Category: IOM TT - Manx Grand Prix

1. NEW WEEKEND RACE SCHEDULE FOR ISLE OF MAN TT RACES AS FINAL FULL QUALIFYING SESSION COMPLETED

   Posted on 11:15pm Friday 5th Jun 2015

   With morning rain having cleared, dry roads and clear skies greeted competitors for Friday evening's practice session at the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, but increasing winds would be problematical throughout the evening.

   The paddock was already aware that Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson had announced a change to the proposed race schedule with Saturday's RST Superbike moving to Sunday due to a near gale forecast for the Isle of Man.

   The F2 sidecars to go away first and, as with previous sessions, the outfits left the line in numerical order with Dave Molyneux/Ben Binns, Conrad Harrison/Mike Aylott, Ben and Tom Birchall, Tim Reeves/Patrick Farrance and John Holden/Dan Sayle the first five crews to head towards Bray Hill.

   Molyneux led the lap all the way round and was first across the line at 113.12 with Harrison next quickest at 111.96. Holden went to the top of the leaderboard with a speed of 113.22 but pulled in immediately to make adjustments to his suspension. Reeves had a slow lap at 104.91 but the Birchalls fared even worse at 90.65 and clearly had problems.

   Gary Bryan/Jamie Winn and Karl Bennett/Lee Cain posted almost identical times at 109.58 and 109.55 respectively, the former reporting blustery winds over the Mountain.

   Molyneux continued straight through for a second lap and went quickest at 114.687, just a whisker outside Holden's fastest lap of the week set on Thursday. Reeves, who was running in an engine in on his first lap, posted a speed of 113.30 with Gary Knight/Jason Crowe (109.16) and Tony Baker/Fiona Baker-Milligan (108.57) also showing well.

   Holden failed to go quicker on his second lap but Knight continued for a third lap and improved again to 109.67.

   At 7.22pm, it was the turn of the Supersport and Lightweight machines with Lee Johnston, Ian Hutchinson, Keith Amor, Conor Cummins, Michael Rutter, Gary Johnon, William Dunlop and John McGuinness the first to leave the line. All were 600cc mounted with the exception of Rutter who was again out on the Paton.

   Hutchinson was first back at 123.13 followed by Johnston on 119.85 and Johnson 117.49. McGuinness went quickest briefly with a speed of 123.99 but that fellow Honda rider Anstey bettered that with 124.36. Speeds fluctuated though with William and Michael Dunlop and Dan Kneen all in the 115-117mph bracket.

   James Hillier was the quickest Lightweight at 113.74 as Rutter pulled in with a broken steering damper but Jamie Hamilton's second lap of 115.74 sent him top.

   Second time around for the 600s and speeds were up too as Hutchinson improved to 124.92. It was close at the top of the leaderboard though with McGuinness, the two Dunlops and Dean Harrison all breaking the 124mph mark.

   The 1000cc machines were let out on the Mountain Course shortly after 8pm with Martin Jessopp away first on the Riders BMW soon followed by Guy Martin (Tyco BMW), Hutchinson (PBM Kawasaki) and William Dunlop (Tyco BMW).

   Martin was first back at 127.861 with Michael Dunlop's opening lap on the BMW Superbike only slightly slower at 127.755. However, Bruce Anstey again showed his race winning credentials with a speed of 129.394 to jump to the top of the leaderboard.

   No one managed to get close to Anstey's lap second time around although Dan Kneen did improve to almost 126mph. One man who did get over the 126mph mark was Dean Harrison who's lap of 126.59 made him the quickest Superstock on the night. Gary Johnson was out of luck though pulling in on the exit of Ballaugh village.

   At the end of the evening a few of the Zero machines also had their first outing ahead of Wednesday's SES TT Zero with lap record holder John McGuinness showing the form that saw him triumph in last year's race with a lap of 113mph although his Mugen Shinden teammate Bruce Anstey broke down. The Victory Racing pair of William Dunlop and Lee Johnston both posted hugely impressive debut laps of 105.185 and 104.185 respectively.

   

2. Michael Dunlop switches manufacturers in return to BMW

   Posted on 10:30am Thursday 4th Jun 2015

   Michael Dunlop is switching back to the BMW bikes that he raced at last year's TT, on which he won three races including his historic Senior TT victory.

   The Northern Ireland rider will now be riding for Stuart Hicken's Swadlincote based Buildbase BMW team in the RST Superbike Race, which is scheduled for Saturday 6th June, and the PokerStars Senior TT Race the following Friday 12th June.

   He will also be riding his own MD Racing BMW in Monday's RL360 Superstock Race and will contest the two Monster Energy Supersport Races on his MD Racing Honda.

   Commenting on the decision, Michael said:

   "I would like to thank Milwaukee Yamaha for their support in bringing me into their team and I am genuinely sorry to be making this decision but unfortunately I don't think there is enough time left with the sessions we've already lost at the TT to be truly competitive and get the bike to the level we need to in order to win races here."

   The 11-time TT race winner will be looking to get the most possible track time ahead of Saturday's races and will be appearing on the BMW's in this evening's qualifying session, which will be only the second timed Superbike qualifying session of the week.

   
   

3. ANSTEY ON THE PACE DURING FIRST TIMED SUPERBIKE QUALIFYING SESSION

   Posted on 8:32am Thursday 4th Jun 2015

   After a problematical few days, conditions were finally perfect for practice at the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, with blue sky and sun all across the Island.

   At 6.22pm, the solo session got underway with Michael Rutter and Dan Kneen first to leave the line with both, like the majority of the front runners, eager to put in as many laps as possible on their Superbike machines.

   Guy Martin, James Hillier, Bruce Anstey, Gary Johnson, Ian Hutchinson, Ivan Lintin, Ryan Farquhar, Keith Amor and Cameron Donald followed in quick succession with Lintin the exception to the norm on his Supersport mount.

   Martin was first to complete a lap at 127.277 but Hutchinson was quickest at 127.967. Johnson was the only other rider over 127mph but Anstey, Hillier and John McGuinness were all over 126mph with Conor Cummins and Rutter both over 125mph.

   The two Dunlops both pitted with Donald switching to his Supersport machine but the majority of riders went straight through and it was Anstey who posted the best lap at 128.641 as he overhauled Hutchinson on the road, the latter lapping at 128mph also.

   McGuinness got closest to Anstey's lap though with a speed of 128.596mph with Rutter and Cummins also impressing with 127mph+ laps. Meanwhile, Jamie Hamilton, David Johnson and Lee Johnston were all over 125mph. Last year's Junior Manx Grand Prix winner Andy Lawson was also going well with a 122mph+ lap.

   The majority of the riders switched machines for their third laps and Anstey went to the top of the Supersport leaderboard with a lap of 123.388mph ahead of Ivan Lintin (121.39) and Russ Mountford (121.15). Hutchinson continued on his Superbike though and recorded another 127mph+ lap but Michael Dunlop's second lap was only 124.519mph and he then encountered trouble with his Superstock mount, stopping at Greeba Castle.

   The Northern Irishman did get back out on his 600cc Yamaha as did many of the other riders and Anstey went quicker at 125.218 with Martin and Gary Johnson slotting into second and third at 123.082 and 121.678 respectively. Indeed, many got five laps in as they took full advantage of the good conditions.

   After a delay due to a serious incident at Sulby Crossroads towards the end of the qualifying session in which French rider Franck Petricola lost his life, the F2 Sidecars got their first session underway at 8.11pm.

   They were led away in numerical order by Dave Molyneux/Ben Binns, Conrad Harrison/Mike Aylott, Ben and Tom Birchall, Tim Reeves/Patrick Farrance and John Holden/Dan Sayle.

   Molyneux was the first across the line at 109.888mph but Holden was right in his wheel tracks and comfortably quickest at 112.781mph. The Birchalls were third at 109.221mph but Harrison struck problems and only managed a speed of 99.612mph whilst Reeves failed to complete the lap.

   Molyneux improved second time around to 110.44 with Birchall also over 110mph. Newcomer Peter Founds also posted an impressive lap at 100.96.

   Following an incident during the sidecar session at Ballaspur, driver Brian Kelly was taken by airmed to Nobles hospital but was reported to be conscious and was confirmed to be OK following assessment while newcomers Terry O'Relly/Aidan Browne were also reported OK after hitting bales at Governors Dip.

4. Hillier to ride TT course on supercharged Ninja

   Posted on 2:05pm Wednesday 3rd Jun 2015

   James Hillier has a busy TT ahead of him with entries in all bar two classes. Now the 30 year old Quattro Plant Kawasaki rider has added a lap of the historic course on the new supercharged Ninja H2R to his TT agenda on June 10.

   Already one of very few riders to circulate the 37 ¾ mountain course at over 130mph average, Hillier has been invited by Kawasaki Motors UK and the TT festival organisers to ride the 300 plus horsepower machine as part of a Monster Energy parade lap that will also include WSBK riders including Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes who will be mounted on race replica Ninja ZX-10R machines.

   The exclusive Ninja H2R is one of a very limited production run by Kawasaki that has been created using the company's unique aerospace and gas turbine technology as well as the enthusiasm of the motorcycle division.

   With Supercharged competition motorcycles a long distant memory in TT racing circles, the raucously loud and visually intimidating Ninja H2R is yet another "must see" feature of the 2015 festival.

   "I've seen the road going Ninja H2 at Bournemouth Kawasaki where the Quattro Plant team is based but this is something else altogether," said Hillier, who was trusted to transport the machine to the TT paddock. "I can't wait to hear the sound echo around the first part of the course and then let it rip up the mountain mile - it's going to be a mega experience!"

5. MANX NATIONAL HERITAGE REUNITES ICONIC 1992 SENIOR TT RACE BIKES

   Posted on 1:25pm Monday 1st Jun 2015

   Manx National Heritage and the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham have reunited the two bikes that participated in what is widely recognised as the greatest TT race of all time.

   Carl Fogarty's Loctite Yamaha 0W01, owned by Manx National Heritage, and the National Motorcycle Museum's ex-works Norton NRS588 that Steve Hislop raced in the 1992 Senior TT will feature in a unique display, supported by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, at the Manx Museum in Douglas from Saturday 23rd May to Sunday 14th June.

   The race, which was voted the Greatest TT Race of all time in a poll by Isle of Man Post Office, saw Hislop swap the lead with Fogarty throughout the six-lap race before the Scot eventually won by just 4.4 seconds. Fogarty had the consolation of setting the outright lap record at 122.61mph, while Hislop set a race record of 121.8mph.

   The display forms part of a programme of Manx National Heritage events and exhibitions aimed at visitors and local residents during this year's TT. Other activities include talks and a film by Mike Hailwood's son Dave, a screening of short film 'No Ordinary Passenger' including a question and answer session with 90-year-old ex-sidecar World Champion Stan Dibben and an exhibition featuring Ulster's TT Heroes at the House of Manannan in Peel.

   Manx National Heritage has also produced a TT collectors pin badge, which retails at £10 and gives free admission to all Manx National Heritage sites throughout both the TT Races and Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling.