Vauxhall International North West 200
Triangle Circuit, Northern Ireland
May 14, 2016
Provisional Race Results:
Anchor Bar Superbike:
1. Michael Dunlop (BMW S1000RR), 4 laps, Total Race Time 17:37.556, Best Lap Time/Speed 4:22.095/123.207 mph
2. Ian Hutchinson (BMW S1000RR), -5.206 seconds, 4:25.062/121.828 mph
3. Michael Rutter (BMW S1000RR), -5.524, 4:24.915/121.896 mph
4. Peter Hickman (Kaw ZX-10R), -5.686, 4:25.140/121.792 mph
5. Lee Johnston (BMW S1000RR), -6.464, 4:25.493/121.630 mph
6. John McGuinness (Hon CBR1000RR SP), -6.745, 4:24.641/122.022 mph
7. Conor Cummins (Hon CBR1000RR SP), -12.688, 4:26.793/121.038 mph
8. Alastair Seeley (BMW S1000RR), -23.070, 4:23.453/122.572 mph
9. Didier Grams (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap, 4:31.191/119.075 mph
10. Jeremy McWilliams (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, 4:31.770/118.821 mph
23. Brandon Cretu (Bim BB3), -1 lap, 4:54.075/109.809 mph
Spidi Superstock:
1. Ian Hutchinson (BMW S1000RR), 5 laps, Total Race Time 22:07.389, Best Lap Time/Speed 4:23.175/122.702 mph
2. Peter Hickman (Kaw ZX-10R), -0.615 second, 4:23.538/122.533 mph
3. Alastair Seeley (BMW S1000RR), -0.767, 4:24.414/122.127 mph
4. Michael Rutter (BMW S1000RR), -1.208 seconds, 4:25.176/121.776 mph
5. Michael Dunlop (BMW S1000RR), -1.633, 4:25.184/121.772 mph
6. Lee Johnston (BMW S1000RR), -3.115, 4:25.166/121.780 mph
7. Gary Johnson (BMW S1000RR), -20.467, 4:27.046/120.923 mph
8. Jeremy McWilliams (Yam YZF-R1), -28.024, 4:30.941/119.185 mph
9. Horst Saiger (Kaw ZX-10R), -28.228, 4:31.134/119.100 mph
10. David Johnson (BMW S1000RR), -47.836, 4:33.608/118.023 mph
35. Brandon Cretu (Bim BB3), -2 laps, DNF, 4:53.910/109.870 mph
Bet McLean.com Supersport:
1. Alastair Seeley (Kaw ZX-6R), 6 laps, Total Race Time 27:39.302, Best Lap Time/Speed 4:34.774/117.522 mph
2. Martin Jessopp (Tri Daytona 675R), -6.589 seconds, 4:35.629/117.157 mph
3. Peter Hickman (Kaw ZX-6R), -14.642, 4:37.539/116.351 mph
4. M. Mitchell Thomas (Hon CBR600RR), -15.958, 4:37.808/116.239 mph
5. Dean Harrison (Kaw ZX-6R), -16.177, 4:37.736/116.269 mph
6. Lee Johnston (Tri Daytona 675R), -17.272, 4:35.444/117.236 mph
7. James Hillier (Kaw ZX-6R), -17.475, 4:38.664/115.881 mph
8. John McGuinness (Hon CBR600RR), -31.914, 4:40.788/115.005 mph
9. Christian Elkin (Tri Daytona 675R), -43.719, 4:41.419/114.341 mph
10. Paul Jordan (Hon CBR600RR), -43.910, 4:41.314/114.790 mph
John M. Paterson Supertwin:
1. Ivan Lintin (Kaw 650), 3 laps, Total Race Time 14:45.045, Best Lap Time/Speed 4:55.434/109.304 mph
2. Martin Jessopp (Kaw 650), -5.035 seconds, 4:56.731/108.826 mph
3. Jeremy McWilliams (Kaw 650), -1 lap, 5:01.333/107.164 mph
4. James Cowton (Kaw 650), -1 lap, 5:05.208/105.803 mph
5. Michael Sweeney (Kaw 650), -1 lap, 5:05.343/105.756 mph
6. Darren James (Kaw 650), -1 lap, 5:11.413/103.695 mph
7. Marty Lennon (Kaw 650), -1 lap, 5:12.201/103.433 mph
8. Paul Jordan (Kaw 650), -1 lap, 5:08.638/104.627 mph
9. Xavier Denis (Kaw 650), -1 lap, 5:12.888/103.206 mph
10. Danny Webb (Kaw 650), -1 lap, 5:24.435/99.533 mph
More, from a press release issued by Bathams/SMT Racing:
Podium success for Rutter at North West 200
Michael Rutter rolled back the years on Saturday to claim yet another podium at the International North West 200 when the Bathams/SMT Racing rider took an excellent third place in the Superbike race.
With superb conditions again greeting the riders on the Causeway Coast, the Superbike race was, as expected, a titanic affair with seven riders disputing the lead at the head of the field. A superb start saw Michael grab the lead at York Corner on the BMW S1000RR but as they approached University, Alastair Seeley ran straight on, which caused Michael to take avoiding action.
Dropping down the order to seventh, he had plenty of work to do but by half race distance he was back up to fourth and in a great position to challenge for the lead once more. Michael Dunlop had other ideas though and began to pull away which left Michael disputing second with Ian Hutchinson.
There was less than three tenths of a second between the duo as they started their fifth lap but the red flag was out after Bruce Anstey crashed, fortunately without injury, and the result declared at the end of the four laps. That all meant Michael was awarded third place for his 26th North West 200 podium.
Earlier in the day, he’d been denied a podium in the Superstock race when Seeley overhauled him on the final lap. Once again, he’d enjoyed a spell in the lead, enjoying a good battle with Michael Dunlop, but such was the closeness of the racing, riders were going from first to fifth, and vice versa, in the blink of an eye. Fourth place was the end result for Michael with just 1.5s separating the top four.
Meanwhile, he was forced to retire from the Supersport race after a stone holed the radiator on the Kawasaki ZX-6R. Unfortunately, the second Superstock and Superbike races were cancelled after an incident in the Supertwin race.
Michael Rutter: “It’s been a good day for me and for saying the Superbike had never turned a wheel before we got here, I’m more than pleased with how it’s gone. I messed up the Superbike race though when I took my eye off the ball a bit when Alastair overshot University. I was in the wrong gear and everyone came flying back so I think I dropped back to seventh or eighth. It left me a lot of work to do but I was up to third when the red flag came out.”
“The Superstock race was hectic, to say the least, and I thought I’d positioned myself perfectly behind Hutchy going into the final couple of laps. Coming into Metropole though on the final lap, Alastair came flying by and I didn’t think he’d stop. He managed to get stopped and get the drive and so I ended up fourth. All in all, it’s been a good week for me and I’ve had some good results whilst I couldn’t be happier with all the bikes so a massive thanks to the team for all their work.”
Michael now heads back to the short circuits and Brands Hatch with the next round of the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship taking place on May 20-22.
More, from a press release issued by Quattro Plant Muc-Off Kawasaki:
Hillier’s North West 200 comes to an abrupt end
James Hillier’s campaign at the 2016 International North West 200 road races came to an abrupt end on Saturday when a spill in the Superstock race caused the Quattro Plant Muc-Off Kawasaki rider to sit out the remainder of the day.
The Superstock race – the second race of the day – started well for James as he moved up to seventh place on the opening lap and with the leading group closely bunched, he was well set for another strong ride. However, on the exit of University corner second time around he high-sided out of the action and having suffered slight concussion, rules meant he had to miss out on the remainder of the day’s action.
Prior to the spill, James had been involved in another close race in the second Supersport 600cc race of the week, which followed a similar pattern to Thursday evening’s encounter.
Sixth on the first lap around the 8.9-mile circuit, James maintained his position second time around but, again, it was nip and tuck all the way with the leading group nose to tail. Running with the group battling for third place, no less than seven riders were involved and James eventually crossed the line in seventh place less than three seconds adrift of a podium position.
Unfortunately, the Superstock crash meant he missed out on valuable time in the two Superbike races and also the second Superstock race and all attention now turns to the Isle of Man TT races which get underway in two weeks time.
James Hillier: “Today’s been frustrating to say the least and I think I was just pushing that little bit too hard early on in the Superstock race. I was running a softer tyre I hadn’t had much time on so it was a bit of a stab in the dark and I didn’t quite have the grip I needed, high-siding on the way out of University. I thought I’d saved it and almost landed on the seat but then it went again and fired me over the top.”
“I don’t think I was fully knocked out and feel absolutely fine but the rules are rules and I had to miss the rest of the races. It’s a real shame as I was saving myself a little bit for the Superbike races but, fortunately, I’m ok and am looking forward to the TT now. I’m really happy with all the bikes and am feeling confident that we can get some good results again on the island.”
First practice for the Isle of Man TT gets underway on Saturday 28th May.
More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist:
Solid North West 200 meeting for McGuinness
John McGuinness declared himself happy with his week’s performances at the North West 200 with the Morecambe man in the thick of the action in all of his races, his best result being sixth in Saturday’s Superbike race.
Having his first race outing on UK shores this year, the recently turned 44-year old was riding as well as ever during qualifying and with perfect conditions all week on the Causeway Coast, he was well to the fore in both the Superbike and Supersport classes. It was the latter where he qualified the best, taking fifth on the Jackson Racing Honda with eighth overall the outcome on the Honda Racing Superbike.
Thursday evening’s Supersport race got proceedings underway and having completed the opening lap in eighth place, he found himself locked in battle with fellow veteran Michael Rutter during the course of the six laps. Despite briefly dropping back to tenth, he fought all the way to the end and was deservedly rewarded with eighth place at the chequered flag.
Saturday again saw ideal weather all around the 8.9-mile circuit with the second Supersport race the first to come under starter’s orders. Again, John ran with the front group for the six laps and again eighth was the end result.
Next up for John was the Superbike where he was back on board his regular Honda Fireblade and he made a great getaway from his third row starting position only to be boxed in as the riders swept through Primrose Corner. Ninth at the end of the first lap, he had plenty of work to do but he dug deep and with the fourth fastest lap of the race, 122.022mph, he was up to sixth with two laps remaining. Just 1.5s adrift of second place all hopes of a podium position disappeared though when the race was stopped on the fifth lap leaving him placed in sixth.
John McGuinness: “It’s been a solid week for me and I’ve made some good steps forward with both bikes, especially the Superbike. It’s essentially the bike I rode in 2008 but we’ve got some new bodywork and have made a few little tweaks here and there whilst I went through the speed trap at 204mph! We’re definitely in the ball park and my sixth place was very reminiscent of my ride in last year’s race; it was an extremely competitive sixth and I was right with the group battling for second so there are plenty of positives to take to the TT.”
“The middle of the third row wasn’t the best of starting positions but I never gave in and caught the pack up fairly comfortably whilst I’ve got to be happy with a lap in excess of 122mph. The little 600 was faultless all week and whilst I was a little bit disappointed with a brace of eighths, the few changes we made to the bike, particularly with the gearing, for Saturday’s race didn’t quite work as I would have liked. I kept going right until the end in both races though and I don’t think we’ll be far away come the TT. I was very competitive in all of my races so there’s plenty of encouragement and confidence to take to the TT.”
The final Superbike race on the programme was cancelled after a crash in the Supertwin race tragically claimed the life of Malachi Mitchell-Thomas and everyone connected with John’s racing passes on their deepest condolences to his family and friends.
More, from a press release issued by GBMoto Racing Kawasaki:
STRONG RESULTS FOR HICKMAN AND GBMOTO RACING KAWASAKI AT NORTH WEST 200
14th May 2016 – The GBmoto Racing Kawasaki team enjoyed a strong North West 200, with Peter Hickman taking a second and fourth in the Superstock and Superbike classes in only his second year at the event. The race meeting was curtailed early due to the fatality of a rider in another class, with final two races cut from the programme.
With warm and sunny conditions greeting the riders throughout practice and qualifying, Peter Hickman quickly got up to speed on the Superbike and Superstock spec Kawasaki ZX-10R, despite only having ridden the North West 200 in 2014. Progressing with every outing ‘Hicky’, as he’s known to his legions of fans, secured third place and a front row start on the Superstock machine and fifth on the Superbike.
With the opening Superstock race being postponed on Thursday, it meant Hicky faced four tough races on Saturday as he took to the grid with his special NW200 helmet, complete with golden shamrocks and a map of the legendary circuit.
Hicky took the lead in the opening Superstock race with a brave and committed move into York Corner on the first lap. Unfortunately the race was red flagged and a full restart scheduled with the duration decreased to five laps. Almost unbelievably the road based machine reached 202mph through the speed trap and Hicky finished in a deserved runner-up spot.
Another great start in the Superbike race saw Hicky slot into second early on. He dropped back a little but then regrouped fighting a long slipstreaming battle with experienced NW200 competitors. However another red flag saw the action curtailed on lap four, leaving the Lincolnshire rider in fourth and rueing what might have been. A serious accident in the Supertwins race tragically saw Malachi Mitchell Thomas lose his life and the event organisers cancelled the rest of the meeting out of respect.
Peter Hickman said, “With the very obvious exception it was a good event for us. The Superstock bike was really strong in certain areas and that let me ride it well, particularly on the brakes. I genuinely felt like we were on for a podium in the Superbike class but the race was cut short and it was a pleasant surprise to be on the podium in Supersport.
Malachi was my teammate in the Supertwin class and I was just starting to get to know him and help a little, it’s just so incredibly sad.”
GBmoto Racing Team Manager Mike Kane concluded, “This was only our second visit to the North West and I think the team handled this unique event really well. Peter rode fantastically and showed he has the correct sort of focused approach for the roads. He’s proving what a multi-faceted rider he is with wins in BSB and these sort of results in three different classes on the roads. The event has set us up well for the TT and the team has worked so hard building up bikes for the roads campaign in the middle of a busy BSB season. Our thoughts are with the family of the young rider who lost his life today and we of course support the organisers in their decisions in these difficult moments.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:
Top-ten finish for Honda Racing at the North West 200
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
The North West 200 has been a positive outing for the Honda Racing team and its duo John McGuinness and Conor Cummins, which has seen both riders and the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP competitive throughout the week.
This afternoon the first Superbike race of the day got underway as weather conditions around the 8.9-mile triangle circuit continued with glorious sunshine. McGuinness started from eighth on the grid, while team-mate Cummins was just behind in 12th.
Both Honda riders got away from the start and managed to slot themselves into the leading top-ten group where the pace was strong. Cummins made a move on McGuinness and the team-mates were running eighth and ninth by the end of lap one.
By the third rotation the order had swapped and the ‘Morecambe-missile’ had passed the ‘Ramsey Rocket’ and the pair were chasing down the front-runners sitting seventh and eighth respectively.
At the end of the fourth lap, with three laps remaining, the race was red flagged due to an incident with Padgetts Honda’s Bruce Anstey, who was left unhurt from his fall. The race was declared just as the leading group crossed the line going into the fifth lap, which saw McGuinness home sixth and Cummins seventh.
Unfortunately the rest of the North West 200 has been cancelled due to an incident in the Supertwin race. The Honda Racing team would like to extend its thoughts and prayers to the competitors’ family, friends and team at this difficult time.
The Honda Racing squad will now return to its Louth-based workshop and prepare both of the Fireblade machines for the Isle of Man TT, which sees practice start on Saturday 28 May and race week start with the Superbike race on Saturday 4 June and the Senior TT on Friday 10 June. Where both McGuinness and Cummins will compete on the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machines.
Neil Tuxworth
Team Manager
The weather at the North West 200 has been excellent for the first time in ten years and everything has been going well for the team. The Superbike race was unfortunately stopped early due to a red flag incident with three laps remaining and John finished sixth with Conor in seventh. Johns pace in the race was very good on the CBR and even after a bad start he set the third fastest lap of the race and was only 1.2 seconds off the second fastest time. Conor finished in seventh place, which we’re very happy with, especially with him not managing to get a lot of track time on Thursday. Both riders and also the Fireblade have shown great pace and have been very competitive all week, and we now look forward to turning our focus to the Isle of Man TT. The rest of the days races were brought to an end after an incident in the Supertwin class and we extend our thoughts to everyone involved.
John McGuinness 1
The start of the race was a little frustrating, I got a good jump off the line, but as I was in the middle of the third row and with a good start it was really tight on the grid so I had nowhere to go, so didn’t get away well, which was annoying and I did think I was going to get smoked in the race. I settled for a lap or two and felt in some places I was stronger than the others and then in other places the other guys were quicker. But I found my rhythm and Conor and I had a bit of battle, which was fun and I managed to get past him in the end. I did my best from the start to the red flag and I felt competitive throughout the race, and throughout the whole week in fact. The CBR never missed a beat and I managed 204mph, which is the fastest I have ever been round here. It’s such a tough race and there’s ten riders who are on the pipe pushing hard, so if you’re in that group you’re not doing bad! But I’d like to be a little further up that group! We made some changes to the Fireblade ready for race two, but due to the incident in the Supertwin race the rest of the races have been cancelled. I’d like to send my condolences to the riders’ family, friends and team.
Conor Cummins 10
Well we’ve come to the end of the North West 200 and we’re leaving with a seventh place finish in the Superbike race, where we were in the mix from the get go. We didn’t get a good lap in on Thursday due to the red flag unfortunately, which set us back a little on the grid, but I did get a good start in the race and really made progress. I felt good on the CBR and we went faster and faster and it’s unfortunate and under difficult circumstances that racing for the day has been abandoned. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone concerned at this moment in time. The Fireblade has been good all week and we made a big step forward, we did make some changes ready for the second race and I feel like we would have been further up the field. Massive thanks to the Honda Racing crew for giving me such a great machine and putting in the hours to make it right for me.
More, from a press release issued by Devitt RC Express Racing:
Lintin claims second win at North West 200
Ivan Lintin and the Devitt RC Express Racing team claimed their second win in three days at the International North West 200 with the Lincolnshire rider again taking the victory in the Supertwin race on Saturday, this time by the more emphatic margin of five seconds.
However, the win was sadly marred by an accident on the third lap which claimed the life of Malachi Mitchell-Thomas, the Chorley rider falling at Dhu Varren and sadly succumbing to his injuries.
Prior to the incident, it had been an action-packed day’s racing although Ivan’s first race, the Supersport 600, saw him forced to pull in after the warm-up lap when a stone holed his windscreen. He was also a retirement in the following Superstock race, pulling in on the fifth lap due to a problem with his rear tyre. Team-mate Alan Bonner fared better though and he took a fine 14th place having started from the first row of the second wave.
It was his turn to suffer misfortune next as he retired from the Superbike race on the opening lap, Ivan having sat out the race due to the meeting’s rule that a rider couldn’t start more than five races.
That meant Ivan was back out on the grid for the Supertwin race, scheduled for four laps and he signalled his intentions immediately, taking the lead the moment the lights turned green. Leading at York Corner, his advantage was up to 1.4s at the end of the lap and second time around he upped his pace courtesy of a new lap record. He went quicker still on lap three at 109.304mph with his lead over second placed Martin Jessopp now five seconds.
The red flag came out soon after due to the tragic incident and the remainder of the meeting was subsequently cancelled.
Ivan Lintin: “We made some changes to the Twin after Thursday’s race and I was pleased that we’d gone the right way. My race plan was to try and make the break from the pack and pull away which worked perfectly whilst I was also pleased to set a new lap record, especially as I did it all on my own and without the aid of any slipstream. However, my win has been overshadowed by the sad loss of Malachi so my thoughts go out to his friends and family.”
“In my other races, little things held me back and prevented me from getting any other finishes but I’m pleased with the bikes and have made good progress on all of them, especially the Superstock bike, which I feel really comfortable with. I’m heading to the TT in a good frame of mind and confident of some good results.”
Alan Bonner: “I was quite a way down the grid for the Superstock race, in 25th place and the new BMW’s and Kawasakis are rocketships but I was pleased with my riding and to end up 14th was pleasing. Unfortunately, the clutch went on the first lap of the Superbike race and I had to pull in but it was just one of those things. Thanks to the entire Devitt RC Express Racing team and all my personal sponsors whilst my thoughts are with the family and friends of Malachi at this sad time.”
Ben Constable, Team Co-owner: “We’ve taken two wins this week which we’re naturally happy about but we’re deflated by the events of today and Thursday with the passing of Malachi and the injuries to Ryan (Farquhar) and our thoughts are with their friends and family at this difficult time.”
“On the racing side of things, we’ve made good progress with all the bikes and both riders are a lot happier now that they’ve got some high-speed racing under their belts. We’ve had a few issues along the way, which have prevented us from getting some stronger results but the team have all worked mega hard and I couldn’t be happier with how they’ve all performed. We can go into the TT now in confident mood and are looking forward to it getting underway.”
The team now head to the Isle of Man TT Races with practice getting underway on Saturday 28th May.