It was an all Suzuki podium in the TT Superbike race on the Isle of Man with Aussie Cameron Donald taking his first ever Mountain Circuit victory, his Relentless Suzuki team mate Bruce Anstey following him home in second place and former TAS Suzuki pilot Adrian Archibald in third – a clean sweep for the K8 TAS Performance-prepared GSX-R1000s. This also maintains TAS Racing’s 100% record at the TT with every rider on their books, since Norman Brown, making a trip to the top step on Glencrutchery Road. Guy Martin was the early race leader but Donald was relentless in his pursuit of the Lincolnshire rider, taking over at the front on lap four when Martin retired at Sulby. Both Relentless Suzuki riders circulated together from as early as lap three and when they eventually crossed the line at the end of six laps and 226 miles of racing, they were only separated by 10 seconds at the head of the field. Donald also recorded his fastest ever lap around the 37.73-mile Mountain Circuit on lap six with a time of 17 minutes 30.84 seconds at 129.256mph. In pursuit of Donald, Bruce Anstey also recorded a sub 18-minute lap with a speed of 129.207mph. Cameron Donald: “It just hasn’t sunk in yet but it’s great to have won my first TT – all thanks must go to Philip, Hector and the whole Relentless Suzuki team for the big effort. I’d also like to thank James Thompson from Moto Direct who did a great job with my AGV helmets today. When John McGuinness dropped out, I thought, ‘there goes the first Fireblade – this is my big chance.’ I could see Bruce at the end of the straights then I got to follow him out after the first pit stop. I sat behind him then got past at Cronk Y Voddy. On my second stop the boys told me I was leading and to keep it smooth. I kept getting P1 +10, P1 +10 so I didn’t need to drop the hammer. Bruce came back past at Ballygarey on the last lap and really went for it but I hung in through Glen Helen. He put his foot out to me just before the 11th Milestone to come past and lift the pace. I was coming over the Mountain on the last lap thinking, I wish my dad was here to see this, and I was also thinking about big Martin Finnegan – I was tearing up in the helmet. My Relentless Suzuki was superb today and the Pirelli tyres were faultless – I’m just rapt.” Bruce Anstey: “I didn’t have a great first lap, then when Cameron came past me I knew it would be difficult to make any time back up. The bike worked well and I had no issues with the Pirelli tyres – everything worked superbly. I had a bit of a go on the last lap and I could see where Cameron was strong, but to finish second in a one-two for Relentless Suzuki in a Superbike TT is really good. I’m confident of a good run in the Senior next Friday.” Philip Neill – Team Principal: “To have three TAS Performance-prepared bikes on the podium is a phenomenal achievement for my father and myself, and more importantly for every member of the team, from the lorry drivers to the engine builders. I’d like to offer a big thank you to Suzuki and Relentless, and of course our loyal sponsors, Putoline Oil, Beacon Security and Pirelli. They’ve been with us for seven years and we have also added the likes of Leo Vince from Italy who are over the moon with this result. I’d also like to thank Johnny Towers from Moto Direct who has kitted our riders out with the best safety equipment available in Arlen Ness and AGV for this season. “What can I say about Cameron? He continues to astound us with his results and we must remember – he was not expected to win here this week. He was unlucky not to pick up his first win at the North West 200, but to put his name on a famous TT trophy in only his second year on a Superbike is astounding. He has stuck to the plan we set for him over the winter and it has paid dividends. “Bruce has recorded another phenomenal result and it’s great to see him back on a Superbike TT podium. He is one of the best riders around at the TT and it would be nice to see him fulfill his ultimate ambition of a Superbike win. I’m also very pleased to see Archie back where he belongs as he’s been part of the furniture at TAS since 2003. He may be running his own team this year but we are as much behind him as we ever were and everyone in the team is delighted for him.” Superbike TT: 1 Cameron Donald [Relentless Suzuki] 1hr: 47min 05.89 [126.826mph]; 2 Bruce Anstey [Relentless Suzuki] 1hr: 47min 16.66 [126.614mph]; 3 Adrian Archibald [AMA Racing Suzuki] 1hr: 48min 37.97 [125.034mph]. More, from a press release issued by Guy Martin’s publicist: Island heartbreak for Martin For the second meeting in a row, Guy Martin was denied an International Superbike win when he was forced to retire from the lead in today’s opening Isle of Man Superbike TT. The Hydrex Bike Animal Honda star broke the lap record from a standing start and was over ten seconds clear at half race distance when mechanical failure ended his race on the fourth lap, thus cruelly denying him and the team their first ever TT win. Conditions were perfect for racing but it wasn’t an ideal start for Guy as he almost missed his starting slot and this was reflected at the first commentary point where he was down in 6th. However, the times were close and Guy was soon into his stride, going into the lead by 0.43 seconds at Ramsey ahead of his main threat John McGuinness. By the end of the first lead, he was almost 4 seconds clear and his lap of 129.103mph broke the lap record from a standing start. He continued to extend his lead all the way around the second lap and went quicker still, at 129.540mph, to move nine seconds clear. A lightening pit stop by the team saw Guy refulled and have a new rear tyre fitted and the gap was up to 11 seconds as he swept through Glen Helen for the third time. Controlling the race from the front, Guy was in imperious form and maintained his advantage on the third lap to go into the second half of the race comfortably in the lead. However, that much yearned for win will have to wait another day as he was reported as missing at Ramsey on the fourth lap and news soon came through that he had stopped at Sulby village, a machine breakdown cruelly forcing him out of the race. Later inspection showed that the end of the crank had snapped off thus leading to a complete loss of power. Speaking in the paddock, team manager Shaun Muir commented: “To say we’re gutted is an understatement. Guy was riding, quite simply, brilliantly and he had the race in the bag so to be denied his, and our, first ever victory by a mechanical failure is hard to take. He was controlling the race from the front and the team did a superb job at the pit stop to get him in and out quicker than ever before so we’re devastated that the win has been taken away from us by a breakdown.” “Guy felt comfortable in the lead and with a new lap record, he’d managed to get the better of John McGuinness, which was crucial. He did the perfect race whilst the team did a superb job and there was nothing any of us could have done to prevent this. It’s cruel to have his long awaited win snatched away in this manner and that’s two Superbike races in a row where our luck has deserted us. Guy’s philosophical about what happened and knows he was riding well so we have four more chances to get that top step on the podium and we’ll be giving it 100% to do just that.” Guy’s next outinns will be on Monday where he lines up in the 4-lap Superstock and Supersport races. More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: McGuinness out of luck in opening Superbike TT race John McGuinness’ hopes of a fifth successive Superbike TT race win ended on the second lap of Saturday’s race as the Morecambe man was forced out with a persistent misfire. Riding the Padgett’s Manx Gas Racing Honda Fireblade that had seen him post the fastest time in practice, John made, for him, a sluggish start and he found himself down in fifth place at Glen Helen, nine miles into the opening lap. However, he was only 0.8seconds away from the race lead and he soon began to move up the leaderboard, going through the Ramsey checkpoint in second place, now only 0.43seconds off the lead. As he flashed past the Grandstand to start his second lap, his first lap speed was confirmed at 128.617mph although he was now 3.98seconds behind the pace setting Guy Martin. The thousands of race fans were relishing the two arch rivals going head to head at the front of the field but John was reported as being late at Glen Helen and when he did arrive, he pulled in, the bike having been misfiring over the previous few miles. He did get going again but his race was over and he finally stopped for good at Sulby Crossroads. Speaking about his first big bike race retirement since 2004, a philosophical John said: “The bike had been fantastic during practice and we had the set up ideal for the race but when I came over the Mountain on the first lap, I noticed there was a slight misfire. I pressed on, hoping it would go away but it came back on the second lap and got progressively worse all the way until Ballacraine so I decided to pull in at Glen Helen.” “I’m gutted, not only for myself, but for the whole Padgett’s team. Clive and the boys have worked really hard and I was really enjoying myself out there. Guy was on it and it was shaping up to be a great race but it wasn’t to be so we’ll put it behind us and move on to the next one. We’ve got four more races to go so there’s plenty of time to get a result.” John will be out in two races on Monday, the 4-lap Superstock and the 4-lap Supersport, the races getting underway at 10.45 and 13.15 respectively. More, from a press release issued by Les Shand’s publicist: Excellent 12th place in Superbike TT for Shand After a strong practice week on the Isle of Man, which saw him regularly in the top 12 in all of his classes, Les Shand finished in an excellent 12th in Saturday’s 6-lap Superbike TT race. The result came despite a low speed spill at Sulby Bridge on Friday evening but with the bike repaired, his efforts not only gave him his best ever finish on the Island but also saw him post a new personal best lap of 124.290mph. Riding his Superstock-spec Yamaha Les, who got promoted up the order from 28 to 17 due to his strong lap times in practice, completed his first lap in 17th place and made steady progression through the field. With four laps in excess of 120mph, including that final lap of 124.290mph, he was able to take a brilliant 12th place at the end of the 6 torturous laps, winning yet another bronze replica. That fastest lap also saw him become the 25th fastest rider ever to have lapped the Mountain Course. Speaking afterwards, Les commented: “I was a bit tense in the first two laps and couldn’t get into my rhythm properly so, subsequently, I was shattered after the first two laps! I had a bit of a moment at the bottom of Barregarrow and, after the tip off on Friday evening, it really shook me for a few miles. After the first pit stop though, I began to relax a lot more and was a lot happier with the way I was riding.” “I was really pleased with my final lap speed and to finish 12th and be the 3rd Superstock machine to finish is very positive. It’s great to be racing here fully fit and I think the results and lap times are reflecting that. The boys did a great job at the pit stops so we’re looking good for the rest of the week.” With confidence high, Les will be looking for equally impressive results in Monday’s 4-lap Superstock and Superstock races. More, from a press release issued by Keith Amor’s publicist: Amor takes solid seventh in Superbike TT Falkirk’s Keith Amor got his 2008 Isle of Man TT Races campaign off to a great start when he took seventh place in Saturday’s Dainese Superbike race. The race also saw him post his best ever lap of the Mountain Course at 125.760mph. Riding the Wilson Craig Honda’s Keith had enjoyed a solid week of practice and with great conditions on the Island, Keith got off to a great start in the 6-lap race with his opening lap of 125.760mph seeing him slot into 10th place. There was little between the riders battling it out for 6th-10th places and with all six laps being in excess of 120mph, Keith was able to make steady progress through the top ten. Although he was unable to go quicker than his opening lap, his consistent speeds saw him move up to 7th by the end of the race and the result saw him pick up his second silver replica. That fastest lap also saw him become the 17th fastest rider ever to have lapped the Mountain Course. Speaking afterwards, Keith said: “Overall, it was a solid ride today but we’re still struggling to get two laps out of the fuel and as far out as Ramsey hairpin, the bike was beginning to splutter a bit. I had to nurse it over the Mountain on every other lap so I was losing a fair bit of time, probably about 30 seconds each time. We’ll have to go back to the drawing board to see what we can do with the tank!” “Aside from that, it was a fairly uneventful race. The bike was working really well and the whole team has worked really hard on the set up of the big Fireblade and I can’t fault how it handled. The Dunlop tyres were really strong and I’m sure we can build on this for the remainder of the week and look to get in amongst the top five.” In the subsequent practice later in the day, Keith went even quicker on his Superstock machine and confidence is extremely high going into Monday’s 4-lap Superstock and Supersport races.