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The Isle of Man TT has just confirmed that it has launched a feasibility study into whether TT-branded events could be held around the world, as a part of a larger TT Championship racing series. The study is to start soon, as the Isle of Man Government’s Department of Economic Development is considering whether taking the IOMTT global could help the event, with plans to implement the idea possibly occurring as early as 2014, should the study show favorable interest.

The Isle of Man TT lost its World Championship status in the 1976, when the FIM stopped sanctioning the event because of safety concerns, and an exodus of prominent riders. Despite that setback, the historic race just celebrated its 100th racing year anniversary (racing was interrupted during World War II), and has been at the forefront of pushing motorcycle advancement since its first race in 1907. The 99th running of the IOMTT was also the first sanctioned electric motorcycle race ever, another hat-tip to the series’ forward-thinking direction and prestige. Thanks for the tip Frank!

We’ve just learned that the 2009 Yamaha YZF-R1 that Valentino Rossi’s rode around the Mountain Course during the 2009 Isle of Man TT is up . With a list price of £25,000 ($39,482 according to today’s market rates), this might be the most expensive stock R1 we’ve ever come across, of course not many bikes can lay claim to riding over the historic race course at the hands of one of the greatest motorcycle racers of our time. With some special VR46 livery parts, and a certificate of authenticity from Yamaha UK, the R1 has only 181 miles on it, and is signed by The Doctor himself.

Target fixation can be the bane of both novice and veteran riders alike. Occurring when a rider fixates on an object, usually something they want to avoid, it often results in the opposite intended result: riding towards, rather than away from the object. This is because motorcycles usually go where you look, and riders freeze up when they should be taking action.

Just about all motorcyclists have a story that goes something like, “I was coming around the corner a little too hot, and I saw that the hill came right up to the shoulder of the road. I kept watching the hill get closer and closer, and the next thing I know my bike was crashed and I was being flown-out of the mountains by a helicopter.” Yeah…you know what I’m talking about, and in case you don’t, here are two video’s showcasing this neurological phenomena (video after the jump possibly NSFW).

Ian Hutchinson set an unprecedented record today by winning the Dainese Senior TT at the Isle of Man. The win is Hutchinson’s fifth victory at the IOMTT this year, a feat that no other rider has accomplished: sweeping the conventional motorcycle portion of the TT. Hutchinson had close competition in the form of John McGuinness and Conor Cummins, but those riders crashed and retired, respectively. This all but assured Hutchinson of taking the Senior TT, and setting an Isle of Man TT record for victories in one week.

Mark Miller took the 2010 MotoCzysz E1pc to victory today at the Isle of Man’s TT Zero race. Miller lapped the MotoCzysz E1pc around the Mountain Course with an average speed of 96.820 MPH and with a time of 23:22.890. Just shy of the 100 MPH average speed barrier, Miller passed through the Sulby speed trap going 135.300 MPH, and topped 140 MPH at one point.

Following Miller was Rob “Bullet” Barber who averaged 89.290 MPH on the streamlined Team Agni machine. James McBride finished on the podium with a 88.653 MPH average on the Man TTX race bike. Jennifer Tinmouth on the second Agni finished 4th, just seven seconds behind McBride.

As the Isle of Man TT gets ready to start racing this weekend, John McGuinness remains as the only rider to crack into the 130mph lap average speed (edit: Hutchinson broke 130mph on Thursday). The British rider reportedly hasn’t even been going full charge up the Mountain Course during the practice session, which should make for this year. Take a look at what a lap around the Isle of Man with McGuinness is like in the video above, and check the race schedule after the jump.

As things at the Isle of Man get underway for the 2010 Isle of Man TT, FTR Moto is set to take an Isle first: the first Moto2 race bike to take on the Mountain Course. 22-year-old Olie Linsdell will race his FTR M210 in the six-lap Senior TT event on Friday, June 11th. For those doing the math, that’s a 226 mile race on a “prototype” machine, going race pace on city streets.

Linsdell’s FTR Moto2 has the same chassis setup as the Moto2 race bike, but features a race-prepped Honda CBR600RR motor, instead of the Moto2 modified lump from the same paterfamilias. The CBR600RR motor was prepared by the Joe Darcey Team, and is built to World Supersport specification.

Carbon fiber products manufacturer 666 Road Racing has announced its plans to enter into the 2010 Isle of Man TT Zero event, making them the first announced team to enter the TT Zero event with a Mavizen electric sport bike. Mavizen, as many may remember, is owned by Azhar Hussain, founder of the TTXGP, which was recently ousted by the Isle of Man, which then created the TT Zero racing class for the Isle of Man TT. This announcement is a turn of events as it was previously believed Azhar would not let a Mavizen bike compete in rival series created by the FIM and Isle of Man.

Starting with 2010 and for the next two subsequent years, Arai will make a limited edition Isle of Man TT series of helmet. Each helmet will be designed by Aldo Drudi, and will be limited to 500 helmets. The move is part of Araii’s sponsorship package with the IOMTT, and will see the venue get a cut of each helmet shown. First up for 2010 is this Arai RX-7 GP that features the Three Legs of Man symbol.

Officially official now, Team Agni has confirmed their entrance into the Isle of Man’s TT Zero electric racing event. Although we’ve suspected for some time that this announcement would come, Agni through up a dust storm a couple months ago when they said they would not compete at the Isle of Man if generators were being used to power the TT Zero paddock. The use of generators was quickly denied by TT Zero organizers, and apparently Team Agni was content with their response. For 2010, Agni will field two bikes on the TT Zero grid, with the hopes of achieving the first 100+mph speed average over the Mountain Course.

After a lively discussion on fully-faired motorcycles in his original post, including a lengthy post by Craig Vetter, Michael Czysz follows up the discussion by further delving into streamlining, dustbins, and the difference between the two. In his discussion Czysz explains the purpose and benefit of taking aerodynamics into account not only in electric racing but also in ICE applications, and then walks us through its use on the MotoCzysz C1.

The post is a good primer on the exponential force that streamlining tries to overcome, and well worth a read for that purpose. Michael Czysz closes his post with a hint that he’ll have a dustbin at the ready should the field warrant such a fairing, and should his rider Mark Miller feel comfortable using it. Check it all out here.