Isle of Man TT
Isle of Man, UK
June 4, 2016
RST Superbike Race Results:
1. Michael Dunlop (BMW S1000RR), Total Race Time 1:44:14.259, Average Lap Speed 130.306 mph, Fastest Lap 16:58.254, Best Lap Speed 133.393 mph
2. Ian Hutchinson (BMW S1000RR), 1:44:33.323, 129.910 mph
3. John McGuinness (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:45:27.498, 128.798 mph
4. Peter Hickman (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:45:44.951, 128.444 mph
5. Dean Harrison (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:46:09.896, 127.941 mph
6. Michael Rutter (BMW S1000RR), 1:46:40.202, 127.335 mph
7. David Johnson (Norton), 1:46:56.430, 127.013 mph
8. Bruce Anstey (Hon RC213V-S), 1:47:05.936, 126.825 mph
9. Gary Johnson (BMW S1000RR), 1:47:16.523, 126.616 mph
10. Lee Johnston (BMW S1000RR), 1:47:16.614, 126.614 mph
Mark Miller (EBR 1190), DNF
Brandon Cretu (Bim BB3), DNF, retired
More, from a press release issued by Isle of Man TT Press Office:
DUNLOP OBLITERATES LAP AND RACE RECORDS IN SENSATIONAL RST SUPERBIKE TT RACE
History was made in the opening race of the 2016 Isle of Man TT races, fuelled by Monster Energy, as Michael Dunlop shattered the lap and race records to record the first ever sub-17 minute lap of the Mountain Course to win the RST Superbike race.
The 27-year old’s first two laps were both under 17 minutes, the quickest being 133.393mph to win by 19s from Ian Hutchinson, who was also inside the outright lap record, with John McGuinness claiming third. His race winning time was a staggering 1m15.643s inside the old race record.
Dunlop signalled his intentions from the off, taking the lead at Glen Helen on the opening lap from Hutchinson by two seconds with James Hillier a further two seconds back in third. Michael Rutter, Dean Harrison and Conor Cummins completed the top six but the latter was soon out, retiring at Ballaugh.
By Ramsey, Dunlop had doubled his advantage over Hutchinson with Hillier still in third from Harrison and Rutter as McGuinness moved up into the top six.
Dunlop was on lap record pace from a standing start though and with a sensational lap of 133.369mph, he recorded the first ever sub-17 minute lap which gave him a 3.6s lead over Hutchinson whose lap of 132.892mph was also inside the old outright lap record. Harrison had taken over third from Hillier with McGuinness and Rutter now the top six, the quartet having all lapped at more than 130mph..
Hutchinson caught McGuinness on the road and his second lap was almost identical to his first at 132.884mph but Dunlop went quicker still and his second lap of 133.393mph extended his lead to 7.5s. Harrison was still in third but McGuinness was on the move and was up to fourth, only a quarter of a second adrift. Hillier had dropped back to fifth as Peter Hickman moved up to sixth.
Dunlop made over four seconds on Hutchinson in the pits and the lead was now 15s at Glen Helen with the Ulsterman having the Bingley rider in his sights on the road. Harrison was still secure in fourth with Hickman and Rutter now the top six as Hillier ran into trouble and dropped back to 13th.
By the end of the fourth lap, Hutchinson, McGuinness and Dunlop were all circulating on the road together with the Honda man getting back ahead of Hutchinson for a brief period. Also going great guns was David Johnson, the Norton man moving up to seventh after a lap of 129.473mph.
As the race entered its final third, the top three were secure in their positions but the battle for fourth was going down to the wire and by the end of lap five Hickman had moved ahead of Harrison albeit by 0.355s. Bruce Anstey had moved up into the top ten on the RCV213S, lapping at more than 130mph for the first time on the machine, as Hillier clawed his way back up to 11th.
At the head of the field though, Dunlop, Hutchinson and McGuinness were comfortable in the podium positions and although the latter lapped at 131.538mph on his fourth lap he was unable to make an impression on the front two so Dunlop swept to his 12th TT victory with Hutchinson having to settle for second and McGuinness third.
Further back, Hickman was charging and after lapping in excess of 131mph on his fourth lap, he posted his best lap on the sixth and final lap with a speed of 132.465mph to take his best ever TT position in fourth with Harrison and Rutter completing the top six.
David Johnson’s excellent ride on the Norton ended with a brilliant seventh place and a new best lap by the Norton at 130.872mph with Anstey – 12th on lap one – Gary Johnson and Lee Johnston completing the top ten.
In the race for the TT Privateer’s Championship, Daniel Hegarty took the maximum 25 points after finishing 13th overall, also posting a new personal best lap of the Mountain Course at 128.341mph.
More, from a press release issued by Buildbase BMW:
MICHAEL DUNLOP AND HAWK RACING REWRITE THE RECORD BOOKS AT THE ISLE OF MAN TT
Michael Dunlop makes history at the Isle Of Man TT 2016 as he rewrites the records on his Hawk Racing machinery during the RST Superbike Race.
The Ballymoney man has returned to the road-racing course aboard the machine that saw him dominate the 2014 TT and set a record breaking lap at The International North West 200 earlier this year, taking his 12th win in the opening Superbike race, 19.064 seconds ahead of rival Ian Hutchinson in second and John McGuinness in third.
Michael shown impressive pace during practice week, it seemed that the hard work both rider and team put in ahead of the season were paying off as Dunlop stormed to the fastest lap during Wednesdays practice session, setting a stake raising 131.574mph lap, demoting rival Ian Hutchinson from the overall top spot on the qualifying sheets. The 27 year old continued his impressive form throughout Thursday evenings practice throwing down the gauntlet and breaking the TT 2016 132mph barrier.
During the RST Superbike race the Hawk Racing rider had sensational race pace from the off, smashing the outright lap record on his first lap, with a staggering 133.369 mph, as well as being the first rider to ever complete a sub 17 minute lap time from a standing start, coming in at 16:58.439. The record breaking continued into lap 2 as Dunlop broke his previous lap record with a 133.393 mph and another sub 17 minute lap.
Crucial seconds were claimed off the rest of the pack with The Maverick leaving his fellow competitors 17.3 seconds behind him. It was at the Bungalow during lap 5 that saw the eventual lead on the roads take place. A firm grip on the battle ahead of the pack saw the lead increase to 22.4 seconds over Hutchinson. As the race entered it’s closing stages, Hutchy clawed back the lead on the road and a few seconds from the main man but Michael controlled his lead and charged to his 12th victory at the finishing flag with a staggering 19.064 lead over second place Hutchinson.
Results
1) Michael Dunlop – Hawk BMW
2) Ian Hutchinson – Tyco BMW
3) John McGuinness – Honda Racing
Michael Dunlop: “It was really good, I can’t complain, the bike was working really well. Everyone had got pace but I just went into it with what I had. We just pushed on, I knew my pace and I kept at it, battering on. There’s definitely a 134 in me and maybe even a 135 – there is only one way to find it, and I will be pushing myself for it. I said that I am here to win races, and I’ve shown today that I can, bagging my 12th TT win and breaking the records too. The boys behind me have worked hard. The effort that they have done is all out their own pockets, they have given me their all. You wouldn’t believe the workshop that Stuart and Steve work in and they provide me with the best kit and a great set-up. Stuart has been very loyal to me after last year. Friday is a different day but if the weather is good I will have a good go. I want to keep adding to my tally.”
Steve Hicken, Team Manager: “Michael has shown this week what a rider he is. After our success at The International North West 200 we were aiming for the top step of the podium and Michael has given us that win. We couldn’t have asked for him to give any more. We are over the moon that our machinery has led to the win and record breaking laps too. I have to give credit to all of the team and sponsors who have helped us to achieve todays results. We have more work to do before Friday, we will work hard with Michael to make sure we are on top form again.”
Highlights from today’s racing will be broadcast on ITV4 at 21:00 and will available online via www.itv.com/itvplayer.
More, from a press release issued by Bathams/SMT Racing:
Top six for Rutter in opening Superbike TT race
Michael Rutter got his race week underway in fine style at the 2016 Isle of Man TT races with the Bathams/SMT Racing BMW rider taking an excellent sixth place in Saturday’s six-lap Superbike race.
The Bridgnorth rider was running inside the top six straightaway and went through Glen Helen, nine miles into the opening lap, in fourth place and just over a second down on third placed James Hillier. He slipped back slightly as the lap wore on but a speed of 130.092mph, his first 130mph lap of the fortnight so far, put him in a strong sixth place.
Having caught William Dunlop on the road, a second lap of 129.830mph saw him drop back to seventh on the BMW S1000RR but it was still close as he was only 1.5s adrift of new sixth placed man Peter Hickman.
By the end of lap three, Michael was back up to sixth as Hillier ran into trouble and now circulating on the road with Dean Harrison and Gary Johnson, he was able to consolidate that position in the second half of the race. Indeed, whilst the gap to fifth place was staying constant, so too was Michael’s advantage over seventh placed David Johnson and with two more 129mph+ laps on the fourth and sixth laps, he crossed the line in an excellent sixth place for yet another top six finish around the 37 and ¾-mile Mountain Course.
Michael Rutter: “It’s a brilliant finish for me and I’m well happy – I’d have been happy with a top ten finish so to finish inside the top six is like a win for me. The bike was a little bit loose at the rear and maybe I’d gone too far with the rebound as it was quite lively over the jumps at places like Crosby and Ballacrye. It would just fire off the jumps and get into a bit of a wobble so I had to be a little bit cautious.”
“It was a little bit unpredictable but everywhere else the Bathams/SMT Racing BMW was working great and I had an enjoyable race. I had a good dice on the roads with Dean and Gary but I could see sixth wasn’t really under threat so I rode to my signals in the second half of the race to bring the bike home in a good sixth place. It’s a great start to race week so a massive thank you to the whole team and sponsors for putting together a great package.”
Monday sees a busy day in store for Michael with the 4-lap Supersport and 4-lap Superstock races taking place at 10.45am and 2.15pm respectively.
More, from a press release issued by Quattro Plant Kawasaki:
Electrical problems deny Hillier podium finish in Superbike TT
Electrical problems denied James Hillier and the Quattro Plant Muc-Off Kawasaki team a podium finish in Saturday’s Superbike TT race, the opening race of the 2016 festival but the Hampshire rider still brought the Kawasaki ZX-10R home in a solid 11th place.
The 31-year old had posted the 11th fastest time during practice week but always preferring to push hard in the races as opposed to practice, a great start to the race saw James slot into third place at Glen Helen, the first timing point nine miles into the lap.
By the end of the first 37 and ¾ miles, James had lapped at 130.359mph to lie in fourth place, just three seconds behind new third-placed rider and fellow Kawasaki rider Dean Harrison. Second time around, James increased his pace to 130.495mph but was now in fifth place as 23-times TT winner John McGuinness overhauled him.
James was looking secure in fifth place but two thirds of the way round the third lap, the bike cut out at the Gooseneck and he had to pull in to make adjustments. Electrical problems had caused the problem so turning the anti-wheelie and traction control devices off, he was able to resume his race although it dropped him back down the order to 13th.
However, James, a six-time podium finisher at the TT, dug deep and although the bike was a little bit harder to ride, he continued to the end of the six laps and with two more laps in excess of 129mph, he fought his way back up to 11th place at the end of the 226 miles to maintain his excellent finishing record around the course.
James Hillier: “I’m a little bit frustrated with how the race went but I’ve had a good run here with very little trouble in the races for the past few years so I guess it was bound to happen at some stage! It was a fast pace right from the off and I was surprised to see Hutchy come by me so early but I was in P3 and although I got pushed back to fifth, a good result looked on the cards. Coming out of the Gooseneck on the third lap though the bike cut out and I had to stop half way up the hill on the way out.”
“I pressed as many buttons as I could, turning them off and on again and the bike eventually re-started although I kept many of the electronic aids, like the traction control, turned off. I carried on until the end and was pretty happy with my riding but although I didn’t make any mistakes, I know my sector times can be stronger so I need to make sure I string them all together next time out. I’m unhappy but also happy to have got back home for another finish.”
Pete Extance, Team Owner: “It’s a real shame for James that he had the electrical problems as fourth place, at least, looked like a good possibility as he was lying in fifth place when the problem reared its head. He rebooted the system but had lost a lot of time although he kept going and brought the bike home for a creditable 11th place. He’s happy with the bike and happy with his times so he’ll be in a good place with the bike for next Friday’s Senior.”
Monday sees the action resume with the four-lap Supersport and Superstock races getting underway at 10.45am and 2.15pm respectively.
More, from a press release issued by GBMoto Racing Kawasaki:
HICKMAN AND GBMOTO JOIN EXCLUSIVE 132MPH CLUB AS THEY SECURE BEST EVER TT RESULT
4th June 2016 – After a difficult week of practice at the iconic Isle of Man TT, the GBmoto Racing Kawasaki team and Peter Hickman proved their credentials in the opening RST Superbike race, taking a hard-earned fourth place finish as Hickman joined the elite 132mph lap club – only the seventh man to do so in TT history.
It was a tough week of practice for Peter Hickman and GBmoto Racing Kawasaki, as despite a strong showing early on, which saw Hicky set the third fastest time in both the Superstock and Superbike category on Tuesday evening, the team were plagued with problems with the electronics.
Working late into the night on Friday evening to resolve the problems, switching from Motec to kit electronics, the team were hopeful of a strong showing in the opening RST Superbike TT Saturday. Leaving the Glencrutchery road fifth, Hicky quickly settled into seventh place on the opening lap, before progressing through to sixth place as he gained more miles on the Ninja ZX-10R Superbike. Following the first pit stop at the end of lap two, Pete moved into fifth place on the third circulation of the Mountain Course, 18 seconds behind fourth placed Dean Harrison.
Chipping away over the following two laps, Hickman took fourth place at the start of the final lap just 0.3s ahead of Harrison. Getting his head down on the final circulation, the 29 year old stunned the crowd with a 132.465mph lap – becoming only the seventh rider in the history of the Isle of Man TT to set a lap in the 132mph bracket – to cement his fourth place finish and claim both his and the team’s best ever TT result.
Pleased to secure his best result and fastest lap, Peter Hickman said, “It was a really tough practice week, the bike was great but we just had a consistent problem with the electronics. This is the first year I’ve ridden a Superbike over here and on my third lap I set a 129mph so we knew the potential was there but despite the team changing everything, the problem persisted and we struggled to get a lap in again after Tuesday. Last night we made the big decision to change the Superbike to the kit electronics used on the Superstock machine. It’s no easy job to do, so huge credit to the team who were still working late into the night last night to get it ready in time.
The kit electronics are very different to the Motec system we were using, so It meant starting today with a bike I hadn’t ridden before. I did a 129mph opener which is a really fast lap but comparatively to the front guys it was a steady one! It took that first lap to get a feel for the machine, and after that I got my head down and chipped away. That final lap is still only my ninth lap around the course on a Superbike so to join the 132 club is mega and to get my best result with it is absolutely fantastic. It’s a great way to repay the team for their hard work, the problems we’ve had have been entirely out of their hands but they’ve kept working and I’m confident we can continue this form for the rest of the week!”
GBmoto Racing Team Principal Mark Smith-Halvorsen enthused, “This really was a fantastic result. The team has had a very tough practice week, facing a lot of challenges – something that is typical of the Isle of Man TT. The guys in the garages have worked phenomenally every night, staying until past 1am last night to resolve the issues we have had though and the tireless work paid off today with a brilliant fourth place.
We entered today feeling optimistic of a good result, but also cautious given the changes we made meant we had an unproven package. The fact Pete was able to do what he did is a testament to not only what a fantastic talent he is, but also the hard work the team put in. I’m really pleased for Pete, the team, our sponsors and fans – hopefully we can continue this form into the Superstock race on Monday and the Senior Friday. ”
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
Podium finish for John McGuinness and Honda Racing in the Isle of Man TT Superbike race
Isle of Man TT
TT, Isle of Man
Honda Racing and John McGuinness took the third place spot in today’s fast-paced RST Superbike race at the Isle of Man TT. In near-perfect conditions the race got underway on time at 11am, with McGuinness first away with the number one plate on the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machine.
A dramatic six-lap race quickly unfolded with blistering pace and speeds seen from the front-runners, with the first ever sub 17-minute lap recorded after just one lap. At the end of the second lap the ‘Morecambe Missile’ was sitting fourth as he came in for the first pit stop. As usual from the slick Honda crew, McGuinness left the pits no sooner than he’d entered, making up seven seconds and pushing himself into the third spot.
On the fourth lap of the TT circuit McGuinness was holding third place and was the fastest man, posting a 131.538mph lap. Again a super-quick pit stop from the team saw ten further seconds pulled back as the Honda man headed out for the final two laps.
The next two laps saw McGuinness chip away and hold for some time his lead on the road. After 226-miles and six-laps McGuinness and the Fireblade crossed the line in third place, behind Ian Hutchinson and race winner Michael Dunlop.
It was an unfortunate race for team-mate Conor Cummins who was forced to retire on the first lap at Ballaugh after experiencing a technical issue with his machine, which is being looked into by the Honda Racing team. However before retiring Cummins was showing good pace and had matched the time of his team-mate to Glen Helen, which is a positive he will take into the Senior race.
The next outing for the Honda Racing squad will be on Wednesday with a practice session ahead of Friday’s blue-riband Senior TT.
Neil Tuxworth
Team Manager
Well we’ve just had the first race of the TT, the Superbike race, and we’re extremely pleased with John’s third place and podium finish. Realistically we can say that was probably the best we could have hoped for in the race from either of our riders, as the strength of Dunlop and Hutchinson throughout the week has been impressive. Obviously it was a disappointing result for Conor who experienced a small technical issue with his machine and had to retire on the first lap, which we will now look into and make sure we are ready for the Senior on Friday. John is pleased with his result, of course he would have liked to have won, but with the pace and speed throughout the six laps we’re pleased with his third place finish. We will all now re-group and re-focus ready for the Senior race.
John McGuinness 1
I dropped the clutch at the start and I thought I had a great run to Glen Helen, but when I saw my first pit board I was miles away! I just kept hitting my apexes and trying my best and then Hutchy blitzed me up towards Hailwood’s rise on the second lap, I was like oh dear I’m miles behind here, but it picked my pace up to be honest. I had a really great pit stop and came out in front of Hutchy, but I waved him past as I didn’t want to get involved in his race. I had a lot of fun during the race, the Fireblade was brilliant and I thought I rode pretty well, it’s my 20th TT, I can’t complain, I’m on the podium. My lap record is gone but hey it was always going to go; I’ve had it for ten years so I’m not disappointed. I’m really proud of what I’ve done on the Honda today and we are on the podium with two younger guys! On Friday I need to brake later and lean it over a bit further, that’s about all I could do. I will just do my best, it’s a long race, six laps, anything can happen, it’s tough and if these guys are going to be doing that from a standing start, it’s going to be really, really tough. I just want to enjoy myself, the Honda is a great bike, we have had some unbelievable success on it over the last eight years!
Conor Cummins 10
Unfortunately I had a DNF, but I felt my pace to Glen Helen was good and I recorded my best sector of the week to that point and I was feeling good. It’s a shame but these things do happen in racing, I know that my crew will look into things and have me ready to go again in Wednesday night’s practice ahead of the Senior on Friday. The setting we found last night with suspension in practice felt good and is definitely a step in the right direction. So we now refocus and prepare ourselves for next week.
More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist:
McGuinness takes 45th TT podium in Superbike race
Honda Racing’s John McGuinness opened his 2016 campaign at the Isle of Man TT races with third place in Saturday’s 6-lap Superbike race, the 45th podium in the Morecambe Missile’s illustrious TT career.
Having lapped at more than 131mph during practice week, the 44-year had an unusually sluggish start to the race and found himself back in seventh at Glen Helen on the opening lap, nine miles into the race. However, by the end of the first 37 and ¾ miles, he’d fought his way up to fifth with an opening speed of 130.322mph.
Getting into his stride all the time, a substantially quicker lap second time around of 131.451mph elevated him up to fourth and he was now just two tenths of a second behind third placed man Dean Harrison. Indeed, with his customary quick pit-stop, he took control of third place and the final podium position on the third lap.
Circulating on the road with eventual winner Michael Dunlop and second placed Ian Hutchinson, John lapped quicker still on his fourth lap – 131.538mph – to pull away from Harrison and strengthen his hold on the position. And he duly crossed the line at the end of the six laps and 226 miles of racing in third place for yet another podium finish, his gap over new fourth place man Peter Hickman a comfortable 17 seconds.
In the fastest race ever witnessed around the Mountain Course, Dunlop shattered the lap and race records, becoming the first rider to lap in under 17 minutes, his new outright lap record being 133.393mph.
John McGuinness: “I was way off the pace at Glen Helen on the opening lap and when I saw ‘P7’ on my board, I couldn’t believe it as it felt like a good sector – and when Hutchy came by me on the second lap, I started to think I might have to hang my boots up there and then! It woke me up though and I pushed hard again, eventually moving up to third after yet another brilliant pit stop by the boys in the team.”
“I got by him again at Bishopscourt and I’ve lapped quicker than I have done all week so I’ve got to be happy. It’s my 20th year at the TT and I’ve got my 45th podium so I can’t complain. I knew we’d have two good pit stops and the bike never missed a beat whilst it was great to ride round with Ian. It’s another podium finish and I’m in some good company with Michael and Hutchy – there’s no disgrace in coming third behind those boys as they were really flying today.”
John’s back in action on Monday where he’ll be riding the Jackson Racing Honda in the Supersport race and the EMC2/Bet Victor Honda Fireblade in the Superstock race, both running over four laps of the Mountain Course.
More, from a press release issued by Devitt RC Express Racing:
Strong Superbike TT race for Devitt RC Express Racing
The Devitt RC Express Racing team got their 2016 Isle of Man race campaign underway on Saturday with riders Ivan Lintin and Alan Bonner claiming 14th and 21st in Saturday’s 6-lap Superbike TT race.
An opening lap of 127.295mph on the Kawasaki ZX-10R Superstock machine put Ivan in 14th place and, having overhauled Martin Jessopp on the road, another 127mph+ lap consolidated his position second time around. With William Dunlop retiring and James Hillier hitting trouble, by the end of the third lap and half race distance he was up two more places to 12th.
However, with Hillier getting back up to speed and fellow Kawasaki rider Dan Hegarty moving through the field, Ivan was back in 14th place with two laps to go and this was where he remained as a problem with his knee combined with a big gap to the 15th placed rider, saw him ride to his signals to secure a strong finish.
Team-mate Bonner overcame a problematical practice week to win yet another bronze replica and his opening lap, from a standing start, was his fastest of the week so far at 126.660mph. It placed him 15th, one place behind Lintin but on the second lap fuel problems intervened and he dropped back a place to 16th.
The third lap saw him drop back to 20th place but another 126mph+ lap on his fourth lap moved him back up to 18th. However, the fuel problems reappeared and that, combined with cramp in his legs, saw him eventually finish in 21st place although it was a solid finish for both Alan and the team and gives them great optimism for the rest of the week.
Ivan Lintin: “It’s nice to have completed another six-lap race here and the first two laps in excess of 127mph felt really good. Apart from Martin Jessopp I never saw anyone until the last lap when Dan Hegarty came by but by then my knee was hurting quite a bit and I could see from my signals I had a 40s gap over the rider behind me so I concentrated on bringing the bike home. Apart from the swingarm, the bike was in full Superstock-trim with treaded tyres so we’ve a good set-up for Monday’s Superstock race.”
Alan Bonner: “I was over the moon with my standing start lap of 126.6mph and I’d caught up with a few lads that held me up so it could have been 127mph but for that. We found something with the bike which helped no end but the fuel problems we’d had in practice came back and on the second, fourth and sixth laps, I was having to ease back from the Bungalow onwards. I had cramp in my legs from the Conker trees onwards on the last lap so 21st was the outcome but I’m a lot happier now with the bike and the tyres so a big thanks to the team – especially 16-year old Adam who did the wheel change – and also to Richard from Maxton.”
Ben Constable, Team Co-owner: “Today’s race pretty much went as we expected it to and running Superstock bikes against the Superbike boys always meant they were going to have more pace than us. But we knew that and know that the Superstock race, when everyone’s on a level playing field, will see us closer to the top ten. We’re happy with the results today though and both riders have lapped close to their personal best laps. It’s nice to have both riders finish a Superbike race and Alan made good progress with the set-up of the bike – he’d never run slicks with it before the race – so we’re happy.”
Both riders are back in action in Monday’s 4-lap Superstock race with Ivan also contesting the Supersport race, which will again be run over four laps of the Mountain Course.
More, from a press release issued by Penz13.com BMW Motorrad Racing Team:
Isle of Man. Gary Johnson finished today’s Superbike TT at the Isle of Man in a strong ninth place after securing two 129 mph laps as start into the race. After six laps Johnson came home in a strong ninth place to secure a Silver replica.
Teammate Alessandro Polita, Newcomer to the TT, finished his first race on the Mountain Course in 47th position. The Italian rider increased his pace to a 119,097 mile per hour on his first lap from a standing start.
Unfortunately Danny Webb suffered a technical problem on lap 5 whilst fighting for the Top 40 spots. Webb managed a best lap time of 120,956 mph in his second lap of the race. The team is still waiting for the bike to be returned to evaluate the problems occurred to Webb’s bike.
Isle of Man welcomed all competitors and teams with weather like in a storybook. Qualifying week saw no interruptions or delays with bright sunshine warming the Island in the Irish sea. Same was the case for the first race on Saturday.
The next race will be held on Monday, 6th of June, when Johnson, Webb and Polita will take out their Superstock-spec BMW S 1000 RR for a ride of four laps at the legendary Mountain Circuit. The „big“ race of the week will then take place next Friday, 11th of June, with the Senior TT over 6 laps again.
Also the Sidecar TT went ahead on Saturday with their first of the two outings of the week and Mike Roscher / Ben Hughes raced under the Penz13.com banners. The two finished the race in a strong 12th spot.
Mike Roscher:?
That was an awesome race, we really had fun out there. On the second lap we had a duel on the road with another outfit, one time they were in front, the other time we. At the beginning of lap three I put all on the cards and went past. We are now going to celebrate that 12th place.
Gary Johnson – Rider:
I am happy with this Top Ten result and my ninth in the opening race of this year’s TT. My guys really worked hard all week to get me the bike to where I wanted it. Today I managed my fastest lap time of the week with two 129 mph’s but I aim for more, for sure. I am already looking forward to the Superstock TT on Monday and I think we can find some more speed for Senior next Friday.
Danny Webb – Rider:
It is a shame we broke down on lap 5 of 6 but that’s TT for you. There are things in racing life you can’t plan on. Until then I felt very comfortable with the bike even though I would go for a softer front suspension for the next ones. I improved my race pace, I was having fun out there and the only thing to be sad about is not seeing the finish line. I got a couple more go’s this week, so that’s the aim then again. Finally my thoughts are with Luis Salom, a good friend of mine, whom we sadly lost in yesterday’s Catalunya Grand Prix. Luis and I always have been close friends and it is just sad the way it is, but he went doing something he loved
Alessandro Polita – Rider:
Finally I achieved one big dream of mine and that was competing in a TT race. I am overwhelmed by this place, this event, the bike, the fans, the Island – everything just makes you speechless. There are two more than good things about today: First one for sure is that I finished the race and got some more six laps in. And the second one has to be my first lap in 119,097 miles per hour, which means 19:00,482 minutes. But guess what: Of course I am a bit disappointed to not get into the 18 minutes, but that’s on the plan for Monday.
Rico Penzkofer – Team Principal:
We can be satisfied with today’s Superbike TT. Gary did a brilliant job and brought home a 9th place in the race, which is quite an achievement. It is a pity Danny had to retire in lap five and we can’t say anything more on that, as we are still waiting for the bike to be returned to the paddock here at Glencrutchery road. We will check and he get’s another chance on Monday. Alex is doing a brilliant job and is enjoying his time here at the TT, which is the most important. He got quicker and quicker over Qualifying week and did his personal best today in the first lap of the race. We are happy here.