Ryan Kneen has been awarded the 2018 PokerStars Spirit of the TT Award following brother Dan’s accident during this year’s TT Races.

The Kneen family have close links with the road racing community and Ryan, who was also competing in this year’s TT Races meeting, went out at the back of Thursday’s qualifying session wearing his brother’s helmet, following Dan’s death in Wednesday’s Superbike practice.

The PokerStars Spirit of the TT Award is given annually to the person or persons who best represent the ethos and values of the TT Races including decency, honesty, generosity, courage, compassion, integrity, respect, teamwork and commitment to the development of the races.

The presentation of the award was made on Friday – Senior Race Day - on the Grandstand podium ahead of the PokerStars Senior TT Race.

Guy Templer, Chief Operating Officer, The Stars Group, who presented the award commented:

“The Kneen family has shown incredible resilience and spirit and this was typified by Ryan’s gesture in his tribute practice lap to his brother that received such an incredible reaction from the fans at the event and a remarkable surge of support on-line as well.”

Rob Callister, MHK, Isle of Man Government’s Tourism and Motorsport representative said:

"Everyone in the local community and the broader road racing scene, was affected by Dan’s death. He was a hugely popular figure on the Isle of Man and made a great impact on everybody that met him. He will be sorely missed.”

He continued:

“It is entirely appropriate that this year’s PokerStars Spirit of the TT award goes to Ryan whose spirit and dignity is a shining example of the values and ethos of the event. I personally attend the legacy lap on Sunday and it was incredibly moving to see Ryan and his father Richard leading around eight thousand bikers around the TT course.”

Representatives from the Isle of Man Government's Motorsport team including Rob Callister MHK, TT rider liaison officers Richard Quayle and John Barton, ACU Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson and the Stars Group Chief Operating Officer Guy Templer judged the award. Nominations were invited from members of the public and from officials associated with the TT.

Previous winners have included Paul Owen, Conor Cummins, the Birchall Brothers, TT Marshal Eric Alexander and TTRA secretary Frances Thorp. The then ninety-one year old Harold Leece who opened up his garden to visitors every year and 8 year old fundraiser Cici Reed received the award in 2015 and the 2016 winner was TT rider Paul Shoesmith. Last year’s award was shared between the three organisers of the TT facebook helpline page - Barbara Keene, Margaret Cain and Sandra Diamond - which was set up to help visitors to the Isle of Man with travel and accommodation emergency issues.

A packed trackside crowd were treated to one of the greatest races in the TT’s long illustrious history as Peter Hickman won a sensational PokerStars Senior TT race at the Isle of Man TT races, fuelled by Monster Energy, on Friday when he set a new outright lap record of 135.452mph on the final lap to defeat Dean Harrison by just two seconds.

The pair featured on the cover of the Official TT Programme and the ‘H-Bomb’ feature only hinted at the spectacular race that was to unfold at the climax of this year’s TT meeting as lap, race and sector records were all obliterated as the pair battled for the historic trophy.

Harrison had led the race for five and a half of the six laps but Hickman reeled him on the sixth lap and, having been quicker over the Mountain all race, he turned a 3.7s deficit at Glen Helen into a lead of 0.8s at the Bungalow and he smashed the race record by 48.064s to take his second win. Harrison took second with Conor Cummins in third.

After the race Hickman paid respect to Harrison and revealed that he had targeted the Mountain section of the Course as an opportunity to make up time;

“I knew that Dean was going to be fast but I’d always been strong on the Mountain section throughout the week. It’s a bit like a short circuit and I came into my own on it. I thought it if I was within five or six seconds on the last lap I could have a go over the Mountain.”

Harrison led Hickman by 1.2s through Glen Helen on the opening lap with Dunlop a further second back in third as Hillier, Cummins and David Johnson completed the top six and by Ramsey, the Kawasaki rider had doubled his advantage to 2.4s. Dunlop remained in third but was some 8.4s behind Hickman. Hillier’s strong week ended though with a retirement at Westwood.

Cummins led on the road with a lap of 131.754mph but it was Harrison who led with a lap of 133.678mph. However, Hickman was only 1.4s behind although Dunlop’s challenge looked to be already over as he was almost 13 seconds behind his fellow BMW rider. Cummins, David Johnson and Josh Brookes completed the top six but Johnson pulled into the pits to retire promoting namesake Gary Johnson into sixth.

Leading privateer Sam West was close to his maiden 130mph lap in eighth with newcomer Davey Todd performing superbly in tenth.

Through Glen Helen on lap two and Harrison had edged away from Hickman again to the tune of 3.5s with Cummins now third as Dunlop slipped further back. Brookes was up to fifth and West now a superb sixth and Todd a stunning eighth.

Harrison had added another second to his lead as he rounded Ramsey Hairpin and he came into his first pit stop at the end of lap two having lapped at 133.704mph. His lead had been slashed though with Hickman now only 1.4s in arrears once more. Cummins, Dunlop, Brookes and West rounded out the top six. Todd was now in eighth.

After the pit stop and through Glen Helen for the third time, Harrison’s lead had crept out to 4.8s and the duo were over half a minute clear of Cummins who was now coming under pressure from Dunlop with the gap just over half a second.

Throughout the first half of lap three, Harrison continued to pull away, with his lead at Ramsey over eight seconds, but Hickman was again quicker over the Mountain and as they started lap four, the difference between the two was back down to 5.8s. Cummins was looking more comfortable in third with Dunlop now 13.6s behind in fourth as Brookes and West held onto fifth and sixth.

At Ramsey Hairpin on lap four, Harrison had stretched his lead over Hickman to 6.9s but Hickman again showed his strength over the Mountain reducing the deficit at the Bungalow to 4.4s. And he wasn’t done there either, setting a new outright lap record of 134.456mph on his way into the second pit stop, the gap now just 1.402s. The order behind stayed constant as Cummins pulled further away from Dunlop with Brookes looking comfortable in fifth but Gary Johnson had overhauled West for sixth.

The second and final pit stop saw changes though as by Glen Helen on lap five Harrison’s lead had shot back up to 6.2s although by Ramsey Hickman had shaved 1.2s off despite his engine sounding significantly louder than how it started.

It was down to 3.6s at the Bungalow, 2.5s at Cronk ny Mona and as Hickman crossed the line to start the final, thrilling lap, his deficit to Harrison was only 1.9s. Harrison’s superiority over the first nine miles saw him open up the margin to 3.7s as traffic also came into play on the final lap and he pulled even further away on the high speed run to Ballaugh, his advantage now 5.7s.

However, Hickman really flew on the run to Ramsey bringing the lead down to just two seconds and by the Bungalow, he’d taken the lead for the first time by the slender margin of 0.834s. He doubled that at Cronk ny Mona but all eyes were on the chequered flag and Harrison crossed the line with a new lap record of 134.918mph/ 16:46.742 which he held for forty five seconds before Hickman crossed the line in a sensational, new outright lap record of 135.452mph, pipping Harrison to the race win by two seconds.

Cummins was over a minute and a half back in third with Dunlop, Brookes and Johnson finishing in fourth to sixth, Brookes’ final lap of 131.745mph the fastest by Norton and by an Australian.

West’s superb ride ended on lap five and although that promoted Phil Crowe up into seventh, the Lincolnshire also went out after coming off at Whitegates on the final lap, fortunately without injury, and the eventual seventh place finisher was Martin Jessopp with Jamie Coward, Todd and Brian McCormack completing the top ten. 

Dunlop’s fourth place was enough for him to pick up the Joey Dunlop TT Championship with 94 points, with Hickman (86) and Harrison (81) taking second and third.

Todd’s brilliant week saw him pick up the TT Privateer’s Championship as well as the Newcomer’s Trophy.

Swedish rider Bjorn Gunnarsson had an accident at Glen Tramman and was taken by airmed to Nobles hospital and treated for bruising while Dom Herbertson (Laurel Bank), Mike Norbury (Keppel Gate), Michael Mylchreest (Gorse Lea) and Philip Crowe (Whitegates) also came off their machines during the race but all were reported as unhurt.

As summer hails the start of peak biking season, specialist motorcycle insurers Devitt Motorcycle Insurance Brokers has launched a new study to discover attitudes between car drivers and motorcyclists.

Far from the speed-fuelled stereotypes often attributed to them, research shows that the top priority for more than two fifths (41%) of British motorcyclists is to stay safe on the road. Fewer than one percent (0.21%) said their goal was to ride fast.

The results confirm that motorcyclists take safety on the roads extremely seriously. When riding closely to other vehicles, nine out of 10 motorcyclists (90%) say they are concerned about their safety. In addition, nearly three quarters (71%) of bikers claim car drivers are distracted. A further two thirds (62%) also consider drivers to be impatient on the road. 

In comparison, the majority (61%) of drivers said their number-one priority was getting to their destination, with less than a fifth (19%) saying safety was their primary objective. While nearly half (48%) of drivers surveyed also felt that bikers were impatient, fewer than one in 20 (4%) considered motorcyclists to be distracted on the roads.

Drivers also expressed concern about riding closely to bikers. A third of male drivers (67%), and even more female drivers (73%), said they were vigilant of their own safety when driving near motorcyclists. 

Commenting on the findings, Tom Warsop, Head of Marketing at Devitt Motorcycle Insurance Brokers, said: “For many, motorcycling is a leisure activity which provides a great way to get out and about in the countryside, and to enjoy the good weather. In contrast, driving is more readily associated with day-to-day tasks, such as going to and from work, which may shed some light on why bikers are considered to be more focused than drivers.

“However, there is common ground between drivers and bikers with regard to safety. The results also suggest that road users are stereotyping each other, despite the findings showing that both groups are concerned about keeping themselves – and their vehicles – safe.

“In line with this, Devitt has prepared a list of core tips for drivers and riders alike to take each other’s perspectives. Taking just a couple of moments to appreciate the challenges and considerations of other road users can help us all in becoming more tolerant and to keep safety – not preconceptions –  as our number one focus.” 

Mike Hailwood was honoured at the 2018 Motor Sport Hall of Fame Awards, which took place on June 4 at the Royal Automobile Club’s Woodcote Park estate. Hailwood’s widow Pauline was at the star-studded event, which was hosted by broadcaster Suzi Perry, to receive the award from his former Honda team-mate Stuart Graham. 
 
More than 40,000 enthusiasts from around the world voted for their favourites in a number of categories, with Hailwood topping a Motorcycle shortlist that also included TT hero Joey Dunlop and American world champion ‘King Kenny’ Roberts. Graham spoke warmly of his friend – nine times a Grand Prix world champion on 250cc, 350cc and 500cc machinery – entertaining the audience with memories of their time racing for the factory Honda team in 1966.
 
“When we went to Monza in September 1966, I’d got used to the ’bike and I found that, being small and light, I could pull a higher top gear than Mike and overtake him going past the pits. During practice, I’d asked him whether Curva Grande was flat and he casually said, ‘Oh yeah, no problem’. I went back out, wound myself up and finally did it. I came in, told him that it was a bit hairy but that, yes, it could be taken flat-out, and he said, ‘You silly little so and so – I was only joking!’
 
“Mike was so laid back and such a natural. He didn’t think too much about it because it all came so naturally. If you’d asked him how he did it, he wouldn’t have been able to explain it.
 
“It’s so difficult to compare different generations, but he was the best of our era. He was so versatile and could win on anything. When he came back to the Isle of Man and, in 1979, rode that RG500 Suzuki – on modern tyres and completely different to everything else he’d ridden – that proved beyond all doubt that he had exceptional talent.
 
“He was just such a lovely guy. We became friends because in those days there was a wonderful camaraderie between riders – we watched out for each other. No one had a bad word to say about Mike.”
 
Among the other awards to be presented on the night was one for Industry Champion, MotorSport Vision boss Jonathan Palmer receiving it from last year’s winner David Richards. As well as running famous venues such as Brands Hatch, Donington Park and Oulton Park, MSV has run the British Superbike Championship since 2008.
 
As has become tradition at the event, a range of machinery was demonstrated on the Captain’s Drive at Woodcote Park. Motorcycle collector Dick Shepherd provided the two-wheeled highlight by riding the ex-Hailwood Triumph 650 that won the inaugural Thruxton 500-mile race in 1958.

As well as honouring the great names from two wheels and four, the awards supported charity partner Mission Motorsport, which provides opportunities for servicemen and women who have been affected by military operations to take part in motor racing as part of their recovery and rehabilitation.

Michael Dunlop took a record breaking win in the Bennetts Lightweight TT on Wednesday afternoon at the Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy with the Paton rider smashing both the lap and race records on his way to his 18th TT win.

Despite a relatively steady start, Dunlop took advantage of early leader Ivan Lintin’s retirement at Bedstead on lap two and with a new lap record of 122.750mph, he came home 14.6s clear of Derek McGee and Michael Rutter. McGee second place was his first TT podium. Dunlop beat the old race record by over a minute.

McGee led at Glen Helen on the opening lap with the Irishman flying on the KMR Kawasaki although it was close with his lead over Lintin just half a second. Dunlop was 1.6s back in third with Stefano Bonetti, James Cowton and Rutter slotted into fourth, fifth and sixth.

By Ballaugh, Lintin had nosed ahead by 0.8s but one man in trouble was David Johnson, the Australian stopping to make adjustments to his KMR Kawasaki at Douglas Road Corner. By Ramsey Lintind was 2.9s clear of new second placed rider Dunlop as McGee slipped back to third albeit only 0.3s. Bonetti, Cowton and Rutter continued to fill fourth to sixth place positions.

Johnson retired at Sulby Bridge but a new lap record of 121.603mph gave Lintin a 5.7s lead over McGee who was continuing to excel and was also inside the old lap record. Dunlop was only a further second behind in third as Bonetti, Cowton and Rutter remained in fourth to sixth.

Second time around Lintin still led at Glen Helen by six seconds but Dunlop had got back up into second with McGee now a second back in third. Bonetti was over 25s adrift in fourth but Rutter had moved ahead of Cowton by a tenth of a second to make it three Patons in the top five.

Coming into the pits at the end of the second lap, half race distance, and there was drama as it was Dunlop who led with another new lap record of 122.257mph. Lintin went through Cronk ny Mona but retired at Bedstead and that promoted McGee up to second, only four seconds behind Dunlop, with Cowton now third.

Rutter was up to fourth but he was coming under pressure from Peter Hickman and Bonetti as just 0.3s covered the trio. Daniel Cooper, Ian Lougher, Michael Sweeney and Joey Thompson now completed the top ten.

There was a change after the pit stop with McGee’s team doing a great job on the fuel and he led Dunlop by 3.1s at Glen Helen on lap three. There were changes further back too with Cowton going out at Crosby and Hickman made it two KMR Kawasaki’s in the top three as he overhauled Rutter.

Dunlop called on all his extra experience around the Mountain Course though and by Ramsey, he was back in the lead by 1.2s but McGee’s excellent ride saw him slash the gap to just half a second at the Bungalow. Hickman appeared to be in control of third as he extended his advantage over Rutter to 10.6s. Cooper was out though having retired at Glen Duff.

Going into the fourth and final lap and Dunlop had responded with the margin to McGee having crept out again to 1.6s and the Ulsterman wasn’t to be denied as he came home for his 18th TT win and third of the week.

McGee was delighted with his maiden TT rostrum but team-mate Hickman went out at Union Mills on the final lap and that promoted Rutter up to third for his 17th TT podium and with Bonetti finishing fourth and Thompson in fifth, four Patons finished in the top five.

Michael Sweeney, Ian Lougher, Adam McLean, Julian Trummer and Dominic Herbertson completed the top ten.