Category: IOM TT - Manx Grand Prix

1. EXTRA TT SAILINGS CONFIRMED AS STEAM PACKET COMPANY SECURES P&O EXPRESS CHARTER

   Posted on 2:38pm Tuesday 28th Oct 2014

   The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has chartered additional P&O Express sailings to assist with demand for TT 2015.

   The charter has allowed the Steam Packet Company to revise its schedule and increase the number of sailings. An extra four return sailings have been added to the schedule from the Northern Irish port of Larne while Manannan will operate an additional five Liverpool returns during the TT.

   Bookings for the additional sailings open at 8.30am on Monday, 3rd November, and demand is expected to be high.

   The Steam Packet Company had already increased capacity for motorcycles to travel to the Island for the annual road racing festival with the announcement earlier this year that a specially-built mezzanine deck will be in place on the Manannan during the TT. These extra spaces have proved very popular, with many peak days already sold out.

   Chartered freight vessel MV Arrow will also once again be in service during the TT, freeing up Ben-my-Chree to accommodate additional vehicles.

   Steam Packet Company Chief Executive Mark Woodward said: 'We are constantly looking at ways we can help the TT grow as an event by working round the clock during the event and ensuring we do everything possible to meet as much demand as we can.

   'There was a marked increase in demand when bookings for the 2015 TT opened in May, with first day bookings up 41% on the previous year and many sailings for the period virtually sold out within just days.

   'One of the biggest areas of demand is from people wanting to bring their motorcycles, and we have responded to that by making a substantial investment in a mezzanine deck which will increase motorcycle capacity on Manannan by 30%.

   'We have been in discussions with P&O for several months awaiting the finalisation of their schedules before confirming the charter of Express and completing our TT timetable.

   'We are delighted that the charter of P&O Express has allowed us to add additional sailings from Northern Ireland and on the popular Liverpool route.'

   He added: 'The extra sailings will be available to book on Monday 3rd November and we will have as many staff as possible available to deal with inquiries to assist passengers secure their travel so they can come and experience the unique action and atmosphere of the TT.'

   To book visit www.steam-packet.com or call 661661 (Isle of Man), 08722 992 992* (UK) or 0044 8722 992 992* (ROI & Outside UK). *Calls to these numbers are charged at 10 pence per minute including VAT from a BT landline, calls from other networks and mobile operators may vary.

2. Hutchinson Signs For Paul Bird Motorsport for 2015 Road Racing Campaign

   Posted on 8:41am Friday 12th Sep 2014

   Eight-times TT winner Ian Hutchinson has joined the Penrith-based Paul Bird Motorsport Team in a deal which will see him compete for the remainder of 2014 in the team's Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki colours, as well as a full season in 2015.

   35-year-old 'Hutchy', from Bingley in West Yorkshire, will contest the final two rounds of the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship aboard the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R at Silverstone and Brands Hatch in October before competing at the Macau Grand Prix the month after.

   The deal then extends into 2015, which will see a concerted factory-backed effort at the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy as well the other two major road races - the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix with Supersport, Superstock and Superbike machinery.

   In addition, Hutchinson will contest the opening three rounds of the 2015 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship for one of Paul Bird's teams with a view to doing further rounds throughout the season.

   The eight time TT Race winner, including his historic five in a week in 2010, also has wins at the North West 200, the Ulster Grand Prix as well as in the various support races to the British Superbike Championship over the past ten years.  Hutchinson also won the 2013 Macau Grand Prix.

   Ian Hutchinson:

   "I'm mega happy that Paul has offered me a deal for the remainder of this year and for 2015 also. I've ridden for the team before and we all know each other so to be joining them once again is brilliant. I was disappointed that this year didn't work out as I'd hoped, especially with having such high expectations but now I know I've got a real chance of success. The team is proven and hopefully I can get back to winning ways very soon." 

   Paul Bird (Team Owner):

   "We are all very excited to have Hutchy joining us and as soon as I knew he was out of a job, I wanted him to ride for us. He's a quality rider and you don't win five TTs in a week by chance. He'll ride our Superstocker for the final two rounds at BSB and then we'll decide what to put him out on at Macau. We might even try him on the MotoGP bike there! For 2015, we will have a proper attack on the roads, which will give him his best chance in recent years and we are really serious about winning. We'll do other selected races too as part of our expanded squad for 2015 so there are some exciting times ahead."

3. NEESOM WINS INCIDENT PACKED SUPERTWINS RACE AT IMGold MGP

   Posted on 6:43pm Wednesday 27th Aug 2014

   Jordan takes Lightweight Race in last lap thriller

   For the second time in the day, Rob Hodson was left rueing his luck when leading a race at the IMGold Manx Grand Prix.  After his pit lane problems earlier in the Junior MGP Race, he ran out of fuel in the day's second race, the Manx Grand Prix Supporters Club SuperTwin and Lightweight Race.

   In an incident packed race, Gary Gittins was leading the SuperTwin Race but came off on his final lap at Ballagarey leaving James Neesom to take the chequered flag.  In the concurrent lightweight Race, race leader Dave Taylor received a 30 second pit lane penalty when leading the race, which saw Mick Jordan come through on the last lap to take the honours.

   Conditions remained good around the Mountain Course for the second race of the day, although Clerk of the Course Phil Taubman warned riders that the high winds were blowing debris onto the course.

   Rob Hodson was first away and the Wigan rider was clearly hoping to put his earlier problems behind him. With Phil McGurk a late withdrawal, Stuart Garton was second away twenty seconds behind Hodson.

   James Neesom, who retired at Sulby with cramp in the earlier Junior Race, led Andrew Farrell, fresh from his Junior podium, by half a second at the first checkpoint at Glen Helen with Gary Gittins, and Hodson just over a second behind the leading pair.

   That remained the top four at Ballaugh although Hodson moved up to second with Ben Rea, the 2013 Newcomer C Race winner, holding fifth and that was the top five at the end of the first lap.  Gittins's 111.402 gave him a lead of less than a second from Hodson (111.336) with Farrell (111.135), Rea (110.057) and Gittins, riding the quirkily named 'family and friends' Suzuki (110.000), completing the top five at the Grandstand.

   Hodson moved into the lead by Glen Helen on the second lap and had built a 6 second lead from Neesom by the Bungalow but with everyone at the Grandstand preparing for a likely pit stop, news came through that Hodson had retired at Hillberry having run out of fuel.

   Gittins elected to go straight through on the second lap which put him forty nine seconds head of James Neesom at Glen Helen who was in turn fourteen seconds ahead of Farrell in third with Ben Rea fourth and 2014 MGP Newcomer B Race winner Dean Osborne in fifth. 

   Gittins came into the pits at the end of the third lap with a 27 second lead but then news came through that he had come off at Ballagarey on his final lap. He was reported as conscious and treated by the medical team at the scene.

   Gittins' accident left James Neesom with a commanding lead of over 20 seconds at the front of the field and the Hunmanby man duly came home with a final lap of 110.118 for an overall 1:22.34.608/ 109.658mph from second placed Andrew Farrell (1;23.03.484/ 109.023).  Callum Collister, the 2013 Newcomer B Race winner, secured the final podium place with 1:23.36.128/ 108.313.

   In the concurrent Lightweight Race, Dave Corlett was in front by 1.6 seconds from Mick Jordan with Gavin Lupton third at Glen Helen but at the end of the opening lap Jordan (105.105) had moved into the lead from Lupton (104.423) with Rikki McGovern (103.334) in third ahead of Corlett (103.138) who dropped to fourth.

   Jordan came into the pits at the end of the second lap with a six second lead after his second lap of 106.635 from Lupton (106.862) with Dan Hobson ((106.382) in third a further seventeen seconds back in third. Dave Taylor, who was fourth, elected to go straight through and therefore hit the front with a lead of twelve seconds over Jordan at Glen Helen.  Taylor duly pitted at the end of his third lap but any chance of a podium finish was ruined with a 30 second pit lane speeding penalty.

   Meanwhile at the front of the field a battle royal for the race win was developing between Lupton and Jordan with the former leading by 0.4 seconds at Glen Helen on the last lap. However Jordan was on a charge and moved into the lead by Ballaugh, eventually taking the chequered flag ten seconds ahead of Lupton with Hobson retaining third place.

4. REDMAYNE CLINCHES THRILLING IMGold NEWCOMERS A MGP RACE

   Posted on 7:45am Wednesday 27th Aug 2014

   Osborne and Caswell-Cox win B and C Races

   The Isle of Man's Billy Redmayne followed illustrious names including Ian Hutchinson, Robert Dunlop, Michael Dunlop, Carl Fogarty, Phillip McCallen and Ryan Farquhar by winning the Manx Grand Prix Newcomers title.

   The Manxman clinched a thrilling IMGold Newcomers Race victory by 1.8 seconds after a last lap duel with Malachi Mitchell-Thomas with Ireland's Shane Egan taking the final podium place. It was a double celebration for the Isle of Man with Douglas based Dean Osborne taking the B title while Felpham's James Caswell-Cox clinched the Newcomers C Race.

   Competitors were greeted with the best conditions of the week for the rescheduled race as the Mountain Course was bathed in sunshine, although Clerk of the Course Phil Taubman warned the assembled grid about sunlight glare from Union Mills to Ballacraine and on the Mountain section from the Gooseneck.

   Competition was expected to be fierce between the three fastest qualifiers - Manx rider Billy Redmayne, who is home from a tour of Afghanistan, Horwich's Malachi MItchell-Thomas, who won the Newcomers B race at the Southern 100 and Ireland's Shane Egan, the 2012 Superbike Cup Champion and so it proved.

   The Newcomers Race is broken into three different classifications with Newcomers A for machines up to 750cc, 650's twins and 250 two strokes eligible for the Newcomers B Race and Newcomers C for 400's and 125cc bikes.

   The Race, the first of the Manx Grand Prix meeting, got away exactly on time at 6.30pm and Wales's Matthew Rees, the fourth fastest qualifier, riding the GT Superbikes Kawasaki had the honour of being first away from the start line.

   And Rees turned the pre-race form book on its head by establishing a 3 second lead at Glen Helen from Redmayne with Mitchell-Thomas a further 1.5 seconds back in third. Egan was six seconds behind Rees in fourth.

   Redmayne began to close on Rees and moved narrowly ahead at the Bungalow, but by only half a second although at the end of the first lap Redmayne (115.950mph) had extended his lead over Rees (115.690) to 2.6 seconds with Egan (115.593) and Mitchell-Thomas (115.395) completing the top four.

   With the race reduced to three laps in a truncated programme following yesterday's postponement, refuelling tactics were clearly going to play a part and while Rees and Redmayne came into the pits, Shane Egan elected to go straight through on his second lap.

   Redmayne seemed to lose time in the pits after a problem with his fuel cap and dropped to fifth behind new race leader Shane Egan with Sam West, who also went straight through on the opening lap, in second from Mitchell-Thomas and Rees.

   With both Egan and West refuelling at the end of the second lap, Malachi Mitchell Thomas moved into the lead but Redmayne was clearly on a charge and had closed the gap to four seconds at the Grandstand.

   Although Mitchell-Thomas extended his lead to almost six seconds by Ramsey, a stunning Mountain Course section saw Redmayne move back into the lead at the Bungalow and the Manxman clinched the race win by 1.8 seconds with a final lap of 117.102, which gave him an overall race time of 114.955 (19:19.914).

   West was only 2 seconds behind Egan at the Bungalow in the race for the final podium position but retired at the Creg Ny Baa leaving Egan (59:28.595/ 114.186 mph) to secure the final podium spot.

   Dean Osborne, the fastest Newcomer in the B class qualifying, established a decisive lead after his opening lap 107.239 (21:06.593) with Barry Furber (105.440) twenty seconds back in second and Nick Anderson (104.923) holding third.

   Despite pitting at the end of the first lap, Osborne was only eight seconds down on Furber at the end of the second lap with Furber opting for a three-lap strategy. Osborne was not to be denied and made up the gap, coming home with a final lap of 108.615 and an overall race time of 1:03.31.073 (106.921mph) to win by sixteen seconds from Furber (1:03.47.373/ 106.466) with Anderson (1:04.38.139/105.072) taking the final podium position.

   French rider Lancelot Unissart led the Newcomers C race by 15 seconds from James Caswell-Cox, who set the fastest qualifying time in the class, after an opening lap 99.443 with Great Harwood's Gavin Browne third. Both Unissart (101.378) and Caswell-Cox (100.940) posted 100mph laps on the second lap but with Unissart pitting, Caswell-Cox's three-lap strategy saw him win by almost thirty seconds in 1:07.48.432/100.158mph) from Unissart (1:08.16.647/99.468). Brown's (1:10.31.688/ 96.293) secured him third place.

5. LEADING TT STARS ON THE PACE AT CLASSIC TT RACES

   Posted on 10:58pm Friday 22nd Aug 2014

   After the frivolity of the '80s paddock carnival earlier in the day, the riders got back to the serious matter of the final official qualifying session at the 2014 Isle of Man Classic TT Races presented by Bennetts and the session was dominated by three of the TT's biggest names - John McGuinness, Michael Dunlop and outright Mountain Course lap record holder Bruce Anstey.

   Conditions were described as the best of the week with riders warned of dazzling sunlight although there were still damp patches at Governors Dip.

   In the first session, away on time at 18.20, Northern Ireland rider Lee Johnson was first away on his Black Eagle Racing 350cc MV Agusta with Michael Rutter alongside him riding the Seeley G50 that he'll race in tomorrow's Bennetts 500cc Classic TT Race. However, Rutter was reported as an early retirement at Ballacraine shortly after but Johnston went on to post the fastest 350 time of the evening (99.792mph).

   John McGuinness was quickly on the pace in the 500's session and was fastest to Ramsey ahead of Ryan Farquhar, the pair riding the Team Winfield Patons and McGuinness laid down the gauntlet to the rest of the field, posting the fastest 500cc time of the week and inside race winner Olie Linsdell's lap record from last year's 500cc Race, setting himself up nicely for tomorrow's race. McGuinness later revealed that he'd actually been taking it steady through the opening sector as he was on new tyres.

   Farquhar's 109.749 was the second fastest with Bruce Anstey on the McIntosh Norton (106.487), Ian Lougher on the Flitwick Motorcycles Paton (105.768), William Dunlop (105.739) and Michael Dunlop on the Molnar Manx Norton (105.348) all having useful shakedowns ahead of the first race day.

   The latter F1/F2 session Bruce Anstey (120.968) and Michael Dunlop (120.505), last year's race winner, continue to stamp their authority on the field. Dunlop's opening lap was all the more credible as it was clear that he lost a significant amount of time on the final sector and he later reported that his F1 machine was stuck in fourth gear on the run in from the Bungalow. Anstey, on his Valvolene by Padgetts Motorcycles YZR500 Yamaha then went quicker on his second lap, posting the fastest of the week to date with 122.888, inside his time from Wednesday's session.

   Tomorrow's first race day features the Bennetts 500cc Race, which is scheduled to get away at 12.30, which follows a qualifying session for the F1/F2 and 350cc machines.