Category: IOM TT - Manx Grand Prix

1. CUMMINS SIGNS WITH JACKSON RACING FOR 2014 SUPERSPORT CAMPAIGN

   Posted on 11:43am Thursday 20th Feb 2014

    

   Isle of Man road racer Conor Cummins has signed with Jackson Racing for his 2014 Supersport campaign. The Manxman will compete in the two '600' Races at the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy as well as the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix. Solway Slate & Tile, W.A. Corless, CMS and Motul Oil are backing the team for their 2014 campaign.

    

   Jackson Racing has been a continuous presence in motorcycling paddocks since the 1970's when Alan Jackson Senior won three consecutive World Formula Two Championships between 1977 and 1979, also taking four victories at the Isle of Man TT during that period.

    

   Sons Alan Junior and Andy continued the racing dynasty with Alan setting the Manx Grand Prix outright lap record, 122.208mph, in 2005 - a record that still stands today.

    

   Cummins has the fastest ever 'standing start' Mountain Course lap at 131.511mph, which he set in the 2010 Dainese Superbike TT, which is also the third fastest lap of all time. His four TT podiums include third place in last year's bikesocial.co.uk Lightweight TT. He also has third placed finishes in the 2009 Supersport Race, his highest finish in the class, and the 2010 Superstock Race while his highest placed TT finish remains the runner up spot he took in the 2009 PokerStars Senior TT.

    

   Alan Jackson commented: "Conor is a talented rider who has shown incredible determination to put himself back at the front of the field. He will be one of the frontrunners in every class he competes in and we are delighted to have him on board for the Supersport races where I think he can give a good account of himself. "

    

   "I'm really looking forward to representing Jackson Racing in the 2014 season," said Conor Cummins. "What the Jackson family don't know about road racing isn't worth knowing. I've always enjoyed racing the 600's and I'm confident that we can challenge for honours in the class."

    

    

2. ITALIAN MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURER PATON CONFIRMS TT RACES ENTRY FOR NEW MODEL WITH OLIE LINSDELL

   Posted on 8:01am Thursday 20th Feb 2014

   After announcing their first street legal bike last November at the Italian EICMA exhibition, the S1 'Strada', Paton has also confirmed its participation at the Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy in June, competing in the bikesocial.co.uk Lightweight TT Race. Bedford based Olie Linsdell will head up the Italian marque’s entry.

   This ambitious challenge has been made possible by the small but determined Italian factory team, by Steve Linsdell of Flitwick Motorcycles who will prepare the bike and rider Olie who will set up the bike and compete.

   Olie Linsdell made his Mountain Course debut at the 2007 Manx Grand Prix and his TT Races debut in 2008 but the highlight of his career was undoubtedly his race win in last year's Bennetts 500cc Classic TT when he powered to victory on a Paton BIC 500 BL3 replica.

   Roberto Pattoni, Technical Director, Paton commented: "This is a challenging and thrilling opportunity for us but also for Olie as a rider an engineer; to be the rider who brings Paton back to racing on an International stage is a great honour. We'd also like to thank the Isle of Man TT organisers for being very clear and matter of fact on what is required for the brand new Paton to race in 2014."

   He continued: "Racing has been Paton’s goal since it started in 1958, and with modern classes it means making a street legal bike, which also carries the added motivation of increasing our small firm's technical knowledge by having to solve problems it has never had to face before as well as providing a new challenge. It is a culmination of all our history into one single product."

   "All involved parties are now concentrated on the hard work needed to meet a tight schedule that will see us arrive on the island with a competitive bike in June. The required enthusiasm is definitely there to achieve this goal, with daily technical discussions and updates between the two teams."

   The S1 Strada, Paton’s first street legal bike, is a project based on the Kawasaki 650 twin engine, but surrounded by all of Paton’s experience after 55 years of racing. Built to be legal, and excel both on the road and track, it is hoped that Paton will therefore return to the TT right at the sharp end of the field.

   Paton would like to encourage any current or potential customers to review the machine's performance, which bar the engine will remain standard when it lines up at the top of Glencrutchery Road in June.

3. TT-winner Michael Dunlop joins forces with BMW Motorrad UK for a BMW Motorrad Motorsport supported road racing team

   Posted on 10:40am Wednesday 12th Feb 2014

   TT-winner Michael Dunlop joins forces with BMW Motorrad UK for a BMW Motorrad Motorsport supported road racing team.

   Michael Dunlop, seven-times TT winner, will be racing BMW motorcycles for the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy as well as other international road races.

   The 24-year-old, from Northern Ireland, is joining forces with BMW Motorrad UK and Hawk Racing, who also operate the Buildbase BMW Motorrad BSB team, with the support of BMW Motorrad Motorsport for an assault on the 2014 road-racing programme.

   The joint effort – BMW / Hawk Racing – has the support of BMW Motorrad Motorsport via the global sports programme, as the team seeks to emulate the great BMW victory of Georg Meier in the Isle of Man Senior TT exactly 75 years ago.

   The team will be running both a Superstock BMW in Dunlop Racing livery and a Superbike BMW S 1000 RR in BMW Motorsport livery. Dunlop will compete on the roads for 2014 with the highlight being the prestigious Tourist Trophy races on the Isle of Man.

   Michael Dunlop said: “I’m really pleased to have signed for such a strong and competitive team. The BMW S 1000 RR certainly has the speed for the TT and, with my experience, the support from BMW Motorrad Motorsport and Hawk Racing, I know we have a race-winning package. I really thought about sitting out this year, but I have found a team that I am really comfortable with and the support from BMW Motorrad Motorsport will make us a force to be reckoned with this year.”

   2014 is the 75th anniversary of Georg Meier’s historic win at the Senior TT in 1939, where BMW secured their first TT win. Georg became the first ever foreign winner of the Senior TT race; with team mate Jock West finishing second, on their Boxer-powered 500cc RS 255 Kompressors.

   The BMW / Hawk Racing team will be jointly managed by BMW Motorrad UK and Stuart Hicken, fresh from the Buildbase BMW Motorrad team’s best ever performance in the 2013 British Superbike Championship. Building on their strong relationship and experience with BMW, the team has secured BMW Motorrad Motorsport support for the 2014 road racing programme.

   Stuart Hicken, BMW / Hawk Racing Team Principal, said: “We are extremely pleased to have assembled such an experienced racing team. We have been working on it for a while and I genuinely believe that with Michael, the technical expertise from BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the BMW S 1000 RR, we have secured all the elements we need to be at the sharp end, challenging for a great result at the TT.”

   Lee Nicholls, BMW Motorrad Marketing Manager, said: “We are so pleased to have secured Michael Dunlop to ride for BMW / Hawk Racing. His record speaks for itself and we are confident that, on a BMW S 1000 RR, he can dominate on the roads this season. Creating a team that will focus all its efforts on Michael will present BMW with a realistic chance of replicating our famous victory 75 years ago at the TT.”

   To keep up to date with the latest news from the team, follow @BMWMotorradTT on Twitter.

4. TEAM MUGEN CONFIRMS DOUBLE ASSAULT ON SES TT ZERO 2014 RACE

   Posted on 10:54am Tuesday 11th Feb 2014

   M-Tec Co., Ltd president Mr Shin Nagaosa has announced the participation of Team Mugen in the SES TT Zero class at the Isle of Man TT, which will be held on Wednesday 4th June 2014. He confirmed that the team would have two riders participating in the clean emissions race.

   Twenty-time TT race winner John McGuinness will again represent the Japanese outfit with New Zealand racer Bruce Anstey, who has nine TT race victories, joining him in the team. It will be McGuinness's third SES TT Zero Race while Kiwi Anstey will be making his debut in the class.

   McGuinness narrowly missed out on his first TT Zero victory in 2013 with a lap of over 109mph, losing the race by less than two seconds to Michael Rutter. Both riders shattered the previous lap record by over a minute.

   The formidable Team Mugen riders will be supported with an all-new bike, currently named 'Shinden San', which the team promises will have more power, and further record speeds are anticipated over the course of the event.

   A spokesman for the team said: "We are extremely excited to have secured the services of two such experienced, proven winners around the TT mountain course, and the team will be pulling out all the stops to provide them with the machinery to go for the first TT Zero victory for Team Mugen."

   No further details are available for Shinden San at this time, and the bike will be revealed later in the spring.

5. Penz13.com BMW Racing Team confirms Andrews for 2014 Isle of Man TT Races Campaign

   Posted on 7:51am Saturday 8th Feb 2014

   Rico Penzkofer's Penz13.com team has confirmed that Simon Andrews will ride for the German outfit at the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy.

   Andrews will ride a BMW HP4 S1000RR prepared by the Penz13.com BMW Racing Team, supported by the BMW HP Race Support team, at the Isle of Man TT as well as the North West 200 and Macau Grand Prix.

   He also has the potential to represent the Penz13.com Franks Autowelt Racing Team in the FIM World Endurance Superstock Cup races. Andrews will be the reserve rider at the Bol d’Or and the legendary Le Mans 24 hours with the opportunity to be selected for the team during qualifying.

   Andrews' TT record has included four top fifteen finishes including 11th place in last year's RL360 Superstock Race. He made his TT debut in 2011, taking 11th in both the Superstock and Senior Races, also finishing as the fastest newcomer with a lap of 125.134, the third fastest newcomer in the all-time list. He has a fastest lap to date of 126.001mph around the TT Mountain Course. He also finished third in the 2012 Macau Grand Prix.

   The 29 year old from Evesham is now recovering from his injuries sustained in last year's accident while competing in the World Endurance at Le Mans and is expected to have his first test on the bike later this month.

   Commenting on the move, Simon Andrews said: "I’m pleased to sign with Penz13.com BMW Racing Team for the Road Racings in 2014. I’ve raced against Rico and know his bikes are well built. I’ve had some success with BMW already when I started on the roads earlier in my career. With the help and support of BMW I believe the team will give me a good competitive bike. I'm looking forward to meeting all the team and really seeing what we can do together."

   Rico Penzkofer, Penz13.com Team Principal commented: "We've been in negotiations with Simon for a while and he was scheduled to ride for us in last year’s Macau Grand Prix before his accident at Le Mans last year so I'm really pleased that we've now signed him."

   He continued: "The Isle of Man or Macau has been my greatest passion, my life, if you like. Over recent years we've built a special wealth of experience as a team and focused on the TT - not least because I raced the TT myself. I now want to use this experience and get closer to the sharp end. Steve Mercer delivered our team’s best TT result last year with an 8th spot. I am happy that we've signed Simon and that he has faith in our team as he's a really talented road racer."