Once again, the Monster Energy Supersport 600cc races received more entries than any of the other classes on the programme at the 2016 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, which will mean that 95 of the world’s best road racers will line up on Glencrutchery Road for the two four-lap races which they should see some of the closest and most competitive action of TT2016.

The top 20 riders are again seeded but unlike previous years, where there’s been some significant shuffling between the different classes, 2016 sees the starting top ten in identical order to the 1000cc races although the pre-race favourites will vary.

Ian Hutchinson claimed victory in both races last year and the Bingley Bullet will again be riding for Keith Flint’s Team Traction Control Yamaha team. With countless 127mph+ laps in the class already, he’ll start the race as the slight favourite from number four.

Michael Dunlop was forced to retire from both races in 2015 due to the arm injuries sustained in the RST Superbike race but he still holds the class lap record at close to 129mph and could prove to be Hutchy’s biggest threat. The Ballymoney rider will again line up at number six but this time for his own MD Racing team with his choice of machinery yet to be confirmed.

Bruce Anstey, the Valvoline Racing by Padgetts Honda ride, is another who is likely to be challenging at the front of the field. The Kiwi took a pair of seconds in 2015 and pushed Hutchinson all the way in what’s always been one of his favourite races.

Fellow Antipodean Cameron Donald will also be looking to show the form that saw him take two second places and the TT Supporters Club Trophy in 2012. Back on board the Wilson Craig Racing Honda, Donald has lapped at close to 127mph on the 600cc machine and cannot be ruled out.

The Jackson Racing duo of John McGuinness, number 1, and Conor Cummins, at number 10, will provide Honda with other potential race winners but in a field of multiple potential race winners Kawasaki, Yamaha and Triumph all have riders capable of winning.

Yamaha, and specifically the Mar-Train Racing team, have a strong opportunity with Manxman Dan Kneen (14) who recorded his best TT finish to date of fifth in the opening race of 2010. However, William Dunlop (8) on the CD Racing machine will fancy his chances of being the first Yamaha rider home having already finished on the podium three times in this race.

Triumph have two potential winners in Gary Johnson (7) and Lee Johnston (13), the former having previously won the race on the British machine when riding for Smiths Racing in 2014. This time around he’s riding for T3 Racing while Johnston (13) will again line up for his regular East Coast Construction team, which could provide his best opportunity of claiming a maiden TT victory.

James Hillier (3) will again spearhead Kawasaki’s efforts on the Quattro Plant Muc-Off machine as he looks to step on to a 600cc rostrum for the first time, an ambition shared by Peter Hickman (5) on his privately entered ZX-6R and Dean Harrison on the Silicone Engineering entrant. Other quick men on Kawasakis include Michael Rutter (9) riding for Bathams/SMT Racing and Iast year’s Lightweight race winner Ivan Lintin who again has the number 20 plate for Devitt RC Express Racing.

Australian David Johnson, Dan Stewart and Martin Jessopp will again start at numbers 15, 17 and 18 respectively whilst the top 20 riders shows just two differences to the 1000cc races with Dan Cooper (16) and James Cowton (19) being seeded on this occasion.

As always, there’s plenty of quality outside the top 20 as well with Jamie Coward (21), Daniel Hegarty (22), last year’s Newcomers Trophy winner Derek McGee (24), Steve Mercer (25) and 2015 Manx GP winner Malachi Mitchell-Thomas (23) just some of the names more than capable of top 15 finishes.

Other riders to look out for include Sam West (27), Mark Miller (31), Connor Behan (34), Christopher Dixon (39) and Hudson Kennaugh (43) while a number of Manx Grand Prix riders step up to the TT for the first time including David Sellers (44), Rob Hodson (49), Joseph Newbould (50), Karl Foster (61) and local rider Paul Smyth (62).

Such as been the quality and depth of the entry, just three newcomers have been accepted but there’s an international flavour with Northern Ireland’s Seamus Elliott, Canada’s Darren James and Norway’s Olaf Romjin set to line up for the Monday and Wednesday races.

With 95 entries challenging for just 78 starting places on the grid, a starting position will have to be earned.

TRADERS at the world’s premier classic motorcycle event in Stafford have enjoyed a bumper weekend, many reporting record sales numbers.

Regular exhibitors went home happy from the Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show – April 23-24 – with enthusiasts once again pouring through the gates of the county showground to show the strength of the classic bike market.

Midlife Classics’ Tim Slaughter said: “Saturday was our best day at Stafford for years. We always have a weekend target in mind, and we’d achieved that by the end of the first day.” 

It was a similar story throughout the halls and outside trade areas as busy stallholders met huge demand for bikes, parts, spares, accessories, riding gear, memorabilia and more. Hagon Shocks’ Tony Hutchinson said: “We had loads of orders on Saturday, more in that one day than we’ll get in a whole weekend at some other events. The great thing about Stafford is that showgoers are getting their hands dirty restoring and maintaining machines – they’re here to buy, not just to browse.”

The impressive numbers weren’t just confined to trade stands, as Bonhams’ annual Stafford Spring auction saw a world record sale for a British motorcycle – £331,900 for a 1938 Brough Superior BS4. Part of the much-anticipated ‘Broughs of Bodmin’ collection, the price helped take the collective total for the long-lost machines to £752,625 with the overall auction total reaching £3.5 million.

The enthusiasm demonstrated by visitors and buyers was backed up by the high standard of private entries and club displays as some of the best classic motorcycles in the UK and beyond descended on the venue.

It was a successful weekend for Sean Kelly as his Sunbeam Model 90 claimed the honour of Best in Show, while the DOT Motorcycle Club took the Best Club Stand award.

Head judge Dennis Frost said: “This is the major world show for classic bikes, and the entrants made our jobs hard this year with an incredibly high standard presented across the board. An original 1912 FN Single which was used as for dispatch in the First World War caught the eye, as did a stunning 1979 Laverda Jota, but Sean’s Sunbeam was a clear choice for Best in Show this time. It’s not a bike that’s easy to restore, and this one has been done perfectly.”

Interviews with guest star Steve Parrish, firing up sessions in the GP race paddock, trials demonstrations, parade laps of the main ring and a live motorcycle rebuild added to the action-packed line-up.

Attention now turns to Santa Pod Raceway, with the Classic Bike Shows team supporting the new Race, Rock ’n’ Ride event at the venue on May 21-22. Classic bike action returns to Staffordshire in the autumn for the Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show which takes place on October 15-16.

APRILIA IN THE POINTS WITH STEFAN BRADL - BAUTISTA CRASHES OUT WHILE BATTLING FOR A TOP TEN SPOT

ALBESIANO: “WE IMPROVED THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND, WE HAD THE POTENTIAL FOR A BETTER RESULT”

Alvaro Bautista crashed out in the sixth lap of the Spanish GP race while battling for a top ten spot astride his Aprilia RS-GP in the group made up of Laverty, Barbera and Crutchlow. For Alvaro, who suffered no physical consequences from the crash, this ended a weekend where his performance had been steadily improving. After just missing out on qualifying for QP2 twice and taking the best spot on the fifth row anyway, Bautista confirmed the progress his Aprilia had made in the race as well.

The crash was partially compensated for by the result earned by his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini teammate, Stefan Bradl who, despite lagging behind the entire weekend, rode a shrewd race, staying in the points zone and in the finale overtaking Hernandez to take fourteenth place and two championship points.
The team from Veneto still has the satisfaction of a weekend that highlighted the Aprilia RS-GP machine's progress. Now there will be tests at Jerez tomorrow and the next few races will be new rounds to improve a promising project.


ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
“The race certainly did not go as we had hoped and up to our potential. Both Alvaro and Stefan got off the line well, immediately moving up a few positions. Bautista was in the group that was jockeying for a spot in the top ten. He crashed but these are things that happen when you're trying to push to the limit. Bradl, on the other hand, set up a more cautious race, bringing home a few points, thanks in part to a nice move just in the final phases. We were expecting a better result and it was within our potential, especially after what we saw in the practice sessions, but in any case we worked hard once again this weekend, improving and identifying other areas that need work to move the RS-GP project along”.

FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
“Alvaro was riding a great race and he was really close to the top ten. In general we had a good weekend where we definitely took some steps forward. The bike is growing. We can see the improvements and it would have been interesting to cross the wire with the rider who had been having the better weekend. That's the way racing goes, but from tomorrow, with the day of testing, we'll be focused once again on development”.

ALVARO BAUTISTA
“After a good start that earned me a few positions, I was battling with the group between eighth and eleventh place when I lost the front end in a fast corner. It's a shame and I'm sorry for the entire team that worked so hard, but that's racing and it's only right to make a go of it. In any case this was still a very positive weekend. We did well during practice, I felt at ease in the race and I didn't have any problems battling in that group. Anyway, now we need to look forward and keep improving the bike the way we have been doing so far”.

STEFAN BRADL
“The final result is positive. We worked hard on the settings to find the right feeling with the rear tyre. It was a rather demanding weekend in terms of grip. We also tried to take another step forward during the warm up session but it didn't pan out, so in spite of going back to the previous solution I had a few misgivings at the beginning of the race. I got off the line better than I had in the last few races and in the first laps I felt good. Then I felt a drop in performance from the front tyre that forced me to slow down. Lap by lap I found my pace and I was also able to catch up our rivals, overtaking Hernandez at the end and earning a few points”.

The Rob North framed 750cc BSA Triple machine on which Guy Martin set a new world speed record on a Wall of Death, live on Channel 4 over the Easter break, will be at the 36th Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show this weekend.

The road racing, mountain biking, lorry mechanic blasted around the specially-built 37m diameter wall at a speed of 78.150mph on the BSA that he built in his own workshop, with the help of his dad and mechanic Cammy Whitworth.

The show will also welcome the man who taught Guy the ropes of riding the wall – Ken Fox – as his Wall of Death, complete with vintage Indian Scouts and troupe of riders, will once again entertain the crowds throughout the weekend.

And that’s not all. An incredible selection of classic motorcycles will be brought to the venue over the weekend as part of static exhibitions, club displays, a Grand Prix race paddock, trials demonstration area and parade laps of the main ring, while hundreds of trade stands a vast autojumble will pack into the halls and outside areas.

Auction house Bonhams hosts its annual spring sale – which this year is a two-day event – where some of the finest classic motorcycles in the world will go under the hammer, and former racer and TV presenter Steve Parrish will be in attendance as special guest star, regaling the crowds with tales from his rich and storied career.

THE UK’s biggest classic motorcycle event takes place at Staffordshire County Showground this weekend, April 23-24, with sporting stars, stunning machines and spectacular live action among the highlights for showgoers.

A one day adult pass costs just £14 – For more information on the show, including ticket details and opening times, visit classicbikeshows.com