The final race of the 2017 Isle of Man TT, the Pokerstars Senior TT is the competition that every rider wants to win. The “Blue Ribbon” event of race week, the six-lap Senior TT is the crown jewel to the TT fortnight.
Once again, a TT race was framed around two riders: Ian Hutchinson and Michael Dunlop. Hutchinson came into the Senior TT with two race wins on his tally, one from the Superbike TT and one from the Superstock TT.
Riding on the BMW S1000RR, Hutchinson has a race-proven machine under him, and he has been riding in the form of his life. Contrast that with Michael Dunlop, who has been doing the donkey work in developing the new Suzuki GSX-R1000R as a formidable TT racing machine.
Dunlop comes into the Senior TT with only one win – earned during the Supersport TT Race 1 – with the jump to the GSX-R1000R still not panning out like he would have hoped.
With this in mind, we head into the Senior TT – a race, once again, defined by two riders.
The 2017 Isle of Man TT will go down as a tough year for the electric bikes racing in the SES TT Zero race. With few laps around the course because of weather, and with record-holder John McGuinness stuck on the sidelines with injury, the speeds haven’t been what we were expecting.
Bruce Anstey filled in for McGuinness on the Team Mugen bike, and was only able to post a 113 mph lap in qualifying – well off the 119 mph pace that McGuinness set in 2015.
With the 2017 SES TT Zero race being Guy Martin’s best hope for a TT race win, there was a bit of intrigue heading into the race, though it was clear that Martin’s head was still stuck on his crash in the Superbike TT race.
The Isle of Man TT has gone full circle. From the biggest race in the world, to a struggling to survive annual, and now it is back on top seeing record numbers of fans worldwide.
In this story, Asphalt & Rubber talks with Paul Phillips, the TT & Motorsport Development Manager for the Isle of Man Government, about the revival of this iconic fortnight of racing.
At the turn of the century, the Isle of Man TT was at a crossroads. The most unique and historic event on the motorcycle racing calendar was under pressure with a lack of coverage and dwindling interest in the event.
With the TT now back at the height of its power, the event has drawn in a new generation of fans and the future looks brighter than ever.
Paul Phillips has been largely credited with being central to the renaissance of the Isle of Man TT, as the Manxman has overseen the revival of the TT to the biggest fortnight of the British biking calendar.
The story for the 2017 Isle of Man TT might be the weather, as another day of competition has scraped because of heavy rain.
So after consulting with the Meteorological Office, Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson made the decision that no racing or qualifiers will take place today, due to continued bad weather.
With us now towards the end of the TT fortnight, this means some tough decisions for the TT organizers in order to keep as much racing and qualifying sessions on the docket as possible.
Something had to give though, so the Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 2 has been canceled.
One of the most common questions about the TT is “how does it feel?” Asphalt & Rubber sat down with Josh Brookes at the 2017 Isle of Man TT to find an answer to that question.
Josh Brookes is as experienced as any short-circuit rider currently plying their trade. As a former Australian and British Superbike champion, World Supersport race winner, Suzuka 8-Hour podium finisher, and WorldSBK race winner, his CV is impressive, but it counted for very little when he made his debut at the Isle of Man TT in 2013.
That year, the Australian left the island with a lap record for the fastest newcomer, and his reputation enhanced as the most exciting up and coming rider at the TT.
He also left with an itch that has continued to require scratching. His return in 2014 saw him ride a Yamaha and claim a Top 10 finish at the Senior TT, but since then circumstances have forced him to the sidelines.
“I love the TT,” beamed Brookes. “I can now remember clearer just now much of a disappointment it was when I wasn’t able to come back in 2015. Having a year off as well, it meant that I fell back into my old ways of just focusing on short-circuit.”
“Last year being in WorldSBK meant that all my focus was on that, and it took away some of the disappointment of missing the TT. I did come over last year during the TT, and we went trial riding across the island to watch the races.”
“When we were watching all the other riders on track, it really started to sink in that I’d rather be riding than watching. Just riding the event isn’t enough for me; I need something more.”
Guy Martin is lucky to still be with us, after a frightful off during the Superbike TT on Sunday. Finding “a box full of neutrals” as he sped through Doran’s Bend, just ahead of the Glen Helen timing point.
The result of that technical failure was captured by on-board footage, which saw Martin crashing and thankfully coming away from the incident relatively unscathed physically.
The crash has clearly shaken Guy Martin though, as he sat out the following day’s Supersport TT Race 1 as well as today’s Superstock TT race.
What is between the ears is the most important part of a racer, and after a technical failure lead to John McGuinness crashing at the North West 200, along with this incident with Martin’s gearbox, one can sure begin to wonder about Martin’s confidence in the Honda CBR1000RR SP2 race bike.
You can watch his video interview with Craig Doyle, after the jump, and see for yourself how shaken Guy is over the incident. Coming back to road racing, after a year’s hiatus, one has to wonder if Martin will take to the course again this TT fortnight. Time will tell…something Martin himself notes in the video.
Wednesday’s second race for the day saw the small bikes of the Bennetts Lightweight TT take to the Mountain Course for the 2017 Isle of Man TT.
The four-lap race saw Michael Rutter finish on the top step of the podium, giving Italian marque Paton its first manufacturer win ever at the Isle of Man TT. In the process of that victory (Rutter’s fifth total), Rutter set a new Lightweight TT record, posting a 118.645 mph lap.
Rutter lead the entire race, from the starter’s flag to the checkered flag, with Martin Jessopp finishing second, and Peter Hickman finishing third.
With another fatality today at the 2017 Isle of Man TT, we regret to report that Alan Bonner, from County Meath in Ireland, died during today’s qualifying session for the Senior TT, in an incident at the 33rd Milestone.
The 33-year-old made his Isle of Man TT debut in 2014, and quickly found pace on the Mountain Course. As such the next year, he had his highest finish ever, with an impressive 15th place in the 2015 Senior TT.
Again with a heavy heart, we are sad to report another fatality at the 2017 Isle of Man TT, as The Netherland’s Jochem van den Hoek died today, during the Superstock TT race.
According to the ACU, Jochem had an accident at the 11th Milestone, during the first lap of the race, where the 28-year-old was then treated at the scene.