Category: IOM TT - Manx Grand Prix

1. Honda Racing update from John McGuinness

   Posted on 8:00pm Wednesday 17th May 2017

   Honda Racing has been speaking with John McGuinness in hospital following his crash last week and overwhelmed with the love and support received, John wanted to pass on his thanks:

   “I really am truly overwhelmed with the amount of support and well wishes that have been flooding in since my accident at the North West 200 last Thursday. Both myself and the wife (Becky) have received so much support and I cannot thank the race fans, industry people, the medical teams and fellow racers enough; all your messages do help pull me through the dark hours.

   I’m still at the Royal Victoria Hospital undergoing various treatments for my leg injury; the fixator is still yet to be fitted as they don’t want to run the risk of infection, so at the moment it is day-by-day.

   I’m not going to lie, missing the TT this year is going to hurt, but I will be watching and keeping an eye on everything! Good luck to all the lads heading out there; if I am able to head over then of course I will be there, but at the moment everything is day-by-day and I just have to do what I can to recover and get better. It’s going to be a long road ahead, but I have a great support network around me, so I have to be patient and take each day as it comes.

   Thank you again!”

   Further updates will be made available in due course. 

2. Five former winners confirmed for Sure Sidecar TT Races

   Posted on 5:00pm Wednesday 10th May 2017

   Five former race winners are in the line up for this year’s two Sure Sidecar TT Races, at the 2017 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, with no less than 25 victories between them.
   
   Almost fifty entries have been accepted for the two three lap races with the first on the opening day – Saturday 3rd June and the second forming part of the ‘Championship Day’ on the final day of the meeting – Friday 9th June.
   
   The competitive field includes thirteen crews have already lapped the Mountain Course at more than 110mph and the strength in depth extends through the field. Only ten drivers are seeded but the top thirty have all lapped at more than 106mph.
   
   Like the solo seeds, there’s change in the sidecar ranks as Ben and Tom Birchall take the number one plate for the first time. With four wins in total, and three in the last two years, as well as being the current outright lap record holders, the Nottinghamshire brothers are the crew to beat and will be confident that they can add to their tally of wins.
   
   Setting off ten seconds behind them are the most successful driver and passenger in TT history – Dave Molyneux and Dan Sayle. With seventeen and eight wins respectively, the Manx duo have an unbelievable record but the last few years have been marked by a dip in their fortunes and they will be hoping a switch to Yamaha will elevate them back to the top step of the podium.
   
   John Holden, last year’s winner, is at number three. The Silicone Engineering-backed driver took his second individual win in the opening race of 2016. With 15 podiums to his name, the Blackburn driver has made a change to his wing man with local passenger Lee Cain joining him in a formidable looking combination.
   
   Conrad Harrison, another race winner, is at number four.  The Bradford driver took victory in the opening race of 2014 but has had a year to forget in 2016 and failed to start a race for the first time in his TT career. Having recruited Holden’s former race winning passenger Andy Winkle, he is likely to be challenging for honours again.
   
   The same applies to five times World Champion Tim Reeves who takes the number five plate this time around on the Klaffi Racing Honda. His sole victory came in 2013 and although he has a rookie passenger, to the TT at least, in Mark Wilkes, he’ll be looking to build up his challenge during race week and in contention come race day.
   
   Last year’s sensation, Cheshire’s Peter Founds, who took second place in the opening race in just his second year of competing as a driver at the TT, starts ten seconds behind them. Passenger Jevan Walmsley had a dream debut and having already lapped at close to 113mph, the duo will be hoping to make even greater strides in 2017.
   
   Peter’s brother Alan was also on the podium last year, finishing third in the same race and he takes the number seven plate. He also has a new passenger in the shape of Jake Lowther who last competed at the TT with his brother John in 2015, the duo lapping at close to 109mph.
   
   Next up at number eight is another local driver, Karl Bennett. He had his best ever TT result 12 months ago when he took fourth in the second race and also broke the 112mph barrier for the first time. He too has a new passenger on board and, having partnered with Cain since 2010, he’s now recruited Frenchman Maxime Vasseur.
   
   The father and son pairing of Steve and Matty Ramsden are at number nine and deservedly become a seeded pairing after two great drives in 2016 saw them claim fourth and sixth place finishes while at number 10 Gary Knight is the last of the seeds. The former European Champion lines up with Daniel Evanson again after they finished eighth and twelfth in 2016.
   
   The rest of the field will confirm their starting positions during qualifying week including Tony Baker/Fiona Baker-Milligan, Wayne Lockey/Mark Sayers, Michael Grabmuller/Manfred Wechselberger, Mike Roscher/Ben Hughes and the returning Rob Handcock/Ken Edwards and Allan Schofield/Steve Thomas who will all be looking to secure low start numbers for the two Sure Sidecar TT Races.

   

3. Reggie Yates to headline Honda TT Revolution

   Posted on 10:00am Wednesday 10th May 2017

   – Ongoing success sees the Honda TT Revolution return to the Isle of Man for the fourth year
   – Honda partners with Mixmag for this year’s event
   – Closing party at the Isle of Man TT to round off seven days of breathtaking racing action

   Now in its fourth year, the Honda TT Revolution is fast becoming the must see event at the Isle of Man. Held at the culmination of an unforgettable week of motorcycle racing, the TT Revolution celebrates the Isle of Man TT with an epic closing party that is attended by fans, racers and celebrities alike.
   
   For the 2017 edition of Honda TT Revolution, Honda Motor Europe joins forces with Mixmag – the world’s biggest dance music media brand – to bring the BBC’s Reggie Yates to the island, who will headline the event after the Senior TT on Friday 9th June.
   
   “I’m really excited to head over to the Isle of Man TT races”, explained Reggie Yates, ahead of this year’s event. “It’s an event that has grown year-on-year and I am excited to be a part of it. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the racing too, I have watched some onboard videos from the Honda Racing team and it looks insane! I can’t wait to get over there and experience the Honda TT Revolution for myself and be a part of it”.

   Since its launch in 2014, the Honda TT Revolution has grown year-on-year taking the crown as the TT closing party and the place to be on the island. With tickets selling fast each year, the event has always been sold-out with partygoers keen to see their TT experience off in style.

   The Honda TT Revolution closing party will take place at Tahiko, Douglas on Friday 9 June. A limited number of tickets will be on-sale through Resident Advisor on Friday 12 May, with further tickets available on the door at Tahiko, priced at £5 per person.

   Join Honda on the #HondaTTRev journey!

   

    

   
   Twitter: @HondaRacingCBR
   Facebook: HondaProRacing

   www.mixmag.net

    

   www.reggieyates.com

4. Hutchinson starts favourite for Monster Energy Supersport TT Races

   Posted on 12:00pm Friday 21st Apr 2017

   The Monster Energy Supersport 600cc races received more entries than any of the other classes at the 2017 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, and the two four-lap races see minor changes from the 1000cc bikes in the order among the twenty seeded riders.

   The man to beat is undoubtedly Ian Hutchinson.  The ‘Bingley Bullet’ has won the last four 600cc TT races with doubles in both 2015 and 2016. He will again be riding for Keith Flint’s Team Traction Control Yamaha team and, with seven wins in the class already - half of his 14 TT career victories - he will start the races as the clear favourite. As in the 1000cc races, he will have the number four plate.
   
   The rider with the honour of starting at number one on this occasion is Lee Johnston. The Ulsterman will be leading the field away for the first time in his TT career. Riding the Jackson Racing Honda, Johnston is still seeking his first podium in the class and 2017 could well be the year he achieves it.
   
   Bruce Anstey (Padgetts Honda) and James Hillier (JG Speedfit Kawasaki), the next two riders on the grid, will have the same start position as the three 1000cc races. Anstey won the race for the Batley-based team in 2011 and 2012 and has taken no less than six successive second places between 2013 and 2015 so will be a major threat. Hillier enjoyed strong runs in the two races in 2016, finishing second and fourth and clocking a new personal best 600cc lap marginally under 127mph.
   
   John McGuinness (Jackson Racing Honda), Michael Dunlop (MD Racing Yamaha) and Conor Cummins (Padgetts Honda) continue at numbers five, six and seven respectively and although Dunlop hasn’t won a 600cc race since 2014 he still holds the lap record of 128.666 (17:35.659), which he set in 2013.  He will be keen to get back to winning ways after the controversy of last year that saw the Northern Ireland rider disqualified from the opening race.
   
   Gary Johnson moves back into the top ten for the Supersport races with the Lincolnshire rider taking the number eight plate. He continues with Triumph machinery, this time riding the bikes campaigned in 2016 by Lee Johnston, and having been victorious twice already, in 2011 and 2014, he certainly cannot be discounted.
   
   Dean Harrison will start at number nine on the Silicone Engineering Kawasaki and, with two podiums in last year’s corresponding races, he will be firmly gunning for his second TT win. Peter Hickman, the second Triumph rider in the top ten, goes ten seconds behind Harrison and his Smiths Racing team have already won the race in 2014 with Johnson.
   
   Michael Rutter, who posted his best ever 600cc lap at more than 125mph in 2015, retains the same number 11 slot. He will be riding a Yamaha for former racer Stephen Thompson. David Johnson starts ten seconds behind Rutter although the Norton Racing rider has yet to confirm his ride for the middleweight division.
   
   Jamie Coward will take the number 13, usually run by Johnston with the Radcliffe Racing rider becoming a seeded rider for the first time – recognition for his results in 2016 when he took a pair of 12th placed finishes and lapped in excess of 124mph.
   
   Three historically fast riders follow Coward although two of them – Dan Kneen (14) and Josh Brookes (16) are still searching for competitive mounts. Another potential winner, William Dunlop, riding the Caffrey International Yamaha, bisects the pair.
   
   Steve Mercer and Martin Jessopp will start at number 17 and 18 on the Devitt RC Express Racing Kawasaki and Riders Motorcycles Triumph respectively with further changes from the 1000’s start list at 19 and 20. James Cowton will start from number 19 on the McAdoo Racing Kawasaki with Dan Cooper setting off at number 20. Dan Hegarty and Ivan Lintin, both seeded riders in the 1000cc classes, drop out of the top twenty for the Monster Energy Supersport Races.

5. KMR announce four man team for Bennetts Lightweight TT Race

   Posted on 3:00pm Monday 3rd Apr 2017

   KMR Kawasaki will have a four man team for the Bennetts Lightweight TT race at the 2017 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy with Peter Hickman and Danny Webb joining Lee Johnston and Hudson Kennaugh in Ryan Farquhar’s team.
   
   The quartet will all ride identically-prepared ER6 650cc Kawasaki’s in the four-lap race as triple TT winner Farquhar goes all out to claim victory in the race he won himself back in 2012.
   
   Hickman will be making his debut in the race having withdrawn last year after being scheduled to ride the John Burrows BEE Cookstown Kawasaki and will be among the pre-race favourites as will team-mate Johnston. He previously rode for Farquhar’s team at the 2015 Isle of Man TT and, after lapping at close to 119mph, was lying in a podium position before retiring on the final lap.
   
   Webb will be making his fourth successive appearance in the race - all of which have been for Farquhar’s team. His debut in 2014 saw him finish in a credible 14th place and he went quicker still in 2015, lapping in excess of 115mph on his way to claiming an excellent tenth place and his first silver replica.
   
   South African Kennaugh competed in the Bennetts Lightweight TT race in 2015 where he was running on the edge of the top ten before a spill at Braddan Bridge in the closing stages ended his race.
   
   With Johnston and Hickman expected to be challenging for the race win and Webb and Kennaugh strong candidates for top ten positions, it promises to be an exciting race for KMR Kawasaki and while Farquhar is naturally disappointed not to be riding himself, he’s excited about his team’s prospects.