Ian Hutchinson made it two from two at the 2010 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy when he won a record-breaking and thrilling first Monster Energy Supersport race on Monday morning, taking the victory by just 3.03 seconds. The Padgetts Honda rider overhauled Guy Martin to take his fifth TT victory with the Wilson Craig Honda rider again having to settle for second whilst Michael Dunlop came through after a sluggish opening lap to take third. With conditions perfect all around the Mountain Course, it was Martin who stole the early advantage at Glen Helen on the opening lap, leading Hutchinson by 1.7 seconds with Manxman Daniel Kneen putting in a stunning ride in third, another 1.6 seconds back. Positions were close behind with John McGuinness, William Dunlop, Ryan Farquhar, Conor Cummins and Bruce Anstey occupying positions 4th to 8th and separated by just 1.6 seconds. Dunlop, meanwhile, was back in ninth. By Ramsey, Martin had eked out another tenth of a second but Hutchinson was stronger over the Mountain and with an opening lap of 125.536mph, he led the Lincolnshire rider by just eight tenths of a second. Kneen was still holding on to third with Dunlop getting in to his stride and up to fourth. Brother William was also having a strong ride in fifth with Cummins moving up to sixth on the McAdoo Kawasaki. Martin showed his prowess on the first nine miles again though and he turned his deficit in to a 0.33s advantage second time around, Kneen still in third but now only 0.5s ahead of a charging Dunlop. The field behind were still extremely bunched up with just fractions of a second splitting William Dunlop, Amor, Cummins and McGuinness. Just like the opening lap, Hutchinson proved to be quicker for the remainder of the lap though and having got back in to the lead at Ramsey Hairpin by over 2 seconds, a second lap of 126.207mph now gave him a 3.39s lead as they came in to refuel. Dunlop had also lapped in excess of 126mph to seize third from Kneen with William Dunlop and McGuinness now holding on to fifth and sixth. Anstey was in trouble though and stopped at Ballaugh where he was reported as making adjustments. After the riders left the pits after their solitary fuel stop, Hutchinson had pulled further ahead to lead by four seconds, whilst Dunlop was closing in on Martin, now only six seconds adrift. Martin again charged through the high speed run to Ballacraine and the twists and turns of the Glen Helen section to lie just 0.28s behind his fellow Honda rider Hutchinson whilst Amor was also inching his way up the leaderboard, the Scots ace now moving up to fifth at the expense of William Dunlop. Hutchinson was almost five seconds to the good as the riders went on to their final 37 and ¾ miles but Martin was putting in a determined final lap and continued to reel Hutchinson back as they tore round the Mountain Course. The gap kept coming down at each timing point and when Hutchinson flashed across the line after a lap of 126.362mph, the stopwatch began. Martin broke the old lap record with a speed of 126.555mph but it wasn’t enough and Hutchinson took his second win of the week by 3.03 seconds. Dunlop was also inside the old lap record but hugely disappointed with his third place whilst it was Amor who claimed the lap record with a stunning final lap of 126.909mph. This was enough to push Kneen back to fifth but it was still an excellent ride by the 22-year old. William Dunlop, John McGuinness, Conor Cummins, Ryan Farquhar and Cameron Donald completed the top ten. In the race for the Privateers Championship, it was Derek Brien who was first home in an excellent 13th place overall whilst Ben Wylie was second, the newcomer of 2009 having a great ride in to 15th. Olie Linsdell, James McBride and Chris Palmer rounded out the leading privateers in the race but it’s Wylie and Stephen Oates who currently top the table after two races, the duo both having 26 points. More, from a press release issued by Ryan Farquhar’s publicist: Farquhar takes brilliant second in Superstock TT Ryan Farquhar took a brilliant second place in today’s 4-lap Superstock race at the Isle of Man TT Races and only just missed out on the victory by 1.32 seconds – after over 150 miles of racing! The KMR Kawasaki rider was also inside the old class lap record with a lap of 129.883mph, his best ever around the Mountain Course, and it now means he has taken 8 podiums in 8 years of racing around the Mountain Course. Ryan got off to a flying start in the race and a superb opening lap of 129.848mph, just a whisker outside the lap record, saw him take 6.78s lead over fellow countryman Michael Dunlop, and he extended this gap on the second lap. An even better speed of 129.816mph saw him forge further clear, his advantage now up to 8.8s over new second placed man Ian Hutchinson. However, Hutchinson had a quicker pit stop and took over the lead but by the time they got to Glen Helen on the third lap, Ryan was back in the lead by 1.4s, a gap that he’d increased to 5.54s at the end of the lap. Hutchinson, who had already won the opening two races of race week, was determined to complete his hat-trick and slowly, but surely, he began to eat into Ryan’s lead. By Ramsey Hairpin, two thirds of the way around the lap, Ryan found himself in second and now almost two seconds adrift. He rode harder, and faster, than ever before over the Mountain and although he reduced the deficit by half a second he fell agonisingly short by just 1.32s. A final lap of 129.883mph was his best ever around the 37 and 3/4 mile circuit and again inside the old lap record but Hutchinson’s lap of 130.741mph was enough to see him get the verdict. Earlier in the day, Ryan had finished in 9th place in the first Supersport race, to make it three top ten finishes from three starts and he still has two more chances this week to add to his impressive TT record. Speaking afterwards, a pleased Ryan said: “I’m happy with second and I gave it 110% all the way, that’s as good as I’ve ever ridden around here. I knew the Superstock race would give me my best chance this week but also knew that there would be 4-5 other riders who’d be in with a chance so I just rode as hard as I possibly could. I’m obviously a bit disappointed not to have won, having led for so long, but I caught a few backmarkers around the Cronk y Voddy section on the final lap and it cost me a bit of time. Take nothing away from Hutchy though, he’s been on the top of his game all week, so to be within 1.3seconds after 150miles of racing is no bad thing and I’ve got to say a big thank you to everyone who’s helped me especially Nick Morgan and Kawasaki UK and all my sponsors. Nick lent me an engine and we were up until 11.30pm last night but she never missed a beat and was absolutely flying. I’m well pleased with my lap times and with the runner up spot so it’s been a good day.” “In the 600cc race, I rode as hard as I could and whilst we had the top end speed, it was just taking us slightly longer to get there but I had a good dice on the roads with Dan Kneen and enjoyed the last two laps. He was quicker than me in some places and vice versa and we got held up by yellow flags from Ballaugh until Kerromoar so I just brought the bike home for another top ten finish. Hopefully, we’ll be a bit higher up in Wednesday’s race.” Ryan now has a day off before the second Supersport race takes place on Wednesday at 10.45am. More, from another press release issued by Isle of Man TT organizers: Ian Hutchinson’s dominance of the 2010 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy continued on Monday afternoon when he took a nail biting victory in the 4-lap royal London 360 Superstock race, his third win in as many races, to join a select band of racers who have won three in a week. With two races still to come he could even threaten the visiting Philip McCallen’s four in a week on the Isle of Man. The Padgetts Honda rider came in to the final lap 5.54s adrift of long time race leader Ryan Farquhar but a record breaking lap of 130.741mph saw him edge out the KMR Kawasaki rider by the tiny margin of 1.32s. The Northern Irishman just missed out on a 130mph+ lap but was comfortably clear of third placed Conor Cummins, who made it two Kawasaki’s in the top three. With the Island basking in warm sunshine once more, conditions were absolutely ideal around the Mountain Course and it was Farquhar who set off quickest, the Dungannon rider holding on to a slender 0.24s lead from Michael Dunlop with Keith Amor in third and Hutchinson, Cummins and Cameron Donald completing the top six. It was incredibly close though with 1.5s covering the top 5 and only 4.5s between the top ten! Farquhar was flying on the opening lap, extending his advantage at all the timing points, and a first lap speed of 129.648mph gave him a 6.78s lead over Dunlop with Hutchinson now up to third ahead of Cummins and Amor, John McGuinness holding on to sixth. Leading contenders Dan Stewart and Carl Rennie were both out of luck though, the duo retiring at the end of the first lap. Farquhar and Hutchinson were pulling away from the chasing pack on the second lap and the Kawasaki rider was the first to break the old lap record with a brilliant lap of 129.816mph and this saw him edge further away from Hutchinson, the gap 8.8s as they came into refuel. Dunlop had been relegated to fourth though and he lost further time as he changed his rear tyre at the pit stop, dropping him all the way down to 11th. Hutchinson had the quickest pit stop and led the race for the first time as the riders left the pits but by Glen Helen, 34-year old Farquhar was back in front to the tune of 1.4s and it was going to be a straight fight over the final two laps. Cummins was only eight seconds further back in third with McGuinness, Amor and Guy Martin now occupying the top six positions. Dunlop was fighting his way back and was gradually inching his way up the leaderboard. By Ramsey Hairpin, Farquhar was over four seconds clear and this became 5.54s as the pair went into their final lap and it was here when Hutchinson made his charge. The gap stayed the same at Glen Helen but Hutchinson had halved this by the time they jumped Ballaugh Bridge, and at Ramsey Hairpin for the final time it was only 1.82s. In all three races held so far, Hutchinson has been the quickest rider over the Mountain but Farquhar was up for the fight and rode harder than he’d ever done before only to fall short by the smallest margin. Hutchinson’s final lap of 130.741mph was the first 130mph lap recorded by a Superstock machine and, despite Farquhar setting his best ever lap of the Mountain Course at 129.883mph, he fell short by an agonising 1.32s. Nevertheless, it was his first podium finish at the TT since 2008 and there was further celebration for Kawasaki with Cummins coming home in a strong third and going some way to make up for his disappointment on Saturday, when he retired whilst leading the Superbike race. Behind, McGuinness maintained his fourth place all the way to the chequered flag whilst Martin got the better of Amor for fifth, albeit by just two tenths of a second. Ian Lougher took a fine seventh with a determined Michael Dunlop fighting his way back up to 8th and Michael Rutter and Adrian Archibald completing the top ten. James McBride was the best of the Privateers in 14th place, three places ahead of Portuguese star Luis Carreira with Stefano Bonetti the next highest placed in 19th. McBride has now jumped up to the top of the table, the Kettering rider having 49pts and holding onto a 13-point lead over Stephen Oates and Davy Morgan, the pair sharing second on 36 points. In the battle for the best Newcomer, David Johnson was again the highest placed in 28th place, lapping at 122.312mph, with Hudson Kennaugh, Brian McCormack and Stephen Thompson in 33rd, 34th and 35th – all three also breaking the 120mph barrier for the first time. Meanwhile, Jenny Tinmouth again set a new personal best lap and a speed of 116.993mph firmly cements her place as the fastest female to have lapped the Mountain Course. More, from another press release issued by Isle of Man TT organizers: Moto Czysz confirm position as favourites for Isle of Man TT Zero Race with unofficial lap record for electric bikes Portland based team Moto Czysz and their rider Mark Miller confirmed their position as race favourites for the 2010 TT Zero Electric bike race at the Isle of Man TT races with a lap of 94.664mph. The team recorded the fastest ever lap albeit an unofficial lap record as it is not recorded during a race – for an electric bike around the famous mountain course, beating the 2009 race record of their closest challengers Team Agni who recorded 87.434mph average lap speed in winning the 2009 race. Moto Czysz lead from the start of the practice and were already over 17 seconds ahead of their nearest challengers ManTTx (James McBridge) at Glen Helen with defending champion Rob Barber and Team Agni third fastest. Martin Loicht’s HTBLAUVA – XX Project, Kingston University (George Spence) and Mark Buckley and Team Ecolve were also timed at over 60mph Team Agni passed the Manx team before Ballaugh but were unable to match the speeds of the MotoCzysz team who were clocked at 102.566mph to Ramsey, having been recorded at a speed of 131.1 through the Sulby Speed Trap. Barber’s Team Agni also clocked over 100mph at Sulby. The Americans continued their impressive charge and were still just below the 100mph (99.974mph) at the Bungalow and eventually finished over 3 minutes ahead of their nearest challengers. Team boss Michael Czysz believes that the team could still claim the £10,000 prize that the Isle of Man Government will award if a team can break the prestigious 100mph average lap speed around the course but acknowledges that it is an uphill task. Reflecting on their success to date he said: “I’m really confident now with the bike and will happily not touch it now until the race. I think that the bike is capable of achieving the 100mph lap as we still have something in reserve but it will require everything going right on race day.” Ten teams are participating in the 2010 TT Zero with SERT, the Swedish Electric Race team, unable to practice tonight due to a malfunctioning engine. New parts are being rushed to the Island ahead of Wednesday afternoon’s race. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: It was a tough day at the office for Relentless by TAS Suzuki pair Bruce Anstey and Cameron Donald during today’s TT Races on the Isle of Man: Mechanical gremlins and a large dose of misfortune were handed out to the antipodean stars in Supersport Race 1 and the 4-lap Superstock TT. Cameron Donald finished the day with 10th place in both races but team-mate Bruce Anstey unfortunately retired from both outings. In the Supersport race, Anstey’s GSX-R600 developed an electrical problem and in this afternoon’s Superstock race the Kiwi retired at Creg ny Baa complaining of handling issues. Cameron Donald: “I’m gutted with those results today but I did the best I could in the circumstances and rode both bikes to a top-10 finish. On a positive note, the pace was hot out there today and it gave me more miles around the TT circuit in preparation for Wednesday’s second Supersport outing and Friday’s Senior.” Bruce Anstey: “It’s been one of those days when nothing clicks for you and I’m obviously disappointed not to have been up there challenging for a podium. In the Supersport race I stopped at Ballaugh as I had a problem with my contact lenses before retiring with an electrical problem. Then in the Superstock race I just couldn’t get the bike to work as I wanted it, which was a pity as it was certainly as fast as race winner Ian Hutchinson’s machine. Wednesday gives me another chance in the Supersport class.” Philip Neill – Team Manager: “There’s no point hiding our disappointment but we have been coming here long enough to know that the TT can be a cruel place when you’re out of luck. Bruce’s GSX-R600 hasn’t missed a beat all year and you cannot legislate for a charging wire letting you down. I just hope it hasn’t dented his confidence for Wednesday. “We have been lacking set-up time with the Superstock bikes this year, compared to last year when Alastair Seeley was virtually unbeatable and that added to today’s problems. Cameron dug deep and stuck with it today, and for that reason alone I’m proud of him. We still have Wednesday and Friday left to bring some results home from this year’s TT for Suzuki, Relentless and all our other loyal sponsors.” More, from a press release issued by Keith Amor’s publicist: New lap record and two top six finishes for Amor at TT Keith Amor enjoyed a strong day of racing on the Isle of Man on Monday when he set a new lap record and finished 4th in the Supersport race on the Kojak Racing Honda, despite hitting his left shoulder on the railings at Braddan Bridge on the opening lap. To round out a good day on the Island, he also finished sixth on the WA Corless/Jackson Racing BMW in the Superstock race recording a hugely impressive 189mph through the speed trap. Conditions around the Mountain Course were perfect for some high speed racing and the day got off to a record breaking start in the 4-lap Supersport race although it was almost over before it had begun for Keith due to the aforementioned collision with the railings. As a result he found himself down in seventh place at the end of the opening lap but, despite an extremely painful shoulder, he increased his speed on lap two to 124.608mph to close in on the riders in front of him. A good pit stop saw him make up even further time and by the end of lap 3 he was up to fifth. Now firmly in his stride, Keith and the Honda were really flying on the final lap and with a new lap record of 126.909mph he was able to claim fourth at the chequered flag. There was little rest for Keith and, after a quick trip to the medical centre to get his shoulder checked over, he was back out in the 4-lap Superstock race. An opening lap of 128.179mph saw Keith slot in to fifth place, with the times incredibly close between the top ten riders and with a near identical lap time second time around, 128.194mph, he was able to maintain his position. On the third lap, Keith and the BMW were pushed back to sixth by Guy Martin and although he lapped quicker than his Honda rival on the final lap, he missed out on fifth by just 0.21s after over 150 miles of racing! Speaking afterwards, a slightly disappointed Keith said: “Frustration’s the word today and I haven’t got the results I was hoping for. In the morning’s Supersport race, I went off way too fast and paid for being too aggressive as I was making far too many mistakes, not least the one at Braddan Bridge. I thought my race was over after that but I wasn’t going to quit as the TT only comes around once a year so I pressed on as much as I could. After the pit stop, I got my head together and got in to the groove but it was a shame it came too late in to the race and I was unable to fight for the podium. It was a bit of a consolation to get the lap record but I need to get a better start on Wednesday and put today right.” “The Superstock race started off quite well and for the first half of the lap the bike was working really well but we’ve struggled all week to get the bike set-up properly and as soon as the tyres get warm or the suspension hots up, grip becomes a major issue and that’s what happened again. The bike became a real handful and almost uncontrollable so I couldn’t physically have gone any faster. The bike’s an absolute missile in a straight line but with no grip through the corners it was a real tough race which wasn’t helped by losing the back brake on the first lap! I also lost about 10-15 seconds one lap when both Ian Lougher and I got waved off the course at Governor’s Bridge – I thought Ian was on his way to the supermarket! We both got going again but it’s just a bit frustrating as the boys in the team have put in so much hard work and I thought we had a great chance today. At the same time though sixth first time out around here on the BMW is a solid result.” Keith’s next race comes at 10.45am on Wednesday with the second 4-lap Supersport race.