John McGuinness won his 16th TT today when he took victory in the Dainese Superbike race at the Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy. The Honda TT Legends rider overcame an early challenge from Bruce Anstey and a strong pit stop at the end of lap 2 saw him reassert himself. When the Kiwi went out at Quarry Bends, John was already 20 seconds clear of the field. With Guy Martin retiring on lap 5, McGuinness’ eventual winning margin was almost a minute over Cameron Donald who came through to take 2nd, some 10 seconds clear of Gary Johnson who took third despite suffering a 30-second penalty for infringing the pit lane speed limit. Saturday saw dry, sunny conditions all around the course although a strong breeze kept the riders on their toes over the Mountain and at the first checkpoint at Glen Helen on the first lap, McGuinness was leading by just over a second from Johnson who was carrying over his practice form into the race. Anstey was only two tenths further back in third with Martin in fourth and James Hillier going brilliantly in fifth just ahead of Michael Dunlop and Dan Stewart. McGuinness was putting in one of his customary fast first laps but Anstey was matching him all the way and at the end of the first lap only half a second separated the pair, both lapping comfortably over 130mph. Johnson and Martin also broke the 130mph barrier in third and fourth as Michael Dunlop and Donald completed the top six, Hillier dropping back to ninth. There was disappointment though on the opening lap for both Michael Rutter and Simon Andrews, the duo retiring at Cruickshanks and Quarter Bridge respectively. Anstey was really flying on the second lap and he overhauled McGuinness by Glen Helen turning his deficit into a 1.5s advantage. Johnson was a further four seconds back in third still ahead of Martin, Dunlop and Donald but at the head of the field Anstey was pressing ahead on the Padgetts Honda and he completed the lap at 131.378mph. His lead was only 0.9s though as McGuinness also broke the 131mph barrier and his lead unravelled due to a slightly sluggish pit stop and when they left the pits, it was the Morecambe man who was now some 12 seconds clear. Dunlop was also in trouble in the pits losing over 2 minutes. The gap was still 12 seconds through Glen Helen but Anstey was soon reported as having stopped at Quarry Bends and Martin moved up into second ahead of Johnson albeit by less than half a second. Donald was now fifth with Keith Amor putting in a brave ride in 6th given the discomfort of his injured shoulder. Stewart, William Dunlop and James Hillier were next with Conor Cummins riding superbly in tenth. Another local hero, Dan Kneen, was in trouble though, making an unscheduled pit stop at the end of the first lap and then retiring for good at the end of lap 3. By two thirds race distance, McGuinness was controlling affairs from the front maintaining a near 20-second lead over Martin who now had some breathing space in second when Johnson was handed a 30-second penalty for exceeding the speed limit in pit lane after his second pit stop. Indeed, it was now Donald who was up to third whilst Cummins retired at Signpost. There was drama on the fifth lap when Martin retired at Hillberry but, leading on the road, McGuinness was able to cruise home in his final lap, his final winning margin over Donald 56.9 seconds. Johnson lost the runner-up spot due to the pit lane infringement but he was still comfortable in third ahead of Amor who ensured it was four Hondas in the top 4. Michael Dunlop came through from his pit stop problems to secure 5th on the final lap just edging Stewart out by two seconds. William Dunlop enjoyed his best ever ride in the Superbike race to take 7th with Hillier, Adrian Archibald and Ian Mackman rounding out the top ten. Mackman’s finish ensured he took maximum points in the Privateer’s Championship whilst the first newcomer home was Dan Hegarty in 32nd. To listen live to Radio TT’s commentary for all races and follow live timing at the 2011 Isle of Man TT Races go to www.iomtt.com More, from a press release issued by Honda TT Legends: Honda TT Legends’ John McGuinness secures 16th TT win The 2011 Isle of Man TT began in spectacular style for the Honda TT Legends team as John McGuinness led the majority of the six-lap Superbike race to secure the victory and take his tally of TT wins to 16. His teammate Keith Amor put in a heroic performance, riding through the pain of his injured shoulder to bring home the Fireblade home in fourth position. The race began under blue skies with McGuinness and Amor the first two riders off the start line. McGuinness immediately set the pace, leading lap one before dropping into second place at Glen Helen on lap two. Amor looked to be struggling in ninth place, but by the end of lap two he had climbed to eighth. A slick pit stop from the Honda TT Legends team at the end of lap two saw McGuinness reclaim the lead ahead of Bruce Anstey, while Amor slotted into fifth. When Anstey was forced to retire on lap three, McGuinness entered into a close battle with Guy Martin always maintaining the lead with an 18-second gap between the two. Another seamless pit stop took place at the end of lap four and when Martin retired from the race on lap five, McGuinness cruised through his sixth and final lap. He won the race with a 57-second lead over the Honda TT Legends’ Endurance World Championship reserve rider Cameron Donald. Despite suffering with shoulder pain and battling with a gear selection problem, Keith Amor ended the race in fourth a great result for the injured Scotsman. McGuinness’s 16th win marks the 56th TT victory for the Louth-based Honda team the most amount of wins for any one team in TT history. With the top four places occupied by Honda and three of those places occupied by Honda TT Legends riders, it has certainly been a successful opening race for the manufacturer. John McGuinness and Keith Amor will both compete for the Honda TT Legends in the Senior race on Friday 10 June. Neil Tuxworth, team manager From a team perspective and a Honda perspective that was absolutely fantastic. There’s been a lot of pressure on the team, we had problems last year and John so much wanted to win that race. I am just so pleased, so happy for the team. The pit stops went smoothly, the team is really working well together and the bike never missed a beat so we’re over the moon. John McGuinness I am speechless”¦ I feel like I am dreaming. It looked like it was going to be a mega-close race to begin with. Bruce was really pushing hard at the beginning there and we lost some time but we had a great pit stop, went back out and got the lead back. I did six good laps, I didn’t make any mistakes and we had two terrific pit stops by a fantastic team. They put a lot of faith in me and I put a lot of faith in them and it paid off. It was tiring but I have to say that the EWC races are really paying dividends now in terms of bike fitness. Somebody said to me today if you get that 16th win it will be sweet 16 and it certainly feels sweet. Keith Amor That was tough that was tougher than the Bol d’Or 24-hour and I thought I would never do anything as hard as that again. I was really struggling, not only with my shoulder but with a problem selecting gears on the bike too. I was close to finishing after the first pit stop but we made the decision to keep going and a fourth place is the reward for that. I’m glad I carried on, but I’m also glad it’s over. I am so pleased for John though he really deserves that win and it’s brilliant for the team. What a great day for Honda! More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: Sweet sixteen for McGuinness with Superbike victory John McGuinness made it Isle of Man TT win number 16 on Saturday when he took a superb victory in the 6-lap Superbike race, the opening event of the 2011 festival. Riding the Honda TT Legends Superbike machine, the Morecambe man was embroiled in an early tussle with fellow Honda rider Bruce Anstey in the first 2 laps but when the Kiwi went out on lap 3, John was able to control the race from the front with his eventual winning margin being a commanding 56 seconds. Starting at number 1, John set off at a scorching pace and by Glen Helen on the opening lap, he was leading, albeit by just one second. Anstey was matching him mile for mile though and at the end of the first lap, John’s speed of 130.786mph saw his lead stand at just one second. Second time around and the duo were scorching round the Mountain Course and although John increased his speed to 131.199mph, Anstey lapped slightly quicker to lead at one third race distance by just under a second. However, a superb pit stop saw John leave the pits back in the lead by some 12 seconds, an advantage that remained until later in the lap when Anstey was forced to retire. That meant John now had a lead of 20 seconds over new second placed man Guy Martin. For the remainder of the race, John was able to control affairs from the head of the field, his gap over Martin staying constant but when the Suzuki retired on the fifth lap, John was over a minute clear of his nearest rival and able to fully enjoy the race. With the Honda Superbike running faultlessly, John could ease off slightly in the closing stages and he crossed the line for his 16th TT win and 30th podium, 56 seconds ahead of fellow Honda rider Cameron Donald. Speaking afterwards, a delighted John said; “I’m speechless really and it’s unbelievable to be sitting here now with another Superbike win to my name, for some reason I never thought I’d do it. Bruce was pushing really hard at the beginning and I dropped back a bit as I was a bit tense and blowing a bit whilst my arms were also pumping up a bit. I had a real good go on the second lap and only just stopped in time when I came in to the pits so probably made up a bit of time there but the pit stop was terrific and the boys did an awesome job on both occasions. They’re people who I trust and who have been with me a long time and that gave me a bit of breathing space whilst Bruce going out soon after obviously helped. Going off at number 1 and riding for essentially a new team created a bit of pressure and I was definitely nervous today but as the race wore on I felt stronger and stronger so all the riding in World Endurance has definitely paid off. Seeing such a huge crowd out there cheering me on was a really special feeling and I want to thank them and also let my good mate Stuart Easton know that win’s for him.” John now has a day off before being back out in action on Monday where he’ll be on board the Padgetts Honda’s in the Superstock and Supersport races. More, from a press release issued by Keith Amor’s publicist: Brave ride into fourth for Amor Keith Amor put in a brave ride in Saturday’s opening Superbike race at the Isle of Man TT bringing the Honda TT Legends machine home in fourth place. Still suffering with the shoulder he injured in Wednesday evening’s practice session, Keith was able to put in two 128mph+ laps for his best ever result in a TT Superbike race. After putting in a solid practice lap the previous evening, Keith decided he was fit enough to race although he wasn’t sure if he would be able to go full race distance. Nevertheless, he got stuck in from the start and a solid opening lap of 128.182mph saw him slot into 8th place, a position he maintained on lap 2 despite lapping slightly quicker at 128.254mph. Struggling more with a gearbox problem than with his shoulder, Keith still jumped up to fifth at the end of lap 3, half race distance, and when Guy Martin retired from 2nd place on the fifth lap he was promoted up the order into 4th and it was here where he finished, almost a minute clear of fifth placed Michael Dunlop. Speaking later, a satisfied Keith said; “The shoulder was ok for the first four laps and although it obviously wasn’t at its strongest it wasn’t giving me any trouble but for the last two laps it started to give me a bit of grief so I just brought the bike home. There was little strength in it by the end but, hopefully, some more work on it by the physios between now and the next race should see me a lot closer to where I wanted to be. There was a really strong head wind along Sulby and up on the Mountain but the hardest part of the race was the gearbox problem that I had and it was a real struggle as I wasn’t sure what the bike was going to do. I thought about stopping at the pits but I decided to press on and, luckily for me, it held on until the finish. I was glad that I did persevere as a few of the boys dropped out and that allowed me to move up the order so to finish 4th, all things considered, is a pretty good result. The bike was handling so much better, the best it’s been all week, so a big thanks to the team and, if the shoulder improves like I hope it does, we shouldn’t be too far away in the Senior.” Before the Senior though, Keith will be back out on track on Monday, campaigning the KBMG Honda’s in the Superstock and Supersport races, both of which are 4 laps. More, from a press release issued by Centurion Racing: Successful Superbike TT For Cooper Stroud’s Dan Cooper and the Cornwall-based Centurion Racing team enjoyed a strong TT race debut together as they took a fine 38th place in the opening Dainese Superbike race. Competing on a Superbike for the first time and in his first six-lap race, Dan got quicker and quicker as the race wore on also posting a new personal best lap of the Mountain Course at 118.502mph. With perfect conditions on the Island, an opening lap of 116.580mph saw Dan move up to 49th from his start position of number 57 but encountering more traffic on his second lap, he slipped back to 43rd. A smooth pit stop saw him back out onto the Mountain Course and he increased his speed on lap four to 116.764mph to move up inside the top 40 for the first time. Circulating with a number of riders, it was proving difficult to get a clear lap but on his sixth and final lap, the only flying lap of the race, Dan proved how much he was getting to grips with both the circuit and machine by moving up to 38th place. It was his best lap of the 37.73-mile circuit to date and a speed of 118.502mph was just reward for his and the team’s efforts. Dan said afterwards: “That was a really tough race and six laps is certainly a lot harder than four, the blisters on my hands show that! When I left the line, I was thinking six laps was going to be a long old race so I kept it steady for the first couple of laps and was pleased to get quicker and quicker as the race wore on. I was glad to get out there and gain more experience although it was a bit frustrating as I kept catching and passing people only for them to get ahead of me after the pit stops meaning I had to do it all over again. I outbraked myself once at Sulby Bridge when I got a little bit carried away but other than that it was a trouble-free race. Finishing a six-lap race is a major achievement for anyone so to do this on just my second time here, and on a bike that I’ve hardly ever ridden, is really pleasing and I’m very happy to start the week with a solid finish.” Team owner, Paul Rees added: “I’m chuffed to bits with the result and am really pleased for Dan and the team that we’ve completed our first six-lap race on a 1000cc machine. We’ve obviously had limited time with the bike but Dan just kept chipping away and it was a great race for him. The boys in the team did a great job at the pit stops and although Dan got held up a bit on a couple of the laps, he kept calm and worked his way through the traffic sensibly. It’s a good, solid start to the week and a good finish for the team’s first TT race so I’m over the moon.” Dan’s next outings come on Monday where it’s a busy day as he’ll be contesting both the four-lap Supersport and Superstock races. Centurion Racing will continue to show their support for Help for Heroes, their chosen charity, by displaying H4H logos on the bikes’ new livery designed by Rage Designs and team attire. Dan’s race helmet has been kindly donated by Arai and will be a one-off design by RichArt showing both the H4H and IOM TT logos. Team Principal Paul Rees, who spent 20 years in Her Majesty’s Royal Marine Commandos, was given permission to have the bikes carry the H4H logos in order to encourage the public to be more aware of this charity that supports our Armed Forces, many of whom are making daily sacrifices in Afghanistan and Iraq. Centurion Racing would specially like to thank Arai, FTR, GPR Racewear, Dunlop, Rage Designs, RichArt, R2 Logo Print & Embroidery, Akrapovic, Daytona, and Alan Smith of Smiths of Gloucester for personally supporting Dan, and all our friends and followers. More, from a press release issued by Isle of Man TT Press Office: THREE IN A ROW FOR KLAFFENBOCK/SAYLE WITH SURE SIDECAR RACE 1 VICTORY AT THE 2011 ISLE OF MAN TT RACES Klaus Klaffenbock and Daniel Sayle made it three wins in a row when they took victory in the opening Sure Sidecar 1 Race by ten seconds from John Holden and Andy Winkle at the 2011 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy. The Austrian/Manx pairing took the lead at Glen Helen on the opening lap and were never headed, catching Holden on the road and circulating together in high speed formation. Lapping at just under 115mph, the pairing were well clear of the rest of the field with Conrad Harrison and Mike Aylott overhauling Tim Reeves and Gregory Cluze on the final lap for third. Klaffenbock and Sayle got off to a flying start to lead at Glen Helen on the opening lap but it was close with Holden and Winkle only one second adrift. Harrison was four seconds further back in third, only one second ahead of Reeves whilst Tony Elmer/Darren Marshall were up into fifth slightly ahead of Gary Bryan/Jamie Winn. It was the same order at Ramsey Hairpin but Klaffenbock’s lead was now up to 5.7 seconds as he had Holden firmly in his sights on the road and, indeed, by the end of the first lap, they were leading both on time and on the road. The advantage now stood at 11 seconds but there was a change for third with Reeves now some 3.5 seconds ahead of Harrison. Elmer and Bryan were still in fifth and sixth with the Birchall brothers now up to 7th although Dougie Wright and Greg Lambert were only 3 and 5 seconds adrift respectively. Having taken the lead on the road, former World Champion Klaffenbock could afford to sit with Holden for the rest of the race and on the second lap the duo treated to the fans to a high speed duel on the roads as they swapped positions on a number of occasions. The lead was always around the 10 second mark for Klaffenbock and his second lap was 114.798mph although Holden was slightly quicker at 114.861mph, the gap now exactly ten seconds as they lapped nose to tail. Reeves was seemingly in control of third, his advantage over Harrison now six seconds. Klaffenbock and Holden were secure in first and second with Reeves some 44 seconds back but he was now coming under serious pressure from Harrison, later attributed to a sticking throttle. At Ballaugh, the gap was down to 1.6s and by Ramsey, Harrison had seized control of the final podium spot, now some 3 seconds clear. Klaffenbock and Holden crossed the line almost together to secure first and second whilst Harrison crossed the line in third for his second TT podium, and passenger Aylott’s first, with Reeves a despondent fourth. Elmer and Bryan were fifth and sixth throughout to again secure strong finishes whilst the Birchalls enjoyed a strong drive on their return in seventh. The top ten was completed by Dougie Wright/Martin Hull, Greg Lambert/Aaron Galligan and Carl Fenwick/Mark Sayers, the latter comfortably the best newcomer, also putting in a superb fastest lap of 107.807mph. To listen live to Radio TT’s commentary for all races and follow live timing at the 2011 Isle of Man TT Races go to www.iomtt.com More, from a press release issued by Tim Reeves’ publicist: Disappointment for Reeves in opening Sidecar TT race There was disappointment for Tim Reeves and Gregory Cluze in the opening Sidecar race at the Isle of Man TT on Saturday when they could only manage fourth place in the three-lap race. Having shone in final qualifying, the duo were confident of at least a podium finish but a sticking throttle put paid to their chances and they had to nurse the bike home from half race distance. Their opening lap of 111.889mph saw them lying in third but they were already some 27 seconds down on the pace setting Klaus Klaffenbock and Daniel Sayle and their immediate concern was keeping Conrad Harrison and Mike Aylott at bay, the pairing less than four seconds adrift. Although Tim was able to increase in pace second time around with a lap of 112.881mph, they were slipping further and further behind the leaders and with the throttle problem getting worse, Tim was constantly having to flick the switch on and off to keep the bike running. He was still in third going into the final lap but Harrison was lapping quicker and by Ramsey he’d pushed Tim back to fourth. Their final lap of 110.916mph meant that they finished fourth, some 12 seconds down on Harrison. Speaking afterwards, a disappointed Tim said: “I’m at a bit of a loss to know what to say to be honest, I’m just bitterly disappointed. The bike was flying on Friday night and our sector times showed we would have lapped at around 114mph if we hadn’t ran out of fuel but it just didn’t go our way today. The bike didn’t feel right from the start and on the second lap the throttle started sticking, right from the Sulby area onwards. It freed off a little in Parliament Square but then started again soon after so I had to keep flicking the switch on and off to try and free it up. You can’t race like that so I was surprised to be in third to be honest as I couldn’t drive, or race, anywhere near the level I wanted to be at. It’s just no good racing round here when you have a problem so I just had to nurse the bike home and I’m bitterly disappointed. We’ve got a few days now to have a good look at the bike and give it another go on Wednesday.” The second three-lap race takes place on Wednesday at 3.30pm. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Guy Martin and the whole Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing team will pick themselves up after the bitter disappointment of Saturday’s Dainese 6-lap Superbike TT on the Isle of Man where Martin was forced to retire from second position on the penultimate lap when his battery lost charge – and prepare for Monday’s double header; the 4-lap Supersport Race one and the 4-lap Superstock event. During yesterday’s Dainese Superbike TT, Martin was never outside the top four and an opening standing start lap of 17mins 23.82sec/ 130.126mph left him just five seconds off the lead. Coming in for fuel at the end of lap two Martin had moved up to third place with yet another 130mph effort [130.309mph], and by the end of lap three he only had eventual winner John McGuinness in front of him, just 19 seconds down on the Morecambe rider. On the completion of lap 4, again pitting for fuel, Martin had consolidated second place ahead of fellow Lincolnshire rider Gary Johnson with a lap of 129.767mph. It was then a case of ‘wait and see’ with McGuinness holding a 29 second lead over the Relentless Suzuki man. But unfortunately on the drop down the Mountain at the end of lap five his GSX-R1000 Superbike lost power and he eventually retired between Hillberry and Signpost Corner. Guy Martin: “That was a disappointing end to what looked like a certain second place, but that’s the TT boy, it can jump up and bite you. We got off to a great start and were well within striking distance of John on that opening lap. From there I just kept it steady and felt pretty comfortable. After the second stop I knew John was going to be near impossible to catch, but you ‘gotta keep trying – and we were well in control in second place. “As you probably saw by the TV footage, I was looking around the dash frantically trying to see what had gone wrong and when I got to Keppel Gate I knew the job was… well you know the rest. It’s time to re-group and get the head in gear for Monday where we get two more chances. And we’re well up for it… well up for it.” Philip Neill – Team Manager: “After all the hard work from everyone in our team, including Guy I might add, it’s extremely disappointing to lose out on a certain second position in the Superbike TT race. It’s somewhat ironic that following on from a 100% successful testing schedule and early race programme – where we did not encounter any mechanical gremlins at all with Guy’s machines – we suffer a very uncharacteristic generator failure in one of the biggest races of the season. But that’s the TT I suppose. “I’m not sure if Guy could have made any significant impact on John McGuinness during that final lap, however with second position looking very safe and a lap time of 130.3mph under his belt, Guy can remain very optimistic about his chances in the remaining TT races. “It’s great to see so many spectators on the Island, so hopefully we can give all those Guy Martin fans something to cheer about before too long. Thanks to all our sponsors and to those who are supporting Guy this week at the TT.” More, from a press release issued by Brichall Brothers Racing: BIRCHALL BROTHERS FINISH SEVENTH IN SATURDAY’S TT RACE After a hard fought three lap race Ben and Tom Birchall finished in seventh place in the first of two F2 Sidecar races on Saturday at the Isle of Man TT festival. Practice week ended disappointingly for the Mitchells of Mansfield brothers as they were forced to retire at Alpine after encountering a problem with the chain in the final session on Friday. That lost them precious track time but they had posted some respectable laps times during practice week to become the seventh fastest duo on the course with a lap time of 108.623mph and were looking forward to Saturday and the start of the first race. It’s been a tough week so far for us,” said Ben. “Our first time here was two years ago and as we were unable to return last year it’s like starting again this time. We are both still suffering the after effects of our recent crash at the World championship round in Germany with both of us carrying some severe bruising. But we are keen to get out there in the first race and see how we fare.” In dry and sunny conditions the sidecars headed to the start line where they were flagged off one at a time at 10 second intervals, Ben and Tom beginning their campaign in fourth place. They got away to a steady start and were running in ninth place on time at Glen Helen but by the end of the first 37.73-mile lap around the mountain course they had moved up into seventh position. The Mansfield brothers remained in seventh place throughout the two remaining laps to complete their first TT race and pick up a Silver replica TT Trophy. “This race has put us back on course,” said Ben. “The LCR chassis is working really well and we are gradually coming up to speed. This is a learning year for us and I feel there is much more to come in the second race on Wednesday. I would like to thank the TT organisers for their support throughout our time on the island, they have been most helpful. “We have a strong desire to win here and will return to the Island until we conquer the TT course however long it takes!” The final lap saw Ben and Tom post their fastest lap of the race with a 109.969mph lap. They completed the race in 1hr 2m 2.56s at an average speed of 109.463mph. The next three lap race is on Wednesday at 12.45pm.