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Bruce Anstey shattered a number of records on his way to repeating last year’s victory in this afternoon’s Dunlop Lightweight Classic TT Race, the second race in the 2017 Isle of Man Classic TT Races presented by Bennetts. 

The flying Kiwi started by breaking the outright 250cc lap record on his opening lap, becoming the first rider to do a 250cc lap under 19 minutes which he followed up by becoming the first 250cc rider to post a 120mph lap on his second lap and he also broke his own race record by over a minute.

In the winners enclosure Anstey revealed that the team had been specifically targeting the 120mph lap;

“Clive [Padgett] ’s done brilliantly getting the bike up to spec over the winter. We have been targeting the 120mph lap so it’s great to get it in the bag.  I used Ian as a bit of a target and went flat out for the first two laps.”

In a day when the clock was turned back on the Isle of Man it was clearly a day for the veterans with the top three riders – Anstey, Michael Rutter and Ian Lougher - all having made their Mountain Course debuts in the 1980s and 1990s.

Lougher on the Laylaw Racing Yamaha was first away and the Welshman lead on the road at Glen Helen at the opening checkpoint but Anstey had already taken 9 seconds out of him on the clock with Dan Sayle riding the Steelcote Solutions Yamaha the Kiwi’s nearest challenger, four seconds behind the race leader at Glen Helen.

Anstey moved in front on the road at Ballaugh on the opening lap and extended his race lead over the Mountain section before posting an opening lap of 119.888mph/ 18:52.960, the fastest ever lap by a 250 machine, and the first under the 19 minute barrier – all the more remarkable as it was set from a standing start.

Behind the Kiwi Dan Sayle was trying to give the Padgetts Motorcycles rider some competition but the Manx rider was already 25 seconds down with his opening lap of 117.225 with Michael Rutter on the Red Fox Grinta Racing Ducati, a tribute to his father Tony, completing the top three in 116.903. Lougher (116.657) was maintaining a podium challenge just over two seconds behind Rutter with Ivan Lintin (114.950) completing the top five.

That remained the order on lap 2 with Anstey breaking his own lap one record with a lap of 120.475/ 18:47.438, the first 120mph 250cc lap in the history of the Mountain Course with the New Zealander slowing down for his pit stop.

Anstey’s record breaking opening two laps gave him a lead of over fifty seconds from Dan Sayle (117.740) with Michael Rutter maintaining his podium challenge only five seconds behind Sayle. Lougher and Ivan Lintin held fourth and fifth places respectively going into the third lap.

Dan Sayle was reported as a retirement at Garey Ford near Kerrowmoar which saw Michael Rutter move into second place at Ramsey with Lougher slotting into the final podium position but Anstey’s lead at the end of lap three after a lap of 113.233mph was a decisive seventy seconds ahead of Rutter with Lougher (111.580) a further thirteen seconds back in third place.

That remained the top three at the finish with Anstey taking the race in a new record time of / 117.853/ 1:16:50.072. Rutter’s final lap of 116.662 saw him finish in the runner-up up slot in 115.723/ 1:18.14.929 with fellow veteran Ian Lougher third in 115.665 1:18.17.289. Stuart Hall riding for Martyn Nelson Yamaha (109.416/ 1:22:45.565) was the leading privateer in eighth place.

THE SPANIARD RIDES HIS APRILIA TO FOURTH PLACE

It was a decidedly positive start for Aprilia at Silverstone, the twelfth round of the 2017 Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing Championship. Aleix Espargaró, with a brilliant lap in the finale of the afternoon FP2 session, rode his RS-GP to fourth place in the day's standings. In both the sessions held today, the Spaniard demonstrated a good feeling on the English track, well supported by an Aprilia that was on point straight away.

Aleix is suffering from a pinched ligament between his ribs that makes breathing difficult after a few laps, so he focused on brief outings. Constantly monitored by the Mobile Clinic, the situation does not seem worrisome, but careful dosing of efforts is advised. The rider will better assess his physical conditions in the FP3 session tomorrow.

Sam Lowes is also satisfied with his day, using the first two sessions to experiment with new setup solutions on his RS-GP with the primary goal of improving stability on rather bumpy asphalt. Along with his team, the English rookie identified the right direction in which to work without using the softest tyre in his final time attack.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"This is one of the tracks where I felt great straight away. The RS-GP really responds well here at Silverstone. It's a pity about the problem with my ribs that I suffered training with a kart. In the fast direction changes I suffer a lot and struggle to breathe well. I am working a lot with the Clinic and I hope to be in good conditions for the race."

SAM LOWES
"In FP2 we tried various things to find the right direction to go in terms of setup, especially to improve the stability of the RS-GP. I lapped with the hardest tyre and it seems to work well for us. Many of the riders improved a lot using the soft at the end of the session, so that leads me to believe that we could have been faster in terms of lap times. This morning I didn't have a good feeling, but in the afternoon we improved. I had fun and I think that we'll be able to continue improving tomorrow too."

The Classic TT presented by Bennetts is set to burst into life on Friday 25th August with the now traditional ‘Paddock Carnival’ at the TT Grandstand ahead of the evening’s final qualifying session and the two race days on Saturday 26th and Monday 28th August.

Eight time TT Race winner Charlie Williams will be the host for the day, which will feature upbeat music from local Jazz combo the Manx Jazz Aces and fifties tribute band ‘The Blue Jays’, who will be performing two shows on the purpose built stage behind the grandstand.  

The packed line up, which is free to attend, will also include regular appearances throughout the day from Graeme Hardy who will be performing his uncanny George Formby tribute, complete with ‘Shuttleworth Snap’.

The stage behind the grandstand will also play host to a series of chat shows with motorcycling legends who will be on the Island for the Classic TT including twenty three time TT race winner John McGuinness who will be updating fans on his recovery from injury earlier in the year.

The Team Obsolete crew and Steve Plater will be talking about their upcoming Honda 6 parade lap, while a man inextricably linked to the Honda 6 – six time world champion Jim Redman MBE, will be on hand to share his experiences of racing the bike.

Other notable guests appearing include Stuart Graham,  the 1967 50cc TT race winner, who also raced the Honda 6 as a teammate of Mike Hailwood.Current TT stars Dean Harrison, James Hillier, Josh Brookes, Lee Johnston and Michael Dunlop will also be appearing in the chat show during the day, previewing their Classic TT Races ahead of Saturday’s first race day.

The Purple Helmets stunt show will be bringing their riotous antics to pit lane with their heady mixture of the spectacular and farcical while Bruce Anstey has been known to join their ranks for guest appearances.

Visitors to the Classic TT celebrations will have the chance to enjoy the spectacular Concours d’Elegance, which will be held in Nobles Park, with both cars and bikes on display.  

Categories include ‘Best Racing Motorcycle and Best Classic and Vintage Road Motorcycle as well as three categories for cars - pre 1946, 1946-68 and 1969-86). Anyone wishing to enter should bring their machine to the grandstand from 12 noon on Friday.The evening’s entertainment will be winding down with an outdoor screening of TT3D:  Closer to the Edge in the paddock at the ‘Sundown Cinema.’