Isle of Man TT
June 9, 2017
PokerStars Senior TT Race Results:
1. Michael Dunlop (Suzuki GSX-R1000), Total Race Time 1:09:24.711, Average Race Speed 130.456 mph
2. Peter Hickman (BMW S1000RR), 1:09.38.031, 130.040 mph
3. Dean Harrison (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:09:48.216, 129.724 mph
4. James Hillier (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:10:11.713, 129.000 mph
5. Michael Rutter (BMW S1000RR), 1:10:12.357, 128.981 mph
6. Josh Brookes (Norton), 1:10:28.793, 128.479 mph
7. David Johnson (Norton), 1:10:31.471, 128.398 mph
8. Conor Cummins (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:10:58.288, 127.589 mph
9. Martin Jessopp (BMW S1000RR), 1:11:09.747, 127.247 mph
10. William Dunlop (Yam YZF-R1), 1:11:10.616, 127.221 mph
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:
Honda Racing will not participate in today’s six-lap Senior TT with Guy Martin, bringing an end to a fortnight on the Isle of Man in which poor weather severely limited on-track action.
Honda Racing will now continue its preparation for the Southern 100 and Ulster Grand Prix with the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2.
Jonny Twelvetrees, Honda Racing team manager:
We’re disappointed not to be taking part in today’s Senior TT, a decision that is ultimately due to a lack of track time for Guy on the Fireblade. We came here to race and everyone in the team – who have worked extremely hard over the last few months – was looking forward to seeing what the new bike could do. Guy informed me that he wouldn’t race in the Senior, which is a tough decision to make but one I can understand given the lack of practice we’ve had.
The good news is that Guy has told me that even though the TT hasn’t worked out, he’s keen to take part in the Southern 100 next month and try to get the most from the Fireblade there.
We wish a safe race to all the competitors and teams involved.
Guy Martin:
I came back to the TT this year to race and try to win with Honda Racing. I’ve done loads of testing and the team have been flat out, before we got here and at the event. But we’re not doing the times needed to be competitive here, we need more time to set up the bike and doing six laps will not achieve what we set out to do and I’ve always reckoned this is not the place to be out riding just to make up the numbers, so as a team we agreed it wasn’t right competing in the Senior TT. With the weather and my crash I’ve done plenty of tea drinking and dog walking.
I’m looking forward to racing the Mugen, it’s a real honour to race the most interesting bike in the paddock. I’ll see how I can do and I’m looking forward to then getting back to work Monday.
More, from a press release issued by Isle of Man TT Press Office:
DUNLOP CLAIMS FIFTEENTH ISLE OF MAN TT RACE WIN WITH SENSATIONAL POKERSTARS SENIOR VICTORY
Michael Dunlop won a shortened PokerStars Senior TT race at the 2017 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy on Friday evening with the Bennetts Suzuki rider taking his 15th TT victory by 13.3s from Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) and Dean Harrison (Silicone Engineering Kawasaki).
The race was restarted over four laps after the original race was red flagged on the second lap due to an incident involving 16-time TT winner Ian Hutchinson at the 27th Milestone. The Tyco BMW rider was conscious but was taken to hospital by airmed where it was later confirmed that he had suffered a fractured femur.
The race had been shaping up to be an epic with just 0.18s between Hickman and Hutchinson and Harrison only 1.2s further back in third but, eventually getting underway at 5.15pm, Dunlop led the restarted race through Glen Helen on the opening lap, with a 1.5s advantage over Bruce Anstey. Harrison was a further 0.9s back in third with Hickman, Michael Rutter and James Hillier completing the top six, the last two getting a second bite of the cherry having experienced problems in the first start.
Dunlop increased his lead through Ramsey slightly to 2s but Hickman was up to second ahead of Anstey who in turn held a 0.2s advantage over Harrison with Rutter still in fifth but with Conor Cummins now up to sixth at the expense of Hillier.
Dunlop added a further second to his lead by the time he reached the Bungalow and an opening lap speed of 132.292mph gave him a 4.2s lead over Hickman who in turn was 3.2s clear of Anstey. Harrison, Rutter and Cummins were holding station in fourth to sixth but Josh Brookes was on the move, going from 12th at Ramsey to eighth at the Grandstand.
At Glen Helen on lap 2 Dunlop had increased his lead by two more seconds and Harrison was now up to third with Anstey dropping back to fourth despite leading on the road and having a clear track. Rutter was still fifth but Hillier had moved back ahead of Cummins for sixth.
By Ramsey, Dunlop was still leading by 6s as him and Hickman practically matched each other every mile. Harrison was losing a bit of time in third but he was pulling away from Anstey who was extending his advantage over Rutter. Hillier was still sixth but just 2.4s covered him, Cummins and Brookes.
Coming into the pits at the end of the lap and Dunlop’s lead was now 9.2s after lapping at 132.903mph with Hickman in second and Harrison third, the latter having lapped at 131.838mph. Anstey was out though at Bedstead with the top six now completed by Rutter, Hillier and Cummins. Brookes was up to seventh having done his first 130mph+ lap around the Mountain Course at 130.551mph.
The lead was down slightly at Glen Helen on lap three to 7.7s as Hillier took over fourth from Rutter with Brookes moving up to sixth and by Ballaugh, Hickman had reduced the deficit to Dunlop further to 7.3s. However, through Ramsey for the third time and the Northern Irishman had got the gap back up to 8.5s.
Indeed, going into the fourth and final lap, the 28-year old was 10.6s clear of Hickman and he duly came home for his 15th TT win, his eventual winning margin being 13.3s.
Hickman made it five podiums from five starts with Harrison repeating his third place finish from Sunday’s RST Superbike race, aided by his first ever 132mph lap on lap four. Hillier and Rutter ended their strong weeks in fourth and fifth, the gap between the duo just 0.64s at the chequered flag.
The battle for sixth also went all the way to the end with Brookes, who lapped at 130.883mph fourth time around edging out Norton team-mate David Johnson. Cummins, Martin Jessopp, who recorded his first 130mph lap, and William Dunlop completed the top ten.
The results meant that Hickman won the Joey Dunlop Championship with 76 points based on cumulative results from the RST Superbike, Monster Energy Supersport, RL360 Quantum Superstock and PokerStars Senior TT Races with Hutchinson second (61) and Dunlop third (60).
Jamie Coward was the first privateer home in an excellent 11th place with Daley Mathison next home in 13th but Horst Saiger’s 18th saw him clinch the TT Privateer’s Championship. He finished with 71 points with Coward in second on 63.
More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing Team:
High Fives For Hickman And Smiths Racing
Peter Hickman and the Smiths Racing BMW team ended their 2017 Isle of Man TT Races campaign with second place position in today’s Pokerstars Senior TT race, giving the Louth-based rider five podiums from his five race starts.
The results meant that Hickman won the Joey Dunlop Championship trophy, awarded to the best overall performances by a rider over the course of the week, with Smiths Racing also winning the trophy awarded to the best team.
Despite a slipping clutch, Hickman was involved in a titanic battle with fellow BMW rider Ian Hutchinson for one and a half laps as they exchanged the lead before Hutchy was involved in a crash at the 27th Milestone, suffering a broken leg, which brought out the red flag meaning the race was restarted over the shorter distance of four laps.
Eventually getting underway at 5.15pm, and with the clutch replaced, Hickman’s first lap in the re-start was 131.744mph, which placed him 4.3s behind race leader Michael Dunlop but although the 30 year old from Louth quickened his pace second time around to 132.254mph, so too did Dunlop and he extended his advantage to 9.2s.
An excellent pit stop by the Smiths team and a strong first sector on lap three saw Peter bring the gap down to 7.7s but Northern Ireland’s Dunlop had the race under control and he eventually took the win by 13.3s.
With a final lap again in excess of 131mph, Hickman brought the Smiths BMW S1000RR home in second place for his fifth podium of the week and in doing so, saw him clinch the much coveted Joey Dunlop Championship trophy whilst Smiths team boss Rebecca Smith was delighted to collect the coveted team award following a special week on the island.
Peter Hickman: “What can I say, it’s been an absolutely unbelievable week and five podiums from five races is mega. The first part of the race was shaping up to be a cracker and although Hutchy and I were neck and neck, the clutch was starting to slip so we managed to change it in between races. It was a shame what happened to Hutchy and I wish him well for a speedy recovery. The re-start went perfectly for me, there wasn’t as much grip out there today due to all the rain we’ve had but apart from that, the race was mint. The boys did a great job at the pit stop and although Michael was that bit stronger than me, we did what we needed to do and got another second place. I came here with no podiums but to leave with five is amazing and although it would have been nice to win, I can’t complain as to ride round today with so many fans lining the track was brilliant.”
Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “With four podiums on our bikes and then another on the KMR Kawasaki, it’s been a superb week for both Peter and the Smiths team and full credit has to be given to both him and the team. They’ve all worked so hard to get here and whilst we were in contention for the race win before the red flag, we’ve still got to be happy with second. We obviously wish Hutchy a speedy recovery and we had another great race in the re-start with a great effort at the pit stop by the boys. We couldn’t have asked for any more and with podiums from all of our races, the trophy for the best team of the week is the icing on the cake.”
More, from a press release issued by Bennetts Suzuki:
Michael Dunlop and Bennetts Suzuki take new GSX-R1000 to Senior TT victory
Michael Dunlop raced his Bennetts Suzuki GSX-R1000 to victory in today’s Senior TT, taking the win in the blue ribband race with a best lap of 132.903mph.
The race – which was restarted after a red flag – saw Dunlop lead from the off after making some setup changes to his GSX-R1000. He had pulled out a lead of two seconds by Ramsey, and extended it to three seconds at the Bungalow, before posting a standing-start lap of 132.292mph. He then set the best lap of the race on lap two, with a speed of 132.903mph.
After the pit-stop the Northern Irishman managed his lead at the front, controlling the gap to Peter Hickman in second place, eventually taking the win by over 13 seconds.
Dunlop had been strong on the all-new machine every time he went out, topping the qualifying times despite the bad weather and lack of track time around the 37.73 mile Mountain course. He was then leading the Superbike race before retiring with a technical issue, however, he still set the fastest lap of the race.
He recorded a sixth placed finish in the Superstock race – despite just one lap of practice and a lack of setup time hampering his performance – but took his 15th TT win in the event-closing Senior race.
Michael Dunlop, “The bike never missed a beat. We had the problem in the Superbike race, and if it wasn’t for that we could have had two wins with the big girl. But we’re here with a brand new motorbike and the boys have worked hard to get us to this point, and in that race she never missed a beat. Steve, all the team, put so much effort in and people won’t understand how far we’ve come. We’ve made the impossible possible. I could have gone faster, but it was important to get to the finish. This potential’s been coming. If I’d had this bike at the North West 200 I think that would have been a different story, too. But we’ve won the Senior TT, what more can we say?”
Steve Hicken, team manager, “That’s why we came here. We couldn’t have any other aim than winning. As we’ve said all week, it’s taken a lot of hard work to get here as the only team in the paddock with a brand new bike, and we’ve seen others struggle. It was a shame about Saturday, when we were looking like we could have taken the Superbike win as well, but we learnt from it and made the right changes for today and this is the race everyone wants. And when you consider how early the bike is in its development, it’s an even bigger achievement, and it shows there’s more to come. But we have to also say a big congratulations and thank you to Michael, as without him and his input, feedback, and speed around here, this wouldn’t have been possible.”
Senior TT race result: 1. Michael Dunlop (1:09:24.711), 2. Peter Hickman (+13.320), 3. Dean Harrison (+10.185).
More, from a press release issued by Bathams/SWT Racing:
Fifth place and best ever lap for Rutter in Senior TT
Michael Rutter and the Bathams/SMT Racing team completed their campaign at the 2017 Isle of Man TT Races with an excellent fifth place finish in Friday’s Senior race as the Bridgnorth rider took his fourth top six finish of the week and also set a new personal best lap of the Mountain Course at 131.709mph.
The race was due to take place over six laps and Michael found himself down in 12th place at the end of lap one but a crash involving Ian Hutchinson at the 27th Milestone on lap two brought out the red flag and resulted in the race being restarted at 5.15pm over the shorter distance of four laps.
Problems with the gear change had been the cause of Michael’s lowly placing and so he switched to his regular Superstock BMW S1000RR for the restart. He was immediately at one with the machine and a strong opening lap of 130.367mph placed him in sixth place despite being up against full-blown superbikes.
An even better lap of 130.860mph second time around saw him move up to fourth and although James Hillier pushed him back to fifth a lap later, he really flew on the final lap. Indeed, a final lap speed of 131.709mph saw him not only set his fastest ever lap around the Mountain Course but also record the second fastest ever lap by a Superstock machine.
However, despite his valiant efforts, he had to settle for fifth place as he just failed to get the better of Hillier by the agonising margin of 0.644s after 150.92 miles of hard fought racing!
Nevertheless, with a win, a fourth, a fifth and a sixth, it was another excellent week of racing at the TT for the 45-year old.
Michael Rutter: “I was really struggling with the gear change in the first start hence being so far back so the red flag did me a favour as I was able to change bikes and jump on to my regular Superstock bike that I use on the short circuits. It was a miles better and the bike ran faultlessly. I tried as hard as I could throughout and had a real good go on the last lap so to set a near 132mph is very pleasing.”
“I felt really good out there on the restart and I can’t fault the week at all. Winning the Lightweight was the obvious highlight but I’ve had a great set of results across the four races so I can’t complain at all. It’s been another good TT for me this fortnight so a massive thanks to the whole team for all their hard work this fortnight.”
Michael now turns his attention back to the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship with the next round taking place at Knockhill on June 16-18.
More, from a press release issued by Tyco BMW/TAS Racing:
DOUBLE VICTORY FOR TYCO BMW IN ROLLERCOASTER TT
TAS Racing secured their 18th win at this year’s Isle of Man TT and despite the unfortunate incident involving Hutchy, whilst disputing the lead in the Senior TT, both he and the team covered themselves in glory with the opening day RST TT Superbike win followed up by the coveted manufacturers choice – the Superstock TT confirming once again the credentials of the BMW S1000RR.
After setting some promising sector times and an opening lap of 131.61mph Hutchy placed Tyco BMW in a strong position to add the Senior TT Trophy to their collection from earlier in the week.
Unfortunately the event ended amid concern for Ian however we are pleased to confirm he is recovering from his injuries in hospital in Liverpool. We would like to commend the medical and emergency staff together with the IOM TT organisers for their swift action following the incident.
Philip Neill – Team Manager: ‘This year’s TT was once again a roller coaster of emotions . . . on the positive side we achieved our first Superbike victory together with Tyco and BMW, repeated last year’s superstock victory on the S1000RR and increased the TAS Racing TT success story to 18 victories while helping Hutchy reach the 16 win mark.
Unfortunately the event finished on the downside for us with Hutchy’s accident during the Senior race when battling for the lead. Thankfully however Ian will recover from his injuries and everyone involved with TAS Racing wish him a speedy recovery.
Once again I would like to thank our partners Tyco Security Products and BMW Motorrad together with our many associate sponsors and friends’