Category: IOM TT - Manx Grand Prix

1. HUTCHINSON AT THE DOUBLE AS HE TAKES HIS SECOND TT WIN OF THE WEEK WITH SUPERSTOCK TRIUMPH

   Posted on 4:00pm Tuesday 9th Jun 2015

   Ian Hutchinson won his second race of the week at the 2015 Isle of Man TT races, fuelled by Monster Energy, when he took the RL360 Superstock race on Tuesday afternoon obliterating Michael Dunlop's race record by 32 seconds.  In a stunning race the top four - Hutchinson, Michael Dunlop, Lee Johnston and James Hillier were all inside the old mark.

   Hutchinson's PBM Kawasaki rider took control at the half race distance point and the 'Bingley Bullet' eventually ran home victor by just under 20 seconds from early leader Michael Dunlop. Lee Johnston nipped in for the final podium place, his first TT podium finish, after getting the better of James Hillier in a thrilling final lap.

   Dunlop set the early pace and he led at Glen Helen by 1.1s from Hillier with Hutchinson in third and Guy Martin in fourth ahead of Johnston and Gary Johnson. By Ramsey, the Northern Irishman still led and had added a second to his lead with Hutchinson now relegating Hillier to third.

   An opening lap of 130.932 gave Dunlop the lead from Hutchinson by 1.6s with Martin now up to third, 3.3s behind. All three were over 130mph with Hillier, Johnston and Hickman completing the top six.

   The gap remained the same for the first half of the second lap but Hutchinson started to reel Dunlop in, getting the gap down to 0.8s at Ramsey. However, the MD Racing BMW rider responded and as they came into the pits, his lead was back up to 1.9s. Martin had dropped back and was now eight seconds adrift with Johnston, Hillier and Hickman maintaining their top six positions. Johnston posted his first 130mph lap of the Mountain Course at 130.285.

   At the pit stop, Hutchinson changed his rear tyre whilst Martin lost a significant amount of time when the Tyco BMW refused to fire. However, the change in rubber worked wonders for Hutchinson and with more grip, he shot into the lead at Glen Helen, his margin over Dunlop now 2.7s.

   Indeed, as the lap wore on, he continued to pull away and his advantage was almost ten seconds going into the final lap. Martin had dropped all the way down to seventh and it was Hillier, circulating on the road with Dunlop, who was now up into third ahead of Johnston, Hickman and David Johnson.

   Hutchinson wasn't to be denied his second win of the week and he increased his lead all the way round the final 37.73 miles to eventually cross the line 17.2s clear for his tenth TT victory. Dunlop had to settle for second but the battle for third went all the way to the chequered flag and it was Johnston who grabbed it from Hillier by just 0.270s after a stunning final lap of 130.851.

   Hickman took a brilliant fifth in just his second TT with fellow BMW riders Johnson and Martin following him home in sixth and seventh. The three Hondas of John McGuinness, Bruce Anstey and Conor Cummins completed the top ten.

   

    

   Ian Hutchinson celebrates his 2nd win at the 2015 Isle of Man TT races 

2. Tyco BMW confirm William Dunlop withdraws from TT2015

   Posted on 12:11pm Tuesday 9th Jun 2015

   Tyco BMW has confirmed that rider William Dunlop has been ruled out of the rest of this year's Isle of Man TT races fuelled by Monster Energy following a crash at Laurel Bank during yesterday's Superstock qualifying session.

   William was happy with his BMW Motorrad S1000RR machine and was on course for an impressive lap time before the incident, but most importantly William was not seriously injured.

   He has sustained a broken rib and severe bruising and although very disappointed to be losing him from the remainder of the event, Tyco BMW team manager Philip Neill said:

   "It's a cruel blow for William and obviously for the team at what is effectively the biggest road racing event of the year for us all. We had high hopes for William in our first year here at the TT with BMW Motorrad, but we are relieved that he is relatively unscathed, having crashed at a very unforgiving part of the circuit."

   www.tycobmw.com

3. ANSTEY WINS STUNNING RST SUPERBIKE RACE ON THE ISLE OF MAN

   Posted on 9:00am Monday 8th Jun 2015

   Bruce Anstey got the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, up and running in superb style on Sunday afternoon when he swept to a hugely popular victory in the RST Superbike race.

   The Kiwi overhauled early race leader Ian Hutchinson at the beginning of the fifth lap and took his 10th TT win - and first in the Superbike class - by 10.9s with James Hillier taking third after Michael Dunlop crashed out on the final lap.

   After a three-minute delay, the race got underway at 2.03pm and Hutchinson who led at Glen Helen by just 0.2s from Anstey with Hillier in third just half a second further back. However, one of the pre-race favourites Guy Martin was already out having stopped at Ballagarey.

   By Ramsey though, Hillier had taken over at the front with his advantage over Anstey half a second with Hutchinson back in third but only a further half a second adrift. However, an opening lap of 130.959mph gave Hutchinson the lead after the run over the Mountain with his lead over Anstey 1.2s as Hillier slotted into third. Dunlop moved up to fourth with John McGuinness in fifth and Gary Johnson sixth.

   Second time round and Hutchinson eked out his lead at each of the commentary points and with a near identical lap, 130.901mph, the gap over Anstey was up to 4.4s as the riders came in for their first pit stop. Hillier maintained station in third, four seconds down on Anstey, and he'd also caught McGuinness on the road, the 21-times winner still in fifth behind Dunlop. Johnson was holding onto sixth from Conor Cummins and William Dunlop.

   The gap between the leaders remained practically the same all the way round lap three, Hutchinson's lead now 4.79s. Dunlop was up to third, thirteen seconds in arrears with Hillier only two seconds behind. McGuinness was now joined by Honda team-mate Cummins in the top six.

   Anstey was getting firmly into his stride now and all the way round the fourth lap, he reeled Hutchinson in and with a lap of 131.333mph, he was just 0.2s behind coming into the second pit stop and his Valvoline Racing by Padgetts team turned the deficit into an advantage and he was two and a half seconds clear at Glen Helen.

   The 45-year old was now circulating on the roads in close company with McGuinness, Hillier and Dunlop and he pulled a few tenths out at each commentary point. Anstey was getting more and more secure at the front and all eyes fell on Dunlop who was putting in a final lap charge.

   Anstey's lead was up to 5.5s at Ballaugh on the final lap and with a final, flying lap of 131.797mph, he crossed the line a more comfortable 10.9s clear of Hutchinson who was back on a TT podium for the first time since 2010.

   However, Dunlop's final lap charge ended at the Nook when he crashed out after tangling with a slower rider and so Hillier took third, his first Superbike TT podium. McGuinness, William Dunlop and Michael Rutter completed the top six but the incident at the Nook brought the red flag out and no other riders completed the full race distance.

   Following the Dunlop incident, which resulted in the red flag, seventh place onwards was taken from the end of the fifth lap and so Dan Kneen, Peter Hickman, Lee Johnston and David Johnson completed the top ten.

   Gary Johnson also crashed out on the last lap at Guthries but was reported as OK and will be fit for tomorrow's races. Andy Lawson was taken by airmed to Nobles with neck and arm injuries after an accident at Guthries while Scott Wilson, who was the other rider involved in the accident at the Nook was also taken by airmed to Nobles and was reported to have a broken clavicle.
   
   

   
   
   
   Bruce Anstey congratulated by his team, partner team manager Clive Padgett and team members

4. Honda Racing's John McGuinness takes fourth in Isle of Man TT Superbike race‏

   Posted on 12:53pm Sunday 7th Jun 2015

   The 2015 Isle of Man TT RST Superbike race, which had been postponed to today following yesterday’s high winds, got underway just after 2pm this afternoon in near-perfect conditions. The thrilling six-lap race saw Honda Racing’s John McGuinness place fourth overall, while team-mate Conor Cummins was unfortunately forced to retire.

   It was a mixed race for McGuinness who, after setting off first round the 37.73-mile Mountain course, suffered with visibility issues when he lost his visor tear-offs during lap one. Coming into the first pit stop at the end of lap two, the ‘Morecambe Missile’ was still leading on the road, but a suspected problem with the fuel filler meant he and his crew lost vital time and he dropped back going into the third lap.

   Over the remainder of the race, McGuinness pushed hard on the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP, making up time to close the gap on the leading pack. Although the second pit stop at the four-lap mark was quicker than the first, the suspected fuel filler issue still hindered progress in the pits. The Honda man eventually crossed the line fourth, 13-seconds behind the third-placed rider James Hillier.

   McGuinness’s Honda Racing team-mate Cummins struggled to find pace on the opening lap, but found his rhythm on lap two, improving his times to make his way from eighth to sixth behind McGuinness by the third rotation. Unfortunately, Cummins was forced to retire at Kirk Michael on lap four with a suspected technical problem and the team is now investigating the cause.

   The race was won by Bruce Anstey aboard the Padgetts Motorcycles Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.

   The next outing for the Honda Racing team will be on Wednesday for an evening practice before the blue riband Senior TT race on Friday 12 June.

5. Honda Racing is ready for action on the Isle of Man

   Posted on 5:03pm Saturday 6th Jun 2015

   Practice week for the 2015 Isle of Man TT races concluded yesterday evening with John McGuinness and Conor Cummins posting the second and seventh-quickest laps respectively around the 37.73-mile Mountain course on their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machines.

   A change of schedule saw the RST Superbike race being moved to Sunday 7 June and, with the alteration, an additional practice session had been scheduled for today. This session has now been cancelled, however, due to high winds around the circuit.

   A week of mixed weather conditions saw the first Superbike outing for the Honda Racing duo cancelled completely on Monday due to rain and high winds, but practice began in earnest on Tuesday.

   Both Wednesday's and Thursday's sessions took place in near-perfect conditions with most of the riders recording their fast est times on Thursday night. McGuinness posted a 130.030mph lap, which places him second overall, while team-mate Cummins's 128.331mph lap, also on Thursday, gave him the seventh-fastest time.

   Ian Hutchinson topped the overall Superbike timesheet ahead of McGuinness and Bruce Anstey. The six-lap RST Superbike race is scheduled for tomorrow at 2pm.