North West 200 heartbreak for Martin Guy Martin was denied his first ever North West 200 victory on Saturday when he was forced to retire from the feature Superbike race whilst leading comfortably around the 8.9-mile Northern Ireland public road circuit. Having qualified in third, the Hydrex Bike Animal Honda rider was in imperious form on the Honda Fireblade but, with a 3-second lead and just two laps to go, a broken radiator hose clip forced him out at University Corner. It was a mixed day all round for the Kirmington ace but he opened his account for the day with a brilliant 2nd place in the first Superbike race. There was never anything between the leading four riders and Michael Rutter, John McGuinness and Steve Plater all had a chance to win but, on the final lap, Rutter managed to find his way through and Guy had to settle for second, just 0.810seconds adrift. Seventh in the opening Supersport race followed, where he posted the third best lap of the race as he fought his way up from an initial 12th. Meanwhile, the five lap Superstock race saw him ride even better as he again fought his way through from a bad start. Twelfth on the grid, Guy dropped back to 14th on the first lap but he picked off the opposition one by one and with the fastest lap of the race, a new lap record, he was able to claim a fine 4th place. The feature 6-lap NW200 Superbike race followed and with a brilliant start this time around, he grabbed the lead and steadily increased his advantage over the next three and a half laps. As he went into the fourth lap, his lead was over 3 seconds but he soon realised his race was over and, with the aforementioned clip having broken, the engine overheated and he was forced to pull to the side of the road. His day then ended on an even lower note in the second Supersport race when he crashed heavily at Black Hill, fortunately escaping with just bumps and bruises. Speaking afterwards, Guy admitted: “I’m gutted not to have got a win in either of the Superbike races and a double was definitely within my grasp. In the first race, the brakes began to fade at half race distance and I had no way of adjusting them. My dad had made a special bracket for the adjuster but because of my crash at Brands last weekend we didn’t have time to fit a new one. I was strongest on the brakes but after that I had to make do and there was no way of getting back past Rutter.” “In the second race I got a great start and was just away at the front doing my own thing. It’s never easy but I felt really comfortable and didn’t feel like I was trying too hard, the race was just coming to me. I had a couple of slides and the red light came on the dash so I knew that was the end of the race for me. As a result, I was really fired up for the last Supersport race and because we’re struggling for a bit of top end speed at the moment, I was trying to make up time through all of the corners.” “I went into Black Hill determined to get a good drive along the coast road but the front end tucked under and it chucked me off. I feel a bit second hand at the moment but I’ll be fit for the TT. It’s been a bit of an up and down day but we can take many positives out of the meeting and I’m as strong as anyone on the Superbike. It’s better to have bad luck here rather than at the TT so let’s hope I can get the number one spot there.” The International Isle of Man TT races get underway on Saturday with opening practice whilst the first race, the Superbike, takes place on the following Saturday, May 31st. More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: Solid North West 200 for McGuinness John McGuinness enjoyed a solid day’s racing at the International North West 200 road races on Saturday and the Morecambe ace was able to add 2 more podiums finishes to his now customary haul around the Northern Ireland public road course. John’s day got underway with a close 3rd in the 4-lap 250cc race and, riding the Padgett’s Honda, he was only 1.2 seconds behind race winner Michael Dunlop who scored a highly emotional and courageous victory after the tragic death of his father Robert on Thursday evening. In the opening Superbike race, John again finished in 3rd place, this time on the HM Plant Honda, and the race was even closer this time, with up to 6 riders battling it out for the lead, thrilling the 120,000 strong crowd. He briefly hit the front on the final lap but he was relegated to third along the coast road by Michael Rutter and Guy Martin, just 0.9 seconds separating the trio at the chequered flag. The feature race was even closer and although he ended up in fifth, he was only 1.7seconds off the race win and he did have the consolation of posting the fastest lap of the race. In the two 600cc Supersport races, John was re-united with his regular British Championship Padgett’s Honda but, try as he might, he was unable to challenge for the lead in either of the races. Both encounters were incredibly close with up to 12 riders fighting it out for the win but at the end of the five lap races, John had to settle for 8th and 9th place finishes. Speaking at the end of the day, John said: “I tried really hard all day and whilst I would have liked to have had more than 2 podiums, we weren’t a million miles away. In the first Superbike race, I managed to get the lead on the final lap but they both slipstreamed by me and with neither of them making any mistakes, there was no way through. Every time I come to the North West I seem to get done on the final lap but the bike was working really well and I’m happy with the team so it bodes well heading in to the TT.” “We’re up against it at the moment on the 600 but there was no way I could have tried any harder. I was going around the corners quicker than ever before, trying to make up time, and in the first race I hit the kerb really hard at Black Hill and hit it that hard I briefly dislocated my shoulder! It popped straight back in fortunately and I’m sure Clive will work some magic on the engine before the TT so it will be a lot closer there.” “As for the 250cc race, it was just unbelievable being part of it. Everyone was riding well but to see Michael go and ride like he did was amazing I’ve never seen anything like it. It was the perfect tribute to his Dad and my thoughts go to all the Dunlop family for the loss they’ve suffered. Robert was a truly brilliant rider and he’ll never be forgotten.” John heads now to Isle of Man TT races where he’ll be looking to add to his 13 TT wins and maintain his status as the number one road racer on the Island. Practice gets underway on Saturday with the first Superbike race taking place a week later on the 31st May. More, from a press release issued by Steve Plater’s publicist: STEVE PLATER BAGS A HAT TRICK OF WINS AT NW200 Steve Plater is being hailed as the King of the Roads after riding to a win in each of the two Supersport races, setting a new lap record and securing his third successive victory in the feature race at the North West 200 meeting in Ireland on Saturday. First race on the agenda in a busy day of racing for the Woodhall Spa ace was the DeWait Performance Tools Superbike race run over five laps of the 8.966-mile Triangle Course that runs on public roads between the towns of Portrush, Portstewart and Coleraine. After encountering a few stability problems in qualifying, Plater started the race from a second row grid position but the warm up lap threw up some very different problems. “I was going through Black Hill towards Juniper on the warm-up lap when a hare ran across the road in front of me. I missed it so it can count itself lucky, where I come from that’s dinner!” he laughed. By the end of lap one he was in fifth place but up with the leading group. He was batting with Michael Rutter for third throughout lap two but Rutter eventually got the better of him and edged further towards the front. As they crossed the finish line there was only a second separating the first four riders with Rutter taking the win from Guy Martin and John McGuinness and Plater just two tenths of a second behind in a very close fourth place. Next up was the Club SOL Portrush Supersport race and Plater made a start from pole position. He didn’t manage to capitalise on his front row start and lost ground, but was soon back in contention in third place. He fought tooth and nail in a group of seven riders who were all vying for the lead and drafting each other along the long fast straights taking turn about to run at the front. But going into the final lap it was Plater that had shot to the front ahead of Alistair Seeley, Bruce Anstey and his AIM teammate Ian Hutchinson with Ian Lougher tagged onto the back. The group encountered some backmarkers and Steve was able to break the tow and pull a small gap leaving the other four contenders to chase after him. But Plater maintained his lead and crossed the finish line with a three second advantage over Seeley and Lougher to take his first ever class win at the NW200 beating Bruce Anstey’s existing lap record by nearly two seconds with a lap of 4m 30.792s 119.197mph set on the last of the five laps. Later in the day Steve took to the grid for the feature race of the day, The Blackhorse Motorcycle Finance NW200 Superbike race, which he had won in both 2006 and 2007. Plater made a good start on lap one of six and slotted into second place at University Corner but on the run to Metropole was pushed back to fifth behind Michael Rutter. But Plater was hungry for the win and on lap two used every inch of the road to blast past both Rutter and McGuinness into third place. Lap four saw race leader Guy Martin touring with a problem and Plater was quick to take the advantage and take command at the front. He could sniff the victory and tried to put some distance between himself and the following riders but was drafted by Bruce Anstey along the long fast straight on the run towards Metropole. Six riders were covered by less than a couple of seconds and anyone of them was in for a shout of the win. On the final lap Plater was shuffled back to third place but drafted back past Rutter and Cameron Donald to take the lead and held on for grim life to take the chequered flag for his third successive win in the prestigious event. Plater had little time for the podium celebrations, as he was straight back out on track for the final race of the day. But the race was red flagged after the first lap when Guy Martin crashed unhurt at Black Hill. At the restart Hutchinson was first to show his hand and led the field around Bally Sally roundabout. But Plater was in his tyre tracks and forged ahead as they sped towards Metropole. There followed a mighty battle of wits between Plater, Hutchinson Seeley and Steve Brogan all trying to draft each other along the straights. The group were separated by less than 1 ½ seconds with the two AIM Yamaha riders in the thick of the action. Eventually they were joined by Keith Amor and Ian Lougher and it was anyone’s guess as to the outcome. Hutchinson was seen to slow and retire with a burst water hose leaving the way clear for Plater to head the pack. As the group hurtled towards the final chicane it was Plater who had a slight advantage and he crossed the finish line to take his third win of the day ahead of Seeley and Lougher. “That wasn’t a bad day at the office was it?” said a delighted Steve Plater. “For me it was mega as I have some disappointment already this year. I led the Le Mans 24-hour race for the first two hours before we had to pull out with a clutch issue and then led the Albacete six hour race for a while before ending up in fourth place so to get the hat trick today is the icing on the cake. The team has done a fantastic job and given me the ingredients to win the main race of the day so I have to say a big thank you to them. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet, maybe I need to just get away on my own for a while and think about what I have achieved here today. Steve will take a short rest before travelling to the Isle of Man to begin his practice for the TT races where he was awarded the Best Newcomer award last year after setting the fastest ever lap by a newcomer around the 37.73-mile mountain course. Practice begins on Saturday (May 24) and a full programme of racing is scheduled to start the following Saturday May 31st through to Friday June 6. More, from a press release issued by AIM Yamaha: AIM YAMAHA CLAIM VICTORY AT NW200 The two AIM Yamaha riders, Steve Plater and Ian Hutchinson rode well at the North West 200 races on Saturday with Steve Plater taking three wins and a fourth place plus the lap record in the Supersport class while Ian Hutchinson battled with machine problems but came through to secure three top tens. He was forced out of the last Supersport race in the closing stages with a water hose problem. The first Superbike race was a challenge for both riders who had been having suspension and set up issues throughout qualifying but K-Tech and the AIM Yamaha technicians worked hard throughout the week and both bikes were up and ready for racing on Saturday. After altering his gearing to account for the wind, Plater completed the five-lap affair in fourth place while Hutchy was seventh and on reflection the Woodhall Spa ace admitted he should have left the gearing as it was because although he could run with the leaders he was unable to capitalise on the slipstreaming and get ahead. Plater was in scintillating form and rode a blinder of a race in the first Supersport event to claim both the win and the lap record for AIM Yamaha while Hutchy completed the course in a close fourth place. Plater proved he was the man to beat in the feature race of the day, The Blackhorse Motorcycle Finance NW200 Superbike race run over six laps of the 8.966-mile causeway course. Plater was soon up to second place and again there was some close and exciting racing within a group of six riders who were covered by less than a couple of seconds with any one of them capable of taking the victory. On the final lap Plater was shuffled back to third place but drafted back past Rutter and Cameron Donald to take the lead and held on for grim life to take the chequered flag for his third successive win in the prestigious event. Meanwhile Hutchinson crossed the finish line in eighth position just a second behind Amor. Plater had little time for the podium celebrations, as he was straight back out on track for the final race of the day. But the race was red flagged after the first lap when Guy Martin crashed unhurt at Black Hill. At the restart Hutchinson was first to show his hand and led the field around Bally Sally roundabout. But Plater was in his tyre tracks and forged ahead as they sped towards Metropole. There followed a mighty battle of wits between Plater, Hutchinson Seeley and Steve Brogan all trying to draft each other along the straights. The group were separated by less than 1 ½ seconds with the two AIM Yamaha riders in the thick of the action. Eventually Keith Amor and Ian Lougher joined in the fun and it was anyone’s guess as to the outcome. Hutchinson was seen to slow and retire with a burst water hose leaving the way clear for Plater to head the pack. As the group hurtled towards the final chicane it was Plater who had a slight advantage and he crossed the finish line to take his third win of the day ahead of Seeley and Lougher. STEVE PLATER That wasn’t a bad day at the office. For me it was mega as I have had my fair share of disappointment already this year. I led the Le Mans 24-hour race for the first two hours before we had to pull out with a clutch issue and then led at Albacete for a while before ending up in fourth place, so to get the hat trick today is the icing on the cake. The team has done a fantastic job and given me the ingredients to win the main race of the day so I have to say a big thank you to them. Everyone has worked so very hard all week and it’s nice to be able to repay them all with these results today. IAN HUTCHINSON I had a few problems with the bikes in qualifying and struggled a bit with the Superbike to be honest. But we appear to have got it right now and I am now looking forward to the TT, which starts next week. I was gutted to not finish the last Supersport race though as I had been leading for quite a while. If it hadn’t been red flagged and re-started it could have been a different story as I was leading when it was stopped on the second lap. ALISTAIR FLANAGAN It’s been fantastic for AIM Yamaha today. Both riders have worked hard to bring home some strong results, in particular Steve Plater who has won three of his four races. The whole team have worked hard and it’s a credit to them that he was able to produce such fantastic results. AIM Yamaha now turn their attention to the Isle of Man TT races and have decided that because of the time factor and the need to have the bikes in place on the Island in time for Saturday’s first practice session then they will have to miss the Donington Park round of the British Superbike and Supersport championship. More, from a press release issued by UEl Duncan Racing: Johnson sizzles at North West 200 Lincolnshire’s Gary Johnson put in a brilliant display of riding at Saturday’s Kennedy North West 200 road races and the Uel Duncan Racing rider really marked his arrival on the International road race scene. Riding the Robinson Concrete Honda’s, the Broughton rider scored five top-8 finishes from his five races with the highlight being his ride in the feature Superbike race where he finished 6th, just over 3 seconds adrift of the race winner! Gary started his day with an excellent 5th place in the first Superbike race and he immediately followed this up with 8th in the opening Supersport. Such was the closeness of the racing he was only 5.7seconds back from the race winner and the thousands of race fans were being treated to some of the best ever racing seen on the 8.9-mile circuit. The Superstock race saw another brilliant ride by Johnson and when he took the lead on the third lap, the whole team were beginning to dream of a fairytale win. However, no sooner had he done so when the handlebar worked loose and it took all of his considerable skills to keep control of the bike and still reach speeds of close to 190mph! He eventually finished in 7th place although it was definitely a case of what might have been. The feature race saw, arguably, Gary’s finest ride and he looked totally at ease running in the illustrious company of riders like Michael Rutter, John McGuinness and Bruce Anstey. Not overawed in the slightest, Gary rode brilliantly and was in contention for the win throughout. On the final lap he dropped back slightly but 6th place was a brilliant result for both Gary and the team. To complete an excellent day, he then went on to claim another hard fought 6th place in the second Supersport race. Talking about his day, a clearly delighted Gary said: “I’ve got to be pleased with how today’s gone even though I’m slightly disappointed that the handlebar came loose in the Superstock race as it was great to be leading and the bike was flying I would have loved to have got on the podium! In the Supersport races we were all tripping each other up and getting in one and other’s way but I picked up two solid results and were right in the hunt. As for the Superbike races, my times were as good as anyone’s and to be battling with the likes of McGuinness and Anstey shows how well we’re all working.” “We’ve been very consistent and all of the bikes are working really well so I’m happy with how everything is progressing. Like I say, it’s a shame about the Superstock race but we’ve made a few heads turn and have got plenty of coverage so everyone in the team is happy. It’s set us up nicely for the TT and with a few more slight improvements to the bike, I’m feeling good and everything is moving along at a good pace.” The team will now switch their attention to the forthcoming Isle of Man TT races, which take place from May 24 to June 7 where Gary will be out in five of the solo races. More, from a press release issued by Les Shand’s publicist: Podium success at NW200 for Shand Les Shand enjoyed a terrific day’s racing at the North West 200 road races and the Mosstodloch rider stepped back on to the podium at the event for the first time since 2006. The podium position cam in the 400cc race on a bike that was built just one week prior to the event and his other results included two more top ten finishes to crown an excellent day’s performance. Les opened his account with 13th place in the first Supersport race and, riding the same Bob Henderson Racing Suzuki that had been designed for the Scottish Production Championship, he was not only the first Suzuki rider home but also claimed the more than notable scalps of Cameron Donald and Bruce Anstey, who were riding for the factory Relentless by TAS Suzuki team. The 400cc race was next and having qualified the Oak Tree Contracts ER6 Kawasaki on the front row, he was feeling confident even though the bike had only been completed a few days before. Despite a lack of set up time with the bike, Les was embroiled in a frantic 5-rider dice for the podium and he ultimately prevailed, claiming 3rd spot and being the first twin cylinder machine to finish. There was no time for celebration though and he jumped straight on to the Leeds Parcel Company R1 Yamaha for the Superstock race, where he came home in an extremely strong 10th place. Using the same bike, the team frantically fitted a new back tyre in time for the feature Superbike race and Les fought extremely hard with the full blown Superbike machines of Ryan Farquhar, Adrian Archibald and Rob Frost. With drafting all important, Les was extremely pleased to go through the speed trap at 191mph all achieved on a Production R1 Yamaha and on treaded Dunlop tyres! Despite being up against it, 13th was again the outcome and, to complete a superb day, Les then took a brilliant 9th place in the second Supersport 600cc race right on the back wheels of the factory machines. Speaking afterwards the 30 year old said: “I’m really pleased with how today has gone and whilst it’s been fiercely competitive in all of the races, I’ve put in some strong rides to claim a bag of good results. It was a real last minute decision to enter the 400cc class, as it was the Supersport 600cc races but we’ve exceeded all of our expectations and the podium was the icing on the cake. I’m over the moon with the Superbike results especially and it’s a big thank you to Phil Plater and Patrick Walsh at Dunlop tyres as they’ve worked brilliantly. I’m extremely happy with the performance of the tyres and I’m chuffed to bits.” “I’ve also got to say a big thank you to Gary, Adrian, Andy, Bob, Angus, Patrick and Callum for all their extremely hard work both during the week and on race day. We’ve achieved a great deal today and for a privateer team, running on a tight budget, we’ve mixed it with the factory boys and secured some top results roll on the TT!” The Isle of Man TT races take place between May 24 and June 7 and it will be another busy time for Les with five races in total Superbike (x2), Supersport (x2) and Superstock.