Isle of Man TT
June 8, 2018
PokerStars Senior TT Race Results:
1. Peter Hickman (BMW S1000RR), Total Race Time 1:43:08.065, Average Race Speed 131.700 mph
2. Dean Harrison (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:43:10.126, 131.656 mph
3. Conor Cummins (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:44:50.559, 129.554 mph
4. Michael Dunlop (BMW S1000RR), 1:45:45.315, 128.436 mph
5. Josh Brookes (Norton SG7), 1:46:09.904, 127.940 mph
6. Gary Johnson (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:47:06.818, 126.807 mph
7. Martin Jessopp (BMW S1000RR), 1:47:58.408, 125.798 mph
8. Jamie Coward (BMW S1000RR), 1:48:27.787, 125.230 mph
9. Davey Todd (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:49:00.059, 124.612 mph
10. Brian McCormack (BMW S1000RR), 1:49:04.383, 124.529 mph
More, from a press release issued by Isle of Man TT Press Office:
Hickman pips Harrison in record breaking PokerStars Senior TT thriller
A packed trackside crowd were treated to one of the greatest races in the TT’s long illustrious history as Peter Hickman won a sensational PokerStars Senior TT race at the Isle of Man TT races, fuelled by Monster Energy, on Friday when he set a new outright lap record of 135.452mph on the final lap to defeat Dean Harrison by just two seconds.
The pair featured on the cover of the Official TT Programme and the ‘H-Bomb’ feature only hinted at the spectacular race that was to unfold at the climax of this year’s TT meeting as lap, race and sector records were all obliterated as the pair battled for the historic trophy.
Harrison had led the race for five and a half of the six laps but Hickman reeled him on the sixth lap and, having been quicker over the Mountain all race, he turned a 3.7s deficit at Glen Helen into a lead of 0.8s at the Bungalow and he smashed the race record by 48.064s to take his second win. Harrison took second with Conor Cummins in third.
After the race Hickman paid respect to Harrison and revealed that he had targeted the Mountain section of the Course as an opportunity to make up time;
“I knew that Dean was going to be fast but I’d always been strong on the Mountain section throughout the week. It’s a bit like a short circuit and I came into my own on it. I thought it if I was within five or six seconds on the last lap I could have a go over the Mountain.”
Harrison led Hickman by 1.2s through Glen Helen on the opening lap with Dunlop a further second back in third as Hillier, Cummins and David Johnson completed the top six and by Ramsey, the Kawasaki rider had doubled his advantage to 2.4s. Dunlop remained in third but was some 8.4s behind Hickman. Hillier’s strong week ended though with a retirement at Westwood.
Cummins led on the road with a lap of 131.754mph but it was Harrison who led with a lap of 133.678mph. However, Hickman was only 1.4s behind although Dunlop’s challenge looked to be already over as he was almost 13 seconds behind his fellow BMW rider. Cummins, David Johnson and Josh Brookes completed the top six but Johnson pulled into the pits to retire promoting namesake Gary Johnson into sixth.
Leading privateer Sam West was close to his maiden 130mph lap in eighth with newcomer Davey Todd performing superbly in tenth.
Through Glen Helen on lap two and Harrison had edged away from Hickman again to the tune of 3.5s with Cummins now third as Dunlop slipped further back. Brookes was up to fifth and West now a superb sixth and Todd a stunning eighth.
Harrison had added another second to his lead as he rounded Ramsey Hairpin and he came into his first pit stop at the end of lap two having lapped at 133.704mph. His lead had been slashed though with Hickman now only 1.4s in arrears once more. Cummins, Dunlop, Brookes and West rounded out the top six. Todd was now in eighth.
After the pit stop and through Glen Helen for the third time, Harrison’s lead had crept out to 4.8s and the duo were over half a minute clear of Cummins who was now coming under pressure from Dunlop with the gap just over half a second.
Throughout the first half of lap three, Harrison continued to pull away, with his lead at Ramsey over eight seconds, but Hickman was again quicker over the Mountain and as they started lap four, the difference between the two was back down to 5.8s. Cummins was looking more comfortable in third with Dunlop now 13.6s behind in fourth as Brookes and West held onto fifth and sixth.
At Ramsey Hairpin on lap four, Harrison had stretched his lead over Hickman to 6.9s but Hickman again showed his strength over the Mountain reducing the deficit at the Bungalow to 4.4s. And he wasn’t done there either, setting a new outright lap record of 134.456mph on his way into the second pit stop, the gap now just 1.402s. The order behind stayed constant as Cummins pulled further away from Dunlop with Brookes looking comfortable in fifth but Gary Johnson had overhauled West for sixth.
The second and final pit stop saw changes though as by Glen Helen on lap five Harrison’s lead had shot back up to 6.2s although by Ramsey Hickman had shaved 1.2s off despite his engine sounding significantly louder than how it started.
It was down to 3.6s at the Bungalow, 2.5s at Cronk ny Mona and as Hickman crossed the line to start the final, thrilling lap, his deficit to Harrison was only 1.9s. Harrison’s superiority over the first nine miles saw him open up the margin to 3.7s as traffic also came into play on the final lap and he pulled even further away on the high speed run to Ballaugh, his advantage now 5.7s.
However, Hickman really flew on the run to Ramsey bringing the lead down to just two seconds and by the Bungalow, he’d taken the lead for the first time by the slender margin of 0.834s. He doubled that at Cronk ny Mona but all eyes were on the chequered flag and Harrison crossed the line with a new lap record of 134.918mph/ 16:46.742 which he held for forty five seconds before Hickman crossed the line in a sensational, new outright lap record of 135.452mph, pipping Harrison to the race win by two seconds.
Cummins was over a minute and a half back in third with Dunlop, Brookes and Johnson finishing in fourth to sixth, Brookes’ final lap of 131.745mph the fastest by Norton and by an Australian.
West’s superb ride ended on lap five and although that promoted Phil Crowe up into seventh, the Lincolnshire also went out after coming off at Whitegates on the final lap, fortunately without injury, and the eventual seventh place finisher was Martin Jessopp with Jamie Coward, Todd and Brian McCormack completing the top ten.
Dunlop’s fourth place was enough for him to pick up the Joey Dunlop TT Championship with 94 points, with Hickman (86) and Harrison (81) taking second and third.
Todd’s brilliant week saw him pick up the TT Privateer’s Championship as well as the Newcomer’s Trophy.
Swedish rider Bjorn Gunnarsson had an accident at Glen Tramman and was taken by airmed to Nobles hospital and treated for bruising while Dom Herbertson (Laurel Bank), Mike Norbury (Keppel Gate), Michael Mylchreest (Gorse Lea) and Philip Crowe (Whitegates) also came off their machines during the race but all were reported as unhurt.
More, form a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
Isle of Man TT: Peter Hickman wins the prestigious Senior TT on a BMW S 1000 RR.
•Peter Hickman sets new lap record of over 135 mph en route to victory in the Senior TT.
•Three 1000cc races, three wins for BMW road racers.
•Hickman: “What an awesome end to such an emotional TT.”
Isle of Man. British BMW road racer Peter Hickman (GBR) has won the prestigious Senior TT at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. Hickman had previously won Monday’s Superstock race to claim his maiden victory on the Isle of Man. On Friday, he won the Senior TT for the Smiths Racing BMW team, thanks in part to a new lap record on the BMW S 1000 RR.
The Senior TT is contested over six laps and traditionally brings the curtain down on the Isle of Man race week. Hickman set a new record on lap four with an average speed of 134.456 mph (216.385 km/h). However, he still found himself in second place behind Kawasaki rider Dean Harrison (GBR) until the final lap of the race. Hickman upped the pace even further on the final lap: He became the first rider ever to crack the 135-mph mark on the “Mountain Circuit”, taking victory with a new lap record and a lead of two seconds over Harrison. 135.452 mph (217.989 km/h) is the fastest average speed ever set in a road race, making Hickman officially the fastest road racer in the world.
Michael Dunlop (GBR / Tyco BMW) finished fourth in the Senior TT. Martin Jessopp (GBR / Riders Motorcycles BMW) was seventh, Jamie Coward (GBR / Team Penz13.com BMW Motorrad) was eight. Brian McCormack (GBR / Vanfleet Transport) also finished within the top-10, crossing the line in tenth. Dunlop had previously won the Superbike race last Saturday. As such, victories in all three 1000cc races at this year’s Isle of Man TT went to BMW road racers.
The TT was overshadowed by two deaths. Last Wednesday, Tyco BMW rider Dan Kneen (GBR) was killed in an accident in qualifying for the Superbike race. On Monday, Scotland’s Adam Lyon died after an accident in the 600cc Supersport race.
Peter Hickman: “What a tough race. Massive credit to Dean Harrison. He was so fast on the first two sectors, so I kept losing time there, but I knew I could eat it back over the mountain and the later part of the course. I am so happy for everyone. I can’t thank the team and the sponsors enough. Smiths Racing BMW has given me a mega bike; she’s just sweet as a nut over that second half of the circuit. I knew it was all going to come down to that last lap and I had lost a little time due to backmarkers. But what an awesome end to such an emotional TT.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:
Ian Hutchinson digs deep in Isle of Man TT return
Isle of Man TT
Snaefell Mountain Course, Isle of Man
The Honda Racing team is signing off after a positive Isle of Man TT campaign; although the results do not reflect the performance of the riders Ian Hutchinson and Lee Johnston, the squad is leaving this year’s event pleased with progress and on-going development of the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2.
Hutchinson continued to impress as he made his return to the TT after breaking his leg in an accident last year. With inspirational drive and determination the ‘Bingley Bullet’ completed a total of 39 laps aboard the CBR during practice and race week, just one month after having his external frame removed.
‘Hutchy’ improved his lap times and feeling aboard the Fireblade during each session and although he didn’t finish the Senior TT, feeling he wasn’t able to complete the full race distance after the second pit stop, the Honda team are proud of his efforts this week and know it’s only a matter of time before he’s back to full speed.
Meanwhile teammate Johnston went into today’s Senior TT confident after a six-place finish in Saturday’s opening Superbike race aboard the Fireblade. With glorious conditions once again around the 37.73-mile Mountain circuit, ‘The General’ had made his way into the top-ten. However at the end of the second lap he retired with a technical issue.
With the data and information collected from the TT, the team will now start looking towards the Ulster GP, which takes place 5-11 August.
Ian Hutchinson 4
This year was always going to be a mixed year, but I made it to the TT and completed 39 laps. It’s not been easy, but it’s been good to be racing again and back on two wheels. The team has been great and we’ve had to adjust the Fireblade a lot to suit the way I have to ride with my legs this year, so a huge thanks to them for accommodating all the changes. The CBR today felt good, but I just wasn’t able to complete the six laps of the Senior. We’ve got a lot of data from this week but I am not sure how much we’ll be able to use going into next year as I’ll be in a different place with my injury and my riding style will change. But it’s positive and I feel we’ve got a good package, so I’ll go away and get myself back to full fitness and get more miles on the bikes for next year.
Lee Johnston 13
I was excited coming to the TT after the success of the NW200, things were looking strong but it’s just been one of those weeks with things not really going our way. I was disappointed not to finish the Senior today, I felt strong at the start and had started to make my way up through the group. It’s obvious from the NW200 and our result in the Superbike race that we have the pace, but today it just wasn’t meant to be and sometimes that happens in racing. We have a good package and the team around me is amazing, we’ve tried lots and lots of different things over the week and collected so much data.
Jonny Twelvetrees
Team Manager
It’s a real shame Lee was forced to retire today especially after his result in the Superbike race on Saturday, we were hoping for another top-ten for him on the big bike. He was forced to retire with a technical issue, which we’ll look into and find out what the problem was, but up until that point he was running well and had broken into the top-ten. Ian well, he’s done incredibly well and it’s amazing he’s even here riding. We all knew the limitations before we arrived and it’s been difficult for him with his physical situation; it’s only a month ago he still had the frame on his leg and he’s not ridden for 12 months, so to be here racing is amazing. He’s treated the whole event sensibly without pushing outside his limits, we all know he’s capable of winning TT’s and I am sure with some further bike time he’ll be back to where he should be.
More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing:
Hickman Smashes Lap Record To Win Senior TT For Smiths
Peter Hickman and the Gloucester-based Smiths Racing BMW team ended their 2018 Isle of Man TT Races in the best way possible as the 31 year old won a dramatic PokerStars Senior TT and set a new outright lap record of 135.452mph. It was the first ever 135mph+ lap of the Mountain Course and Hickman’s second win of the week.
Having won the Superstock race on Monday, his first ever TT win, Hickman came into the PokerStars Senior TT, the Blue Riband event of race week, in confident mood as he looked to take the BMW S1000RR to the top step once more and with good conditions all around the 37.73-mile circuit, everything was set for a thrilling conclusion.
As expected, Dean Harrison was quickest out of the blocks but his opening lap of 133.678mph was only marginally quicker than Peter’s speed of 133.492mph, which gave the Kawasaki rider a 1.4s advantage.
From this moment on, the two riders were involved in a game of high speed cat and mouse with Harrison the quicker on the first half of the circuit and Peter the quicker over the second, which included the ascent and descent of the Snaefell Mountain.
At the end of the second lap, the gap between the two was, remarkably, the same but it looked like Harrison had stolen a march on Peter as he opened up a six-second lead at half race distance.
However, Peter set a new outright lap record on the fourth lap of 134.456mph, which reduced the gap to just 1.402s. Again, Harrison pulled away on the bottom half of the circuit, with Peter falling 6.2s adrift but he reduced this to 1.9s going into the sixth and final lap.
A repeat of the previous lap occurred once more and on this occasion, Hicky had to pull back a 5.7s deficit from Ballaugh which is exactly what he did and by the Bungalow, he’d taken the lead for the first time by the slender margin of 0.834s. He doubled that at Cronk ny Mona and with a sensational new outright lap record of 135.452mph, he got the better of Harrison by two seconds.
Peter Hickman: “I knew Dean would be fast and I expected Michael (Dunlop) to be there as well and on this occasion I made a good start to put myself into second place on the opening lap. I was quite happy with that as I was only a few seconds behind whilst I’d been strong all week over the Mountain as it suits my style. The gap to Dean would grow and then come back down and I thought if I could get it down to a few seconds at Ballaugh on the final lap, I’d be in with a real good chance.
“I had three pit boards out on the course and the only time I saw ‘P1’ was at the Creg ny Baa on the final lap so I just kept my head down and made sure I didn’t make any mistakes. Conditions were perfect and the bike has been working perfectly all fortnight so a big thanks to the whole Smiths Racing BMW team and to be sitting here now as the Senior TT winner, the first rider to do a lap in excess of 135mph and the outright lap record holder feels pretty special.”
Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “I literally don’t know what to say! It was such a nerve-wracking race and although Dean got his lead close to seven seconds at one stage, we could all see how strong Pete was over the Mountain, clawing back big chunks each and every lap. We hoped Dean wouldn’t pull too big a gap on the final lap but Peter’s lap was simply phenomenal and 135.452mph really is something special.
“To win the Superstock TT felt amazing but winning the Senior TT is something else and with the outright lap record as well, the week couldn’t have ended any better so congratulations to Pete and a huge thank you to the team for all their hard work all fortnight.”
Smiths Racing also won the Isle of Man TT Team Award for the best performance over the five races.
The team now turn their attentions back to the British Superbike Championship with Hickman and Frenchman Sylvain Barrier contesting round four at Snetterton, Norfolk on June 15-17. For further information, please visit www.smithsracing.co.uk and www.smithsracing.co.uk
More, from a press release issued by RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki:
Johnson finishes 2018 TT with sixth place
Gary Johnson and the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team finished their 2018 Isle of Man TT Races campaign on a high note on Friday with the 37-year old taking a fine sixth place in the closing six-lap Senior race.
With good conditions all around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course, the race got underway at 12.45pm and the Lincolnshire rider made a good start to what would prove to be a record-breaking race with a lap of 129.763mph on the Kawasaki ZX-10R seeing him occupy seventh place.
Second time around and Gary remained in seventh place after a lap of 128.628mph and a good pit stop by the team saw him maintain the position although by half distance, he was less than a second behind sixth placed rider Sam West.
At the end of lap four, two thirds race distance, Gary moved ahead of West after a lap of 128.854mph and although he couldn’t move further up the leaderboard, his sixth and final lap of 130.057mph proved to be his quickest of the week and meant he finished in sixth place.
It was also his best finish of the week and with seventh and eighth in the two Supersport races, Gary and the team ended TT2018 with three top eight finishes. Peter Hickman eventually won the race by two seconds from Dean Harrison.
Gary Johnson: “I’m happy enough with sixth place and although I’m struggling a little bit to do the lap times I know I’m capable of, it’s a solid result in the Senior TT, which is always the pinnacle of race week. I wasn’t sure if we’d get to the end at one stage as I was hearing a few noises from the bike and I’m still trying to get a comfortable feeling with the engine management system so it was nice to complete a six-lap race.”
“Peter (Hickman) caught and passed me and I was able to stick we him for a few miles, which was pleasing given the pace he was on and sixth place gives us something to build on. The team have been brilliant all fortnight and I can’t thank them enough so it would nice if we can keep working together and have the continuity to come back in 2019 and build upon what we’ve achieved.”
Lee Hardy, Team Owner: “I’m very pleased with today’s result and sixth in the Senior is a great way to finish this year’s TT, both for Gary and the team especially as we know how hard everyone’s been trying this week. The pit stops went well with no mistakes and everyone stayed calm and Gary rode a fantastic race, never being lower than eighth, and eventually finishing sixth. He did 130mph+ at the end which is what he’s wanted to do all week and I’m very pleased with his effort’s all fortnight as I have been by the hard work of the team all fortnight.”
The team now turn their attention back to Jake Dixon and the MCE British Superbike Championship with round four taking place at Snetterton on June 15-17.