Honda TT Legend John McGuinness storms to Senior victory The 2011 Isle of Man TT ended on a high today with a sensational Senior race that saw Honda TT Legend John McGuinness storm to his 17th victory. His well-earned place on the top step of the podium takes Honda’s tally of TT wins to 159 57 of which have been won by the Louth-based team behind the Honda TT Legends. McGuinness’s teammate Keith Amor completed the Senior TT in fifth position another impressive effort from the Scotsman who has been suffering with a painful shoulder injury sustained during practice last week. The riders had a tense wait for today’s race as rainfall in certain areas of the 37-mile lap postponed the start three times. It eventually went ahead at 5.15pm under a clear blue sky with near-perfect conditions. McGuinness started the race in the number one slot and by the end of lap two he was running in third position behind Guy Martin and Bruce Anstey. A characteristically slick pit stop from Honda TT Legends crew enabled him to make up valuable time and by the Ramsey Hairpin on lap three he had stolen the lead from Martin. McGuinness controlled the rest of the race in spectacular style, widening the gap sector-by-sector and lap-by-lap to keep his rivals at bay and claim the deserved top spot. Despite his injury, Keith Amor spent the majority of the race in a fierce battle for fourth place with Honda TT Legends EWC reserve rider Cameron Donald. The two swapped places on the leader board numerous times before traffic on the final lap forced Amor in to fifth an achievement that cannot be underestimated. Following the team’s great success on the Isle of Man, the Honda TT Legends will now take a six-week break ahead of the next round of the 2011 Endurance World Championship the Suzuka Eight-Hour in Japan. Neil Tuxworth, team manager We came here to do two races and we won them both so it’s been fantastic a 100% success for the team. John has done a fabulous job, and considering his injury and his crashes, so has Keith. He finished both his races in the top five, which is very impressive. As always, the team in the pits has done brilliantly, pulling back time to enable John to take the lead. The bike has gone superbly and we’ve had no problems at all. We’re over the moon! John McGuinness I can’t remember being pushed that hard in a superbike race for a very long time. It took me a lap or so to get into the rhythm of the superbike again and I made the odd little mistake at the beginning there. I settled down after lap two, we had a mega pit stop and after that I was just going for it. On laps three and four I was pushing really, really hard and after another good pit stop I was able to run round on the last two laps with enough pace to stop Guy catching me. He made me work for it though! I want to thank the whole team and everyone who is behind the scenes making this happen – without them I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now. I’m so proud of winning my 17th win. Keith Amor That last lap was so frustrating. I think I could have finished in fourth had I not been caught up but I just couldn’t get passed the back runners. I knew I was on a fast lap but by the time I got to the top of Barregarrow there was too much traffic. To be honest though I’m happy. After all the drama of the last ten days I am just relieved that it’s over and I’m in one piece. I’ve finished all my races and I’ve finished them inside the top five I can’t complain. More, from a press release issued by Isle of Man TT Press Office: MCGUINNESS TAKES 17TH TT RACE WIN WITH VICTORY IN THE 2011 POKERSTARS SENIOR TT – Morecambe man also wins TT Championship John McGuinness won a thrilling PokerStars Senior race on Friday evening when he came from behind to take his 17th TT victory in the final race of the 2011 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy in a new Race Record time of 1:45.45.80, beating Steve Plater’s 2009 time. The race was delayed by 5 hours due to inclement weather in the North of the Island, and the Honda TT Legends rider found himself seven seconds in arrears at the end of the first lap but he gradually reeled in early race leader Guy Martin and he was 13 seconds clear by the end of lap 5. His eventual winning margin over the Relentless by TAS Suzuki rider was 7.2s while Bruce Anstey, who was right in the frame in the early laps, took third on the Padgetts Honda a further 7 seconds behind Martin. With rain and hail reported in the Ramsey area around lunchtime, the race eventually got underway at 5.15pm and when it did it was Martin who made the early running. By Ramsey he had opened up a three second lead over Anstey with Gary Johnson in third, McGuinness over six seconds behind the leader in fourth. As the riders flashed across Glencrutchery Road for the first time, Martin led with an opening lap of 131.038mph, 4.48s ahead of Anstey with McGuinness, although lapping at more than 130mph, slightly off the pace and, seven seconds behind Martin, he had a lot of work to do. Johnson was still in fourth whilst Michael Dunlop and Keith Amor completed the top six. Things were hotting up on the second lap and it was clear McGuinness was beginning to get into his stride and although the front three weren’t on lap record pace, they were still well above 130mph. The Morecambe man was quickest on lap two, just five seconds now covering Martin, Anstey and McGuinness. Dunlop was now up to fourth ahead of Johnson and Amor. A superb pitstop by the Honda team saw McGuinness arrive at Glen Helen level with Martin and with a third lap over seven seconds quicker than his two main rivals, he seized control of the race, also putting the hammer down all around lap 4 of the Mountain Course. With the fastest lap of the race, 131.248mph, he arrived at his second pit stop over 12 seconds clear of new second placed man Anstey, the Kiwi having overhauled Martin over the Mountain. Dunlop slipped back to sixth though, the Kawasaki rider having overshot Ballacraine, and this allowed Amor and Cameron Donald to move up to fourth and fifth. With a relatively comfortable lead, McGuinness had again shown his class and he was able to control the race over the remaining two laps. His lead reached 15 seconds at one stage but he eased back on the final lap to take another superb TT victory, Martin again having to settle for the bridesmaid position. Anstey was again over 130mph on his final lap and he took a safe third. Behind though, the battle for fourth went all the way to the flag and although Amor posted his first ever 130mph+ lap on his final circuit, it was Donald who prevailed by the tiny margin of just one second after 226 miles of racing! Dunlop regrouped to take sixth with Johnson’s successful TT campaign ending with a solid seventh place finish. William Dunlop had a strong ride into 8th with James Hillier and Michael Rutter completing the top ten. The first privateer to finish was also the best newcomer, Simon Andrews taking a superb 11th place, which included a 125mph+ lap, the second fastest ever lap by a TT debutante. With two wins and four podiums, McGuinness was the comfortable winner of the overall TT Championship taking the Joey Dunlop Trophy by 31 points from Amor and Martin. Finally, in the race for the Privateers Championship, it was Ian Mackman who took the trophy, his second place in today’s Senior giving him a total of 81 points, 23 ahead of Mark Buckley with Ben Wylie in third. More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: McGuinness shows his class with 17th TT win Morecambe’s John McGuinness showed his undoubted class around the Isle of Man Mountain Course on Friday evening when he won a thrilling Senior TT race. The Honda TT Legends rider found himself seven seconds in arrears at the end of the first lap but he hunted race leader Guy Martin down, and with two stunning laps on laps 3 and 4, he was able to go some 15 seconds clear and eventually came home for his 17th TT win and 33nd TT podium to round out another brilliant week on the Island. With the race having been delayed by some 5 hours due to wet weather in the north of the Island, John was unusually down in 4th position as they swept through Glen Helen for the first time and although he clawed his way back up to third at the end of the lap he was still 7 seconds behind the pace setting Guy Martin. However, being the quickest rider on the second lap allowed him to eat into Martin’s advantage and a superb first pit stop saw him draw level with Martin at Glen Helen on lap 3. By the end of the lap, he’d gone into the lead for the first time and, with a brilliant lap of 131.248mph, the fastest of the race, he was 12 seconds clear of Bruce Anstey by the completion of lap 4. A third of the race was still to be completed though but John has been in this position many times before and he controlled his lead for the remainder of the race, eventually crossing the line just over 7 seconds ahead of Martin who eventually took second. Speaking later, a delighted John said; “I can’t remember being pushed that hard in a Superbike race here for some time and I certainly had to work for it. I didn’t have the greatest of practice laps on Thursday as I picked up a rear wheel puncture so it took me a lap or so to get dialled in to today’s race. I made the odd mistake here and there and went wide on a couple of occasions but by lap 2 I was beginning to get in the groove a bit which was a good job as I was quite a way adrift and really had to dig deep. The first pit stop was mega and I pushed really hard on laps 3 and 3 and that was where I won the race. It gave me that bit of breathing space I needed.” “The second pit stop gave me a bit more time over Guy and over the last two laps I didn’t let him get anywhere near me. To win my second Superbike race this week is superb and things couldn’t really have gone any better for me at TT2012. I’m really enjoying my riding at the minute and I don’t think I’ve ever ridden better. I’ve been fortunate to have been given some terrific equipment this year and I’ve just got to say thank you to everyone that’s involved with John McGuinness Racing. Today’s been my 17th TT win, my 33rd podium and my 51st finish and I’m dead, dead proud of what I’ve achieved this week.” More, from a press release issued by Centurion Racing: Fourth TT Replica For 122.5mph Cooper In Senior TT Dan Cooper from Stroud and the Cornwall-based Centurion Racing Team ended their successful 2011 Isle of Man TT Races campaign today with a superb 24th place finish in the Pokerstars Senior TT and in doing so, Cooper also won his fourth bronze replica of the week and lapped at a new personal best of 122.583mph. With rain in the North of the Island, the race was delayed by five hours eventually getting underway at 5.15pm in perfect conditions apart for a few damp patches at Ramsey Hairpin, and a solid opening lap of 119.167mph saw Dan lie in 37th place. Lapping quicker on lap two at 119.459mph, he was able to move up to 33rd place and with a superb pit stop by the team, he’d climbed even higher by mid-race distance to 29th. With 113 miles of racing still to go, a punishing race still lay ahead but lapping close to 120mph on lap four, Dan consolidated his position whilst another good pit stop saw him climb two more places on lap five. However, a quite simply brilliant last lap of 122.583mph meant Dan took the chequered flag after almost two hours of racing in 24th place for his fourth successive bronze replica. Speaking afterwards, a delighted Dan said; “That was a really tough race especially the last two laps. I thought the tyre was spinning on the rim but it turned out the rear shock had gone so it made it a bit lively towards the end but I’m just delighted to get home. I passed a few riders in the early stages but then had a lonely ride for a couple of laps before passing a couple more towards the end on the run towards Ballagarey and to lap at 122.5mph at the end is simply brilliant. I wanted to do a 120mph plus lap this year so to finally do it is fantastic. I’ve had a brilliant week with the team and to finish every race and pick up four bronze replicas is testament to all the hard work we’ve put in. It’s only my second year at the TT and I’ve loved every minute of it again. I’ve just gone at my own pace without rushing and it’s been pretty much been a mistake-free fortnight. I’m over the moon with the results so a big thanks to everyone in the team for all their hard work.” Team owner Paul Rees; “The best word I can use to describe the fortnight is mega! I’ve been so impressed with Dan throughout and his professionalism and maturity is to be commended. The Senior race was always going to be tough but Dan just went at his own pace and he was rewarded once more with a great result, a great lap time and another bronze replica. Both bikes have been practically faultless and that’s been down to all the mechanics in the team who have worked so hard each and every day. The main aim when we arrived here was to get Dan out and back safe in every race, we weren’t worried about anything else, but he’s a really smooth rider, aggressive when he wants to be, and he’s just improved each time he went out on to the circuit. We’ve had a great time here so I’d just like to thank everyone involved with the team and we’re already looking forward to TT2012.” Throughout TT2011, Centurion Racing have shown 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 was kindly donated by Arai and was 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 Splitlath Motorsport: 23RD FOR MILLER IN POKERSTARS SENIOR TT SPLITLATH Motorsport rider Mark Miller finished 23rd in this evening’s PokerStars Senior TT, while Hudson Kennaugh was unfortunately forced to retire while looking good for a top 20 finish. After two delays earlier in the day due to rain on the Mountain course, the grand finale to almost two weeks of fast and furious motorcycle action on the island eventually got underway at 5.15pm. Riding a pair of stock Aprilia RSV4 machines in a six-lap race dominated by Superbikes, America’s Miller and South African Kennaugh both got off to a flying start, with Miller crossing the line at the end of Lap One in 34th spot, while Kennaugh had launched himself up to 31st. A lap later they were sitting together on the timesheets with Hudson 30th and Mark 31st, and by the end of the third lap they had both reached the mid 20s. But disaster struck for Kennaugh at the end of Lap Four. Having moved even further up the order, the team believed he was on course for a top 20 as he continued to move higher and higher, but as he pulled in for his second pit stop the team realised the belly pan had started to fill with water. Further investigation revealed a holed radiator, and he was forced to retire. Still on track, Miller continued to push and eventually took the chequered flag 23rd. Team Manager John Dimbylow said: “It was a great shame for Hudson, but also a real disappointment for the team who have worked tirelessly for the last two weeks. We came out here straight from Thruxton and they haven’t had a day off. “Hudson was absolutely flying in that race, and we were all starting to believe he was going to get into the top 20, so it was even harder for everyone when he eventually had to retire. “However it was a great race for Mark. He’s been a great rider to have with us, and in 23rd he just missed the top 20 too. We’ve enjoyed working with him, and it makes us very proud that our two little road bikes were able to get right into the mix with all those Superbikes out there. “This has been Splitlath Motorsport’s first TT, and it has been a learning curve for us, but we’ve loved every minute of it. We certainly plan to come back again next year. We’ve learnt a lot and will do a lot of things differently next time, but this has been a fantastic experience. “I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the team for all of their incredibly hard work. They’ve worked tirelessly and are a mega bunch, and they deserve all of the praise I can heap on them for what they’ve achieved over the last two weeks.” The race was won by John McGuinness who wrapped-up his 17th TT victory, ahead of Guy Martin and Bruce Anstey