gloucester-based Smiths Racing BMW have confirmed that they have signed 29-year-old Peter Hickman to contest the 2017 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy and the other international road races. Hickman, from Louth in Lincolnshire, will also represent the team in the MCE BSB Series alongside Lee Jackson, riding the Smiths Racing BMW S1000RRs.
The former TT winners and double British Supersport champions endured a difficult season in 2016 due to a number of factors and over the winter months, Team Manager Rebecca Smith has considered their options carefully.
Rebecca Smith, Team Manager:
“There’s no doubting 2016 was a very difficult season for us all at Smiths Racing and although everyone gave 100%, the results just didn’t come. This year, we are taking a slightly different approach with the help of the factory and we now feel we are in a position to challenge much higher up the leaderboard. Both Lee and Peter bring a wealth of BMW experience to the team and both are established BSB riders whilst we are equally delighted to be making a return to the roads with Peter.”
Hickman made his TT debut in 2014 for the Ice Valley BMW team, taking a best finish of eighth in the RL360 Superstock race while he also won silver replicas for 11th place in the PokerStars Senior race and 14th in the RST Superbike. His results saw him win the prestigious Newcomers Trophy and his fastest lap of 129.104mph remains the fastest ever lap recorded by a Mountain Course newcomer.
Continuing with BMW machinery in 2015, this time for Lee Hardy Racing, Hickman took fifth in the RL350 Superstock race, seventh in the PokerStars Senior and eighth in the RST Superbike Race to win three more silver replicas, improving his best lap to 131.626mph in the process.
A switch to the GBMoto Kawasaki team in 2016 saw him take an excellent fourth place in the RST Superbike race where he lapped at 132.465mph to become the fourth fastest rider of all time.
Hickman, from Louth, also won two MCE BSB races last season on his way to winning the Rider’s Cup title as well as taking victory at the Ulster Grand Prix and defending his Macau Grand Prix title. Very much in demand as one of the sport’s great all-rounders, Peter returns to the BMW marque with which he’s enjoyed so much success in the past.
Peter Hickman:
“I have another new challenge to look forward to again this season and I’m relishing it aboard the Smiths Racing BMW. All the dealings I’ve had with the team so far have been fantastic and they are very easy to work with. I know the BMW well having ridden it in the past and we’ve been promised the right support from the factory in Germany, which will make a difference. I’m pleased to be bringing my own crew into the team which is a massive bonus so I’m really looking forward to the season in both BSB and on the roads with Smiths Racing.”
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TT rider Michael Dunlop has been shortlisted for the prestigious Torrens Trophy. The Royal Automobile Club, organisers of the Trophy, announced the shortlist, featuring Dunlop and British riders Cal Crutchlow and Jonathan Rea at the Motorcycle Live show at the NEC. The overall winner will be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday 24 January 2017 at the Club’s historic Pall Mall clubhouse.”
Barrie Baxter, Chairman of the Torrens Trophy Nominations Committee said, “We are delighted to have teamed up once again with Motorcycle Live. It seems only appropriate to announce the contenders of one of the most prestigious industry trophies at the UK’s largest bike show. The Torrens Trophy celebrates an individual or organisation considered to have made an outstanding contribution to motor cycling in Britain.”
Each year the Royal Automobile Club awards a series of historic trophies and medals to individuals and organisations, celebrating and recognising outstanding achievements, technical skills and innovation in the motoring and motor sport industries.
Last year Torrens Trophy recipient was TT racer Hutchinson. His outstanding determination was a tale of courage and overcoming adversity. From nearly losing his leg and having to endure over 30 gruelling operations to returning to the pinnacle of a sport which dealt him a cruel blow and win multiple TT’s was one of the sport's most courageous stories.
The Club’s Torrens Trophy Nominations Committee consists of Chairman and ex-bike racer Barrie Baxter, Royal Automobile Club member Ben Cussons, well-respected motorcycle journalist Mat Oxley, former racer and commentator Steve Parrish, Club member Richard Bourne (son of motor cycle journalist, Arthur Bourne, whom the Trophy is awarded in memory of) and new to the committee is Queen of Bikers Maria Costello MBE who has held the Guinness World Record for being the fastest woman to lap the Isle of Man TT course.
The Torrens Trophy winner will be awarded at the prestigious Pall Mall clubhouse in January 2017. The shortlist of nominees for the 2016 trophy is:
Michael Dunlop
Dunlop won another two Isle of Man TTs last June and raised the Mountain circuit lap record to an astonishing 133.962mph. When it came to riding the fastest bikes around the world’s toughest track, no one could touch him.
Jonathan Rea
The Northern Irishmen rode another faultless season in World Superbike to successfully defend his 2015 title and thus become the first man since Carl Fogarty to score back-to-back championship victories in the class.
Cal Crutchlow
The former World Supersport champion came of age in MotoGP, twice beating nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi to score Britain’s first premier-class Grand Prix victories since Barry Sheene’s last success way back in 1981.
The Torrens Trophy
The Royal Automobile Club has always had a close association with the motor cycling world. The Club formed the Auto Cycle Club in 1903, which went on to become the Auto Cycle Union in 1947. The first Tourist Trophy race was held on the Isle of Man in 1905 for cars - two years before the first TT for motorcycles.
The Torrens Trophy recognises an individual or organisation considered to have made an outstanding contribution to the cause of safe and skillful motorcycling in the United Kingdom OR to have made an outstanding contribution of technical excellence to further the cause of motor cycling in the UK OR to have shown outstanding skill in international motor cycling sporting events in the United Kingdom.
The Torrens Trophy was first awarded in 1978 in memory of Arthur Bourne, a motor cycling journalist who wrote a column under the name Torrens. Arthur Bourne was also a Vice-Chairman of the RAC. It has only been awarded nine times in its history and only when the club feels that the achievement justifies it.
Previous winners of the Torrens Trophy include:
1989 BMW in recognition of their contribution to motor cycle safety through their development of their anti-lock braking system.
1998: The Metropolitan Police’s Ian Kerr for 20 years of tireless work in promoting safe and responsible motorcycling.
2008: World Superbike Champion James Toseland for his immense contribution to raising the profile of motorcycle racing in this country.
2013 Tom Sykes for being crowned the fifteenth World Superbike Champion, the fourth from Great Britain and only the second rider to win for Kawasaki in the series for twenty years.
2014: Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne for his unique achievement of securing a fourth British Superbike Championship.
2015 Ian Hutchinson for his outstanding determination, courage and overcoming adversity to win multiple TT’s.
The Royal Automobile Club:
The Royal Automobile Club was founded in 1897 and its distinguished history mirrors that of motoring itself. In 1907, King Edward Vii awarded the Club its Royal title, sealing the Club’s status as Britain’s oldest and most influential motoring organisation.
The Club’s early years were focused on promoting the motor car and its place in society, which developed into motoring events such as the 1000 Mile Trial, first held in 1900. In 1905, the Club held the first Tourist Trophy, which remains the oldest continuously competed for motor sports event. The Club promoted the first pre-war and post-war Grands Prix at Brooklands in 1926 and Silverstone in 1948 respectively, whilst continuing to campaign for the rights of the motorist, including introducing the first driving licences.
Today, the Club continues to develop and support automobilism through representation on the Motor Sport Association (MSA), Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and RAC Foundation, while continuing to promote its own motoring events, such as the free-to-attend Regent Street Motor Show and the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, which are two of the highlights of the Club’s London Motor Week.
The Royal Automobile Club also awards a series of historic trophies and medals celebrating motoring achievements. These include the Segrave Trophy, the Tourist Trophy, the Simms Medal, the Dewar Trophy, the Torrens Trophy and the Diamond Jubilee Trophy.
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THREE DAYS AT JEREZ FOR ALEIX ESPARGARÒ AND SAM LOWES
Final efforts for Aprilia before the winter break, three days of testing on the Spanish Jerez de la Frontera track. Aleix Espargarò and Sam Lowes were back in the saddle of their RS-GP machines, just a few days after their first contact in Valencia, for a final series of preliminary tests for the development of the bike from Veneto in view of 2017. The less than ideal weather partially complicated the job for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, enough to force the team and riders to stop early because of the rain.
The two sides of the garage had different goals. Aleix Espargarò continued gathering data and information that will be used by the Noale Racing Department in defining the RS-GP in its 2017 configuration. The Spanish rider identified a good base on which to build from now until the next tests in Malaysia. Sam Lowes, visibly suffering after his crash in Valencia, was unable to push too hard astride his RS-GP, so he took advantage of the three days to get to know the team better, also benefiting from the comments made by his more expert garage mate.
Even with the early stop, Aleix did 80 laps with his best stopping the clock at 1'39.675, whereas Sam's best time was 1'42.312 of his 50-lap total.
MARCUS ESCHENBACHER - ALEIX ESPARGARO' CREW CHIEF
"We are heading into the winter break with good sensations. Aleix confirmed what he demonstrated in Valencia, both in terms of performance and harmony with the RS-GP. We have identified a rather precise technical direction to accommodate his riding style and during the winter we will work on bringing a further advanced bike to the first tests at Sepang. The weather did not help us and we also had a crash, but we can look forward to the 2017 season optimistically".
GIULIO NAVA - SAM LOWES CREW CHIEF
"Sam is suffering from the after-effects of his crash in Valencia, but he put himself to the test anyway at Jerez to continue growing. We have a long season ahead of us, so for the moment it is important to rack up the miles in the saddle and get to know the mechanisms of the team. Despite his physical difficulties, I think these tests added another notch in the belt for Sam's apprenticeship. I'm sure that in Malaysia his potential will begin to show. We can't consider the times from these tests as any real indication".
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Halsall Racing today confirmed that the team will contest the 2017 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy and other international road circuits with Ballymoney rider William Dunlop. The announcement ends significant speculation on the future direction that the team would take following their recent decision to vacate the British Superbike paddock.
Team owner Halsall has been a long-standing passionate and loyal supporter of road racing. A regular attendee at the Isle of Man, the Lancashire based entrepreneur has always been open about his desire to one day compete with the team across the International circuits.
“This has certainly been a personal ambition of mine to make a move towards this discipline of the sport”, stated Halsall. “Road racing is a truly unique experience, with so much passion and energy. There has never been a better time to take this step and I am really excited about the prospects ahead.”
Halsall and Dunlop had initially examined options for a partnership back in 2013. “It’s true that we had explored possibilities previously, but the timing was not right. If I cannot give one hundred percent to a project, I won’t do it. It’s that simple. We’ve continually maintained dialogue with a view towards potentially working together in the future. Now is the time and I can give William my full attention for our roads campaign in 2017.”
Halsall arrives on the roads with vast experience and professionalism has been gleaned from years of running a team in the domestic short circuit series. The owner certainly has the knowledge to deliver a leading package and remains highly confident about the task ahead.
“This will be a challenge for sure, but I am optimistic about our potential prospects,” stated the owner. “With our proven ability to operate a leading race team, coupled with William’s extensive roads knowledge, we can make this very successful. I know how to build a team and we will be recruiting key individuals with unparalleled experience in road racing to ensure that our package is the best. Our focus and attention will be on William and on him alone. He will have the right infrastructure around him and it will be dedicated to ensuring he has everything he needs to be successful."
No details have been provided on the machinery that the team will be running with a further announcement expected in January. However it is understood that both Halsall and Dunlop are considering a ‘variety of options’.
“With no ties to any one manufacturer, this offers the flexibility for us as a privateer team to select the right tools for the job and choose the most suitable bikes for each discipline. Bikes that William feels can give him the best opportunity across each of the classes. He will have whatever he needs for Superbike, Superstock and Supersport. We are being guided by his experience and choice of manufacturer. Our aim is to confirm this fully in the coming weeks and months.” added Halsall.
Having finalised an agreement with Halsall Racing earlier this week, thirty-one year old Dunlop outlined how the opportunity with the Lancashire based team was certainly worth the wait.
“Martin runs a very strong team and you only have to look at what he has done and achieved on the short circuits to see that he ensures everything is done in the correct way. It’s sleek, professional and highly driven. To have the team dedicated to me alone, will certainly raise my game. It’s the ride that I have been seeking and it’s been worth the wait to finally get this agreement in place. We’ll be learning a great deal along the way, but I’m confident we can deliver some success in 2017 and I can’t wait to get started. This is also an opportunity for me to express my thanks to the loyal supporters and sponsors that have backed me in 2016 and have been extremely positive about the move to Halsall Racing. I’d like to thank everyone for their continued support”, stated the Ballymoney rider.
The team will begin an extensive programme of Spanish and UK testing during the early part of the New Year. “Time on the bike is so important ahead of the new season”, commented Dunlop. “It worked this season as we saw, particularly on the Superbike at the TT for riders that had the preparation before the start of the roads season. I was not as sharp at the start of 2016 because I had very limited time on the bike in those opening months. By the time we arrived at Portrush, that deficiency was very clear for me. It really set the tone for my season and I don’t want to be in that position next year. Our plan with Halsall Racing is to ensure that I am in the best form by the time we arrive for the North West 200”, concluded Dunlop.
The main focus for the team will be the three main International road races, but owner Halsall also indicated that further to discussion with the rider, a number of Irish road events ‘may be considered’ as part of the 2017 schedule, but emphasised that the full programme of events would be released in the New Year.
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