19th March 2010 - Isle of Man TT Press Launch
Below are just a small selection of images -
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Newcomer, Hudson Kennaugh .....
Dan Kneen ....
Simon Neary and Paul Knapton ...
Tourism and Leisure Minister Martyn Quayle ....
Dan and Gary Knight (Son and Father) - Sidecar Newcomers
. .
Oliver Linsdell, Dan Kneen and Tim Glover
German rider BMW rider Rico Penzkofer (centre) being
interviewed via a translator
- Manxman Nick Crowe (left), Nick returns to the TT
as a team manager, after the horrific accident last year Nick has launched
his own team - Nick Crowe Racing, they will contest the TT and Southern 100
on the roads, and the British F2 Sidecar Championship on the track in a 2010
LCR, with 2009 Honda RR motors. Replacing Crowe in the driver’s seat is one
of the brightest talents in British Sidecar racing, 2007 F2 champion and
2009 TT podium finisher, Simon Neary; in the chair is the highly experienced
former FIM World Superside Championship passenger, Paul Knapton.
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21st March 2010
Mouth-watering entry assembled for 2010 Isle of Man TT
Races
- All conventional solo classes oversubscribed with entries
- 13 former winners enter across all classes
- Solo entry includes 50 riders who have achieved a 120mph lap
- World 1, 3, 4 and 6 ranked sidecar drivers amongst the Sidecar entry
- Anstey and Molyneux set to lead the solo and sidecar classes away
- Entries already received for TT Zero ahead of end March deadline
With less than 75 days to go before the first practice
session for the 2010 Isle of Man TT Races, thoughts are already turning
towards the opening Superbike race on Saturday 5th June and with the entry
list ammassed for this years event it's clear we're all in for another set of
mouth-watering, highly competitive set of races, both on two wheels and three.
All the stars of 2009 are returning, more high calibre newcomers making their
TT debut and a number of teams also making their Island bow ensuring that the
strength in depth is as strong as ever. It's no exaggeration to say there are
at least ten potential race winners in each solo class, all capable of lapping
at the same pace, a sidecar grid again the best in the world whilst this
year's solo entry sees no less than 11 former winners and 50 riders who have
already lapped in excess of 120mph!
Heading the entry once more is the reigning King of the Mountain, John
McGuinness and with 15 wins now to his name, the Morecambe rider has
deservedly earned his status as a TT legend. As we have now become accustomed
to, the now 37-year old will line up at number 2 in all of the five solo
races, riding for HM Plant Honda in the two Superbike races and Padgetts for
the Supersport and Royal London 360 Superstock Races. The outright lap record
holder is still very much the man to beat and the one the rest of the field
use as the benchmark for success.
Alongside McGuinness at HM Plant Honda once more is last year's Senior Race
winner Steve Plater and he too continues with the same number as 2009, setting
off at number 7. It's easy to forget that it was as recently as 2007 that the
Lincolnshire rider made his TT debut but the double winner has certainly
proved that he's now one of the best around the Mountain Course. The reigning
British Supersport Champion will be in HM Plant colours for all bar the
Supersport Races where he'll also be on board a Padgetts machine.
The Yorkshire motorcycle dealers will again be supporting Ian Hutchinson, a
double winner in 2009 and ten times podium finisher in total. 'Hutchy' heads
into the event well capable of winning any race from his number 4 starting
position as does Guy Martin who continues at number 8. Now riding for Wilson
Craig Racing but continuing with Honda machinery, could 2010 finally be the
year the enigmatic 28-year old opens his account?
Leading the field away at number 1 will be Kiwi Bruce Anstey, the seven-times
winner keen to put a disappointing 2009 season behind him whilst the same can
also be said of team-mate Cameron Donald. The Australian, who stays at number
6 for 2010, lapped at more than 131mph in practice last year but 24 hours
later his TT was over so there's plenty of unfinished business there too. Two
more Suzuki riders in with a great chance of glory are Gary Johnson (AIM
Racing) and Adrian Archibald (AMA Racing), the duo lining up at number 11 and
9 respectively.
Kawasaki have strong representation at TT2010 with Conor Cummins, at number
10, arguably their best chance of success on the McAdoo Racing machines but
Ryan Farquhar (no12) and Ian Lougher (no3) can never be ruled out whilst James
Hillier (no19) comes into his third year at the TT and is sure to be even
closer to the front.
Michael Rutter (no15) will ensure the Italian's are well represented with his
British Superbike Championship Ducati and although he recently split from the
JMF/Millsport Yamaha team, Keith Amor is scheduled to go off at number 5 in
all five races and, as providing he gets his plans finalised, he's yet another
rider who can grace the podium.
Meanwhile, the Dunlop brothers both enjoyed a highly successful TT in 2009
with Michael, of course, claiming a superb victory in the second Supersport
Race and, with strong machinery in all classes, he's going to be there or
thereabouts in all of them. He lines up at no9 in the Supersport division and
no14 in the larger capacity races. William also starts higher in the 600cc
class, at number 14, with number 22 his number in the Superbike and Superstock
Races.
Number 13 proved lucky for Dan Stewart 12 months ago as he claimed 6th in the
Senior, his best ever position, and that's again his number for 2010 whilst
fellow leading privateer Carl Rennie goes one place further back, in the
1000cc capacity races at least. Other notable numbers in the Superbike class
include Dan Kneen (18), Olie Linsdell (30), Senior Manx GP winner Michael
Russell (52) and James Edmeades (57) - Linsdell moves up to number 20 for the
Supersport races. Leading newcomers include Stephen Thompson (50), Hudson
Kennaugh (54), David Johnson (58), Dan Hegarty (62) and Kenny Gilbertson (70).
American stars Mark Miller and Jimmy Moore again spearhead the overseas
challenge, starting at numbers 17 and 33 in the big bike races (Moore up to
number 17 for the Supersport class) whilst a lot of eyes will fall upon German
rider Rico Penzkofer and the BMW who goes at number 31, just ahead of Italian
regular Stefano Bonetti. Luis Carreira is at 37 whilst an interesting entry
has been received from former podium finisher and 500cc Grand Prix rider Peter
Linden, the Swede riding Honda machinery in all five solo classes.
It's a similar story in the Formula 2 Sidecar class where the field contains
no less than 3 World Champions and 9 crews who have lapped the Mountain Course
in excess of 110mph. Arguably the man they all have to beat and the favourite
for honours is again local hero Dave Molyneux although the 14-times winner has
a double challenge with a new manufacturer and passenger on board, Kawasaki
and Gary Partridge respectively. The pairing will go off at number 1, ten
seconds ahead of the leading Suzuki-powered outfit, John Holden and Andrew
Winkle getting their highest ever start number at 2 with the new pairing of
Simon Neary and Paul Knapton, supported by 5-times winner and outright lap
record holder Nick Crowe, at number 3.
Tim Reeves, another major contender for honours with passenger Dan Sayle, is
the first World Champion to leave the line at number 4, just ahead of the
second, Klaus Klaffenbock who is reunited with Christian Parzer. Reigning
World Champions Ben and Tom Birchall come into their second year of TT
competition and their debut performance is rewarded with a start number of 7
whilst Conrad Harrison/Kerry Williams (6), Roy Hanks/Dave Wells (8), Steve
Coombes/Jamie Winn (9) and Gary Bryan/Mark Sayers (10) complete the first 10
in the field.
The returning Tony Elmer is at number 12 with Gary and Dan Knight, 4th in the
2009 World Championship, the first of the newcomers at 34.
Some teams have already announced their involvement in the clean emissions TT
Zero race ahead of the end of March deadline. Defending champions Team Agni
will be returning with two bikes, ridden by 2009 overall race winner Rob
Barber and fastest female around the course Jenny Tinmouth. The Isle of Man
based team ManTTx Racing have also confirmed their participation. They
recorded a time of 70.677 in the first qualifying lap in 2009 but overheated
the motor during the race and were forced to retire. They return with rider
James McBride who will be looking for better luck this year.Also returning to
compete is MotoCzysz, the motorcycle team founded by designer Michael Czysz.
Their MotoCzysz E1pc electric motorcycle generated a huge amount of interest
during the inaugural event in 2009 and was widely accepted as having a similar
level of integration as a traditional race bike.
A new entrant in 2010 will be SERT (Swedish Electric Race Team). The team has
been formed and is led by Lars "Lasse" Nilsson, a former motocross and road
racing competitor. They have also brought popular former MGP and TT racer Mats
Nilsson on board as the team TT liaison officer and have confirmed TT veteran
Chris Palmer as their rider.
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12th March 2010
Team ManTTx Racing sign up for TT Zero at 2010 TT Races -
- Manx Electric Bike team ready to build on first
year achievements
Team ManTTx Racing have confirmed that they will be competing in the 2010
TT Zero clean emissions race, which is part of the 2010 Isle of Man TT
Races. The Manx team competed in 2009 and recorded a lap time of 70.677mph
average speed around the 37 and 3/4 mile Mountain Course and were class
leaders and second overall in the first qualifying session. Unfortunately
rider Dan Kneen was subsequently injured and was replaced by experienced
campaigner James McBride.
The team is based on the Isle of Man and is lead by Chartered Accountant
David Craine. It also includes Keith McKay, an International and Manx
Grand Prix racer. The crew includes Formula 3000 Engineer Phil Wall with
Andrew Cowie, Joe O'Hanlon and Sean Mulvey making up the electrical
engineering crew. The team's machine has incorporated a Ducati spaceframe
chassis. It has dual motors with a keyed output shaft. The powertrain is a
one to one belt with a primary drive and wire-eroded pulleys. The battery
system has 2x40Amp/Hr and 2x31 Amp/Hr packs.
The team are currently engaged in driveability testing at their workshop
at Ramsey shipyard and have been running dynamometer trials. This week end
they tested at Jurby Circuit and were not only very satisfied with the
bikes performance and handling but gathered much information for ongoing
improvements. During the 2009 race the team was going well to Sulby but
then one of the motor brushes broke and damaged the remainder on the right
hand side motor. The resulting short circuits overheated the motor and
resulted in the bike's retirement. However the team are confident that
they have fixed the problem and are looking forward to competing again in
2010.
Team Manager David Craine commented: "We are really excited about flying
the flag for the Isle of Man in this showcase event- everyone is
determined to put together a really competitive bike. With James back on
board this year we are confident that we can go well."
Hon Martyn Quayle, MHK, Minister for Tourism and Leisure, Isle of Man
Government commented: "It is fantastic for us to have a competitive Isle
of Man team in the TT Zero event as they very much help us to showcase
what the Isle of Man can offer the world as a centre of technical,
environmental and commercial development."
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3rd March 2010
BMW
will return to the Isle of Man TT in 2010, it has been announced.
The involvement of the German
manufacturer is another major boost for the event, which recently announced a
KTM superbike will race this year and that the 2010 TT will see the British
racing debut of a Moto2 Grand Prix machine. It is the first time since the
late 1970s that an official BMW team has entered the TT, and the announcement
comes just 12 months after the Bavarian manufacturer re-entered top flight
motorcycle racing in the Superbike World Championship.
BMW first entered the TT in 1937 and has won 30 races, the majority in the
sidecar class. The last time an official BMW team raced at the TT, more than
30 years ago, the riders were Helmut Dahne and Hans Otto Butenuth. At the 2010
TT, the BMW Superbike will be ridden in both the Superbike and Senior TT races
by Germany’s Rico Penzkofer, who finished fifth at last year’s Macau Grand
Prix. An official test rider for BMW, 34-year-old has been part of the major
development team of the S1000RR, a bike that has created headlines all over
the world both for its design and performance.
Penzkofer made a strong debut at the TT last year, when he contested the two
Supersport races. He achieved a personal best lap of just under 120mph and
left the Island with two bronze replicas. With a year’s experience around the
Mountain Course, the Borna rider is expected to feature more prominently this
year and the former World Endurance Championship race winner is relishing his
return to the TT.
He said: “To be representing BMW on their return to the TT is a tremendous
honour for me and after my debut last year I can’t wait to return to the
Mountain Course, riding the Superbike will obviously present a new challenge,
but the bike is superb and that, combined with my own improved knowledge of
the course, should see us able to make a good impression.”
“Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus have proved in World Superbikes that the bike is
competitive and we hope to do the same at the TT.”
Tourism and Leisure Minister Martyn Quayle added: “It’s re ally exciting to
see the return of such a prestigious marque to the Isle of Man TT and their
involvement in the 2010 races is a great boost to an already strong list of
manufacturers – more evidence that the TT is going from strength to strength.”
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25th February 2010
KTM enter Isle of Man TT Races for the first time
- Iconic Austrian brand to debut at TT 2010 with Redline Motorcycles and James
Edmeades
Austrian manufacturer
KTM are set to increase the levels of official manufacturer participation at
the 2010 Isle of Man TT Races with the news that Redline Motorcycles will be
entering one of the flagship KTM RC8R Superbike machines in the Superbike,
Superstock and Senior TT Races. The off-road giants have been increasing their
road racing efforts in recent years with 2009 seeing official participation in
both the Austrian and German Superbike Championships and it is anticipated
that the machine on the Island will mirror those in specification in what will
be KTM’s first ever TT appearance. The man given the task of riding the bright
orange bike will be Loughborough’s James Edmeades. The 26-year old is no
stranger to the TT having ridden in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 events. The former
Virgin R6 Cup rider narrowly missed out on his first 120mph lap in 2007 and
has already picked up two bronze replicas from his nine races whilst he also
took a strong fifth in last season’s RC8 Super Cup Championship.
In addition to the TT outing, Edmeades will campaign the bike in this year’s
British Superbike Evo Championship and he is eagerly looking forward to his
return to the Mountain Course. “The opportunity to become the first KTM rider
at the Isle of Man TT Races is a tremendous honour for me and after the three
great years I enjoyed between 2006 and 2008, I can’t wait to get back on the
Island. The KTM RC8R is a superb bike and I’m sure it will perform well around
the course with its excellent handling qualities.
He continued: “I was carrying an injury when I was last at the TT and didn’t
perform as I would have liked which is something I’m keen to put right this
year. I’m sure both myself and the team will give a good account of ourselves
and further prove the capabilities of the KTM Superbike machine.” KTM will
join Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki with their official manufacturer
supported efforts at this year’s TT whilst discussions with other leading
manufacturers not currently represented at the TT are close to being
finalised.
Hon Martyn Quayle, MHK, Minister for Tourism and Leisure, Isle of Man
Government commented: “It will be fantastic to see KTM competing for the first
time on the Isle of Man and how appropriate that they will be lining up on the
grid with Suzuki who are celebrating their 50th anniversary of racing at the
TT. It shows the continued strength and enduring appeal of the TT Races and I
hope that KTM will have a long and successful TT history.”
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24th February 2010
Moto2 GP bike set for sensational Isle of Man TT
debut
- Olie Linsdell teams up with FTR to bring state of the art prototype machine
to the TT
The Isle of Man TT Races are again proving their worldwide importance and
value to the motorcycling world with the sensational news that one of the
all-new Moto2 GP bikes will be contesting the Senior TT. The 600cc bikes have
replaced the two-stroke 250cc machines at GP level and the 2010 TT will be the
first place that race fans will see the bike being raced in the British Isles.
British chassis manufacturers FTR will be supplying the Honda-engined machine.
It will be a similar spec to that being ridden in the Grands Prix by riders
including former 125cc World Champion Gabor Talmacsi and GP winners Alex Debon
and Andrea Iannone. British rider Graeme Gowland has also had considerable
success on the machine when he raced in the Spanish Championship at the end of
2009.
Bedfordshire based Olie Linsdell will be riding the special GP bike, which
should be able to mirror the speeds of the Supersport bikes. Olie will be
following in his father’s footsteps in riding a revolutionary machine on the
Mountain Course. Steve Linsdell was the last man to ride a GP bike in a Senior
TT when he rode the 500cc Paton in 2007 and he has also ridden bikes like the
GTS1000 Yamaha and Triumph Saxon at a high level. 22-year old Linsdell, a
double Manx Grand Prix winner in 2007, looked set to have a strong TT 12
months ago until he broke his leg during Wednesday evening’s practice session
following an incident at Glen Duff. He was back in the saddle for the Classic
2009 Manx Grand Prix where he led the race until being forced to retire on the
final lap. One of the brightest talents to emerge in recent years, Linsdell is
now 100% fit and is clearly excited to be given such an opportunity. He
commented:
“The Moto2 GP class is exciting for everyone at the moment and I’m delighted
and honoured to get the opportunity to race one at the TT. There’s a big buzz
around the class and while the 600cc bike won’t be quick enough to challenge
the Superbikes for the win in the Senior TT, there’s no reason at all why it
can’t lap in excess of 125mph and get inside the top ten which would be a
great achievement.
He continued: “Both the team and I obviously have a lot to learn about how the
bike will cope with the Mountain Course but the chassis is as good as anything
else out there and we’ll be aiming to match, if not better, the 600cc
Supersport lap times. The whole project is sure to create a lot of interest
during TT fortnight and we’re confident we can do it justice and get a
credible result.”
Hon Martyn Quayle, MHK, Minister for Tourism and Leisure, Isle of Man
Government commented: “The TT has always provided a great test-bed for new and
innovative machinery since its inception in 1907 and everyone is really
looking forward to seeing how the Moto 2 GP bike performs on the course. This
year’s event is sure to be fascinating for spectators with a wide range of
manufacturers – both new and established – competing against each other as
well as the return of some old favourites.”
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23rd February 2010
Tim
Reeves' 2010 TT appearance in doubt
