Isle of Man TT
June 2, 2017
RST Superbike Race Results:
1. Michael Dunlop (BMW S1000RR), Total Race Time 1:44:13.398, Average Race Speed 130.324 mph
2. Conor Cummins (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:45.04.259, 129.273 mph
3. James Hillier (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:45:25.919, 128.830 mph
4. David Johnson BMW S1000RR), 1:45:58.637, 128.167 mph
5. Michael Rutter (BMW S1000RR), 1:47:27.374, 126.403 mph
6. Lee Johnston (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:47:42.014, 126.117 mph
7. Martin Jessopp (BMW S1000RR), 1:48:04.898, 125.672 mph
8. Ivan Lintin (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:48:07.017, 125.631 mph
9. Philip Crowe (BMW S1000RR), 1:48:12.101, 125.532 mph
10. Josh Brookes (Norton), 1:48:14.276, 125.490 mph
More, from a press release issued by Isle of Man TT Press Office:
Emotional victory for Dunlop and Tyco BMW in RST Superbike TT Race
Michael Dunlop gave Tyco BMW an emotional victory in today’s RST Superbike race, the opening race of the 2018 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, with the Ulsterman taking over the lead on lap four after long time leader Dean Harrison retired at Sulby Crossroads.
The Silicone Engineering Kawasaki rider shattered the outright lap record from a standing start with a lap of 134.432mph to open up an 18 second lead but as he hit problems, Dunlop took his 16th TT win by 50.8s from Conor Cummins (Padgetts Honda) with James Hillier (Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki) taking third.
At Glen Helen on the opening lap, Harrison had already opened up a 3.7s lead over Dunlop with Peter Hickman a further 1.9s behind in third. Hillier, Cummins and Gary Johnson completed the top six. But Harrison was really pressing on, extending his advantage to 5.6s at Ballaugh and adding another 2.2s by the time he reached Ramsey.
With a sensational opening lap of 134.432mph – a new outright lap record and from a standing start to boot – Harrison held an 11.3s lead over Dunlop with Cummins moving up to third as Hickman dropped back. Indeed, the Smiths Racing BMW pulled in to the pits to retire which meant Hillier, David Johnson and Gary Johnson now filled the top six positions.
By Glen Helen second time around, Harrison was 14.7s clear of Dunlop who in turn was 10.7s ahead of Cummins. Fourth to sixth remained the same as Michael Rutter, Josh Brookes, Jamie Coward and Lee Johnston rounded out the top ten.
With the fastest ever times in all six sectors now under his belt, having not held one before the race, Harrison led by 17s at Ramsey and as he came in at the end of the lap for his first pit stop, he stopped the clocks at 134.180mph. His lead was a healthy 16.3s over Dunlop, who lapped at 133.513mph. Cummins was still in third after setting a new personal best lap of 132.589mph as Hillier, David Johnson and Gary Johnson maintained the fourth, fifth and sixth places.
After the first set of pit stops, Harrison swept through Glen Helen for the third time with his gap over Dunlop still over 16 seconds with the Ulsterman in turn some 24.3s clear of Cummins. Indeed, the gaps between the riders were extending with Hillier ten seconds adrift of Cummins but 13s clear of David Johnson with Gary Johnson over 30s back in sixth. However, a better pit stop saw Rutter get ahead of Brookes at Glen Helen.
At half race distance, Harrison’s lead had been cut by 11.5s as Dunlop began to make his charge, the Ballymoney rider taking back one of the fastest sector times from Cronk ny Mona to the Grandstand. The race was really hotting up and by Glen Helen on the fourth lap, Dunlop had taken a further 2.5s out of his deficit, the difference now just nine seconds.
Harrison still led on the road at Ballaugh but all was not well as he lost over five seconds on the run from Glen Helen and the gap was just 4.6s over the famous hump-backed bridge. And shortly afterwards, news came through that Harrison’s superb race had ended with retirement at Sulby Crossroads.
Dunlop completed lap four with a lap of 133.240mph and a 40.3s lead over Cummins with Hillier now in third some 20.5s in arrears. David Johnson was up to fourth with Rutter and Lee Johnston promoted to fifth and sixth respectively as Gary Johnson’s strong ride came to an end with a retirement at Sarah’s Cottage.
With considerable gaps between the leading riders, positions stayed the same over the final two laps and although Hillier halved the deficit to Cummins after the second pit stop, the Manxman responded to edge away once more and secure his second place finish.
Dunlop duly took the chequered flag for his 16th TT win with Cummins equalling his best ever result in second as he took his seventh TT podium. Hillier rounded out the podium, the 11th time he has been on the TT rostrum.
Further back, David Johnson equalled his best ever TT result in fourth while Rutter saw off a late charge from Johnston to hold onto fifth. Martin Jessopp took his best ever 1000cc result around the Mountain Course in a fine seventh with Ivan Lintin and Phil Crowe doing likewise in eighth and ninth, the latter only a fraction off his maiden 130mph+ lap with a speed of 129.957mph. Josh Brookes completed the top ten.
Crowe was the first privateer to finish ahead of Sam West (11th), who lapped at 129.123mph on the final lap, and Shaun Anderson (13th) whilst newcomer Davey Todd had a superb ride into 16th as he lapped at 126.268mph to become the third fastest newcomer in TT history.
More, from another press release issued by Isle of Man TT Press Office:
Birchalls blitz lap and race records in Locate.im Sidecar TT Race 1
Ben and Tom Birchall took their seventh Isle of Man win on Saturday evening when they blitzed the record books in the opening Locate.im Formula Two Sidecar race at the 2018 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, shattering both lap and race records.
The Mansfield brothers broke their own lap record on each of the three laps, moving the outright lap record to an astonishing 118.694mph, and they came home 47.1s clear of John Holden/Lee Cain with Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes completing the podium in third.
After the race Ben revealed that they had to work hard for the win and paid tribute to his brother and team. He said:
“You never know what pace you can run on the Isle of Man. Tom’s been incredible – faultless. We had a bit of a moment at Windy Corner – I’m blaming the wind. We’ve got a great team and Chris builds some great engines.”
The Birchalls led from start to finish and at Glen Helen on the opening lap, their advantage over Holden/Cain was a slender 2.1s with Reeves/Wilkes only a further second back as Alan Founds/Jake Lowther, Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley and Dave Molyneux/Dan Sayle completed the top six.
As the lap progressed, the Birchalls continued to extend their lead through all the timing points and it was clear they were on a fast lap – indeed, as they flashed across the line at the end of the lap, they broke their own lap record with a speed of 117.502mph.
That gave them a more than healthy lead of 13.1s over Holden/Cain and although Reeves/Wilkes continued to hold onto third, there were problems for Founds/Lowther who pitted to make adjustments and Molyneux/Sayle who retired from the race whilst holding onto sixth. Meanwhile, newcomers Michael Jackson/Harry Payne set a good opening lap of 106.242mph.
The pit stop dropped Founds to 21st place but there were no such problems at the head of the field and the Birchalls were setting a sensational pace and by the end of the lap, they’d doubled their lead to 26.1s – and little wonder as they’d smashed the lap record with a stunning lap of 118.694mph.
Holden/Cain became only the second crew to lap at more than 117mph with a lap of 117.370mph and they were now 19 seconds clear of Reeves/Wilkes. Founds/Walmsley were up to fourth with a new personal best lap of 114.613mph ahead of Conrad Harrison/Andy Winkle and Founds/Lowther who had amazingly climbed all the way back up to sixth.
On the third and final lap, the gaps between the front runners continued to widen and with a final lap of 117.771mph, the Birchalls came home for their seventh TT win and fourth in a row. Holden’s runner-up spot was his ninth podium in a row and 19th in total, while passenger Lee Cain became the fastest Manx passenger whileReeves/Wilkes came home in a good third place.
Founds/Walmsley took fourth place with brother Alan and passenger Lowther taking a brilliant fifth place given their earlier pit stop and it was Harrison/Winkle who completed the top six.
Darren Hope/Lenny Bumfrey, Gary and Daryl Gibson, Gary Bryan/Phil Hyde and Greg Lambert/Julie Canipa rounded out the top ten.
More, from a press release issued by Bathams Racing:
Strong fifth place for Rutter in Superbike TT
Michael Rutter opened his account at the 2018 Isle of Man TT races on Saturday with a strong fifth place in the six-lap Superbike race. The Bathams Racing rider held a top ten position throughout the race and steadily moved up the leaderboard for yet another top six finish around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course.
In what was a difficult practice week on the island, the Bridgnorth resident posted the eighth fastest time over the course of the four evening sessions with a best lap of 129.583mph and although conditions on Saturday were cooler, an opening lap of 128.969mph saw Michael slot into seventh place on the BMW S1000RR.
Second time around, he slipped back to eighth after being overhauled by the Norton of Josh Brookes but this was the lowest position he held over the course of the 226-mile race and by the end of lap three, half race distance, he was back up to seventh.
With long time race leader Dean Harrison and sixth placed Gary Johnson both retiring on lap four, Michael was promoted up the order to fifth and although he came under pressure from Lee Johnston, the Honda Racing rider closing to within four seconds, he responded well and with the sixth and final lap being his best of the race, 129.762mph, he duly crossed the line in a fine fifth place.
Michael Rutter: “I’m really happy for the team that we’ve taken a fifth place today as they’ve been working extremely hard ever since we got here. Fifth place in a Superbike race at the TT is a mega result although I am a bit disappointed in myself as I could have ridden better. There’s a lot going on at the moment and I’m just not quite riding at my best and laps of 128-129mph are where I am at the moment.”
“We had a standard road bike engine fitted and whilst it’s now slow by any means, it does lack that little bit compared to a fully tuned engine but, like I say, fifth place from a team perspective is brilliant. I had no moments at all and just rode my own race so it’s a good start to race week and gives us plenty to build on.”
Michael will be back in action on Monday afternoon with the 4-lap Superstock race due to get underway at 2.15pm
More, from a press release issued by RAF Reserve & Regular Kawasaki:
Johnson denied top six finish in Superbike TT
Gary Johnson and the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team were denied a top six finish in Saturday’s Superbike race at the Isle of Man TT races with the Lincolnshire rider being forced to retire on the fourth of six laps when holding on to a good sixth place.
Despite excellent weather, a problematic practice week saw the team hit by a number of technical issues over the course of the six evening sessions around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course but a lap of 127.877mph during Friday evening’s final session put them in a more optimistic mood for Saturday’s six-lap race.
The sunny weather of practice week gave way to cloudier conditions on race day but although the race was delayed by an hour it eventually got underway at 1.00pm and with a strong opening lap of 129.710mph, his quickest of the week thus far, Gary slotted into a good sixth place.
Second time around and another lap in excess of 129mph, 129.208mph, saw Gary consolidate his sixth place and although Norton’s Josh Brookes had closed to within half a second, a good pit stop and subsequent third lap saw Gary edge away from his Australian rival.
Going into the fourth lap, Gary was holding onto a comfortable sixth place on the Kawasaki ZX-10R but as he swept through the Glen Helen section, the bike began to slow, and he had little option other than to retire at Sarah’s Cottage, a disappointing end to a race that promised plenty.
Gary Johnson: “After Friday’s final practice session, we made a small alteration to the bike and we knew where we were in terms of lap times and pace. I knew the team had given me a bike that would be comfortable to ride and when I set off down Bray Hill, the bike felt stable and I was able to push on. It was a bit hard changing direction through the fast stuff but good through the slow stuff and whilst I know we can go faster when things are right, we were holding onto a good sixth place, no mean feat given the competition.”
“With no data from previous years, it hasn’t been easy but the race was going well and I was in a comfortable sixth place but on lap three the bike didn’t quite feel right and through Glen Helen it was getting slower and making more noise, so I rolled off the throttle and pulled up at Sarah’s. It’s a real shame as we could have ended up in fifth with Dean (Harrison) retiring from the lead but we’ve learned a lot and will be in a better position come the Senior next Friday.”
Lee Hardy, Team Owner: “It’s been tough going during practice as we’ve had to start from scratch with a new rider and bike with which we’ve had no data but whilst we’ve had a few issues, we’ve continued to move forward. After the last night of practice, Gary was a lot happier with the bike, going about his business in a methodical manner, and we told him to go out today and enjoy the race.”
“The first half of the race went really well and we were on course for an excellent top six finish but, unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be today. It was obviously disappointing and frustrating for Gary and the whole team as a lot of hard work and preparation has gone into our TT effort. On the plus side, we now have some good data to work with and we know there’s some good results within Gary and with four more races to go, we’ll be looking to achieve exactly that.”
Gary will be back on the Mountain Course on Monday with the 4-lap Supersport and Superstock races taking place.
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:
Solid sixth place for Lee Johnston in the Superbike TT
Isle of Man TT
Snaefell Mountain Course, Isle of Man
Honda Racing’s Lee Johnston secured a solid sixth place finish in today’s opening RST Superbike race at the Isle of Man TT, aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2, while teammate Ian Hutchinson retired from the six-lap race.
With the Superbike race getting underway at a slightly later time than planned, due to fog and mist across the Mountain, the Honda duo set off at 1pm local time, with Hutchy fourth and Johnston 13th on the road.
‘The General’ had strong pace from the start and quickly settled into a good rhythm aboard the CBR around the 37.73-mile Mountain circuit. Coming into the first pit stop at the end of the second lap, Johnston had moved into tenth place.
With consistent, quick lap times and fast pit stops from the super-slick Honda crew, Johnston was able to make up places throughout the race, eventually crossing the line in sixth place with a race time of 1:47:42.014 (15 seconds from fifth place).
Meanwhile teammate Hutchinson retired from the race on lap four at Governor’s Bridge. Having got a good start off the line and looking strong in the opening stages of the race, he pulled in at the end of lap four having struggled with suspension set-up on the CBR machine.
The team will now prepare for the Superstock race on Monday 4 June, ahead of the blue riband Senior TT on Friday 8 June.
For all the latest information on the team, follow @HondaRacingCBR on Twitter.
Ian Hutchinson 4
We’ve made a lot of changes with the Fireblade over the week and coming into the race today I was confident with the changes. I had a good start and good pace in the early stages of the race. I came into the pits and we had a good stop, but I was already starting to struggle with the suspension setting we decided to go with. I pulled in towards the end of the fourth lap at Governors Bridge; I just wasn’t comfortable enough to continue another two laps. We have learnt a lot from today and we’ll start looking into different options to really optimise the Fireblade’s setting for me over six laps, ready for the Senior TT on Friday.
Lee Johnston 13
We changed the Fireblade a lot after last night’s practice, so coming into the race today we didn’t really know what we had going into the first lap! But I felt comfortable throughout the whole race and to get a top-six on a Superbike is really good for me here. We do have some things to change ahead of the Senior on Friday, but all in all I’m pretty happy and hopefully we can better today’s result next week. We’ve been working mainly on the stability of the CBR over the bumps; just normal things around here really, but we do struggle with my size and getting enough weight on the bike. I’m 65kg and the bike is used to having people around 75-80kg on it – 10kg is a lot! The CBR is stable in a straight line and so fast, but it’s just pulling it all together and getting the weight in all the right places so we can manage the power. We have some good information from the six laps today and it’s just a case of looking into a few things before the Senior TT.
Jonny Twelvetrees
Team Manager
I’m really pleased with Lee’s result today, practice went well this week and we made improvements night after night, and we went faster today as well, which is all we can ask for. He finished the race and he put in 100% over the six laps and came back with a strong result. We’ve got a lot of information that we can now use moving forward into next week. Ian made an awesome effort, especially as his leg was in a cage six weeks ago! He pulled in after four laps as the CBR isn’t exactly where he needs it at the moment and we do have some work to do with the suspension as it made it really hard for him today. We have some work getting it in a position where he can push on for six laps, but we have information from today so I think we’re in a good position to be able to work towards something for the Senior.
More, from a press release issued by Dafabet Devitt Racing:
Lintin claims best ever Superbike TT finish
Ivan Lintin claimed his best ever Superbike finish at the Isle of Man TT races when he took an excellent eighth place on the Dafabet Devitt Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R in Saturday’s six-lap race, also setting a new personal best lap of 128.672mph.
With good conditions all week on the island, the Lincolnshire rider had enjoyed a good week of practice on all bikes around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course with a lap of 126.821mph placing him 19th on the Superbike leaderboard.
However, both he and the team were confident of improving upon that in the race and, sure enough, an opening lap of 127.218mph saw the 33-year old cross the line in 15th place. The hot weather of practice week had given way to cooler, cloudier conditions and it suited Ivan well as a second lap of 128.176mph enabled him to jump up to 11th place.
A superb pit stop by the team got him back out in double quick time and by the end of lap three, half race distance, he moved up into the top ten as he held onto tenth place. Another 128mph+ lap on lap four, 128.114mph, saw him climb further up the leaderboard into an excellent seventh place and another good pit stop meant he consolidated his position.
The final two laps looked like they would see Ivan finish in seventh but although a flying lap in excess of 130mph by Martin Jessopp on lap six pushed him back to seventh, the Bardney rider set a new personal best lap of 128.672mph to secure a brilliant eighth place, bettering the tenth he took in the 2016 Senior race.
Ivan Lintin: “I’m over the moon with eighth place today and also with my personal best lap so it couldn’t have gone any better really. I got settled into the race and caught Sam West and Shaun Anderson in the early stages, opening up a bit of a gap over the both of them and I had no issues at all during the race. I saw a pitboard at Sulby which said ‘+10’ so when Sam came back past me on the final lap, I thought it was him that was behind me and not Martin so I could have maybe pushed a bit harder on the final lap and be sitting here now with seventh. I’m really happy with eighth though and it’s a great start to the week.”
Ben Constable, Team Co-owner: “In all honesty, we weren’t expecting a top ten finish today with the competition being so intense so to be sitting here now with an eighth place is simply superb. Ivan’s been riding well all week, getting plenty of laps in on each machine, and we felt confident of giving a good account of ourselves today.”
“Ivan put together a really consistent race, and with three 128mph+ laps, he moved up the leaderboard all race and with two mega pit stops by the team, we got ourselves into the top ten. It’s been a big team effort and Ivan put it all together in the race and although we missed out on seventh by just a few seconds, we’re all delighted with eighth.”
Ivan has two races on Monday with the 4-lap Supersport and Superstock races scheduled to take place at 10.44am and 2.15pm.