Isle of Man TT Archives - Page 13 of 38

Racing

IOMTT: Bruce Anstey Racing a Honda RC213V-S

By Jensen Beeler 05/25/2016 29 Comments

We suppose someone would be crazy enough eventually to try it, and today we get confirmation that Bruce Anstey will be racing a Honda RC213V-S in the Superbike TT and Senior TT races at the 2016 Isle of Man TT.

The MotoGP bike for the streets will be part of the Valvoline Racing by Padgett’s Motorcycles Team, and is a product of the Isle of Man TT’s looser rules when it comes to homologation requirements.

The move is a clever one, as straight out of the box the Honda RC213V-S stacks up quite nicely against even the most highly prepped racing superbikes at the Isle of Man TT – boasting a 210hp figure with the sport kit installed, and a 390 lbs mass when ready-to-race.

A team with a proven track record at the Isle of Man and developing street bikes for road racing, the Padgetts Honda squad has made some modifications of their own to suit the RC213V-S for the Mountain Course’s trials.

Still, the Honda RC213V-S alone won’t assure Antsey of a race win, though it certainly will add some spice to the rider lineup before they head down Glencrutchery Road.

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Bikes

Victory RR Electric Race Bike Debuts for the Isle of Man TT

By Jensen Beeler 05/23/2016 8 Comments

Victory Motorcycles will return to the Isle of Man TT this year, competing again with its electric superbike platform, the Victory RR.

Evolving from the ashes of the Brammo Empulse RR project, the Victory RR continues the work on electric drivetrains for Brammo, which now develops the electric drivetrains that power the Victory Empulse TT electric street bike.

With an all-new machine for the 2016 racing season, the Victory RR is the top-pick to upset the recent domination we have seen from Team Mugen, though that will be a tall order, with Mugen updating its Shinden race bike this year as well.

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News

Ride in Peace, Michael Czysz

By Jensen Beeler 05/07/2016 23 Comments

It is with a heavy heart that we report the passing of Michael Czysz, who finally succumbed to his years-long battle with cancer today.

Michael is known best in our two-wheeled circles for starting the MotoCzysz C1 MotoGP project, which eventually morphed into the Isle of Man TT winning electric motorcycle race team of the same name.

However, Michael’s accomplishments outside of the motorcycle industry are perhaps even more impressive, as he was a prominent designer for the rich and famous through his Architropolis design firm.

I think it is Michael’s vision for ingenuity in the design world that fueled his work with motorcycles, as Michael’s machines featured a number of innovations of his own creation, which surely flowed from his creative personality.

While we mourn his departure, it is perhaps fitting to realize that Michael left us just a few weeks before the start of the 2016 Isle of Man TT, as a large portion of Michael’s legacy stems from taking the MotoCzysz team to four consecutive TT Zero race wins at the Isle of Man TT – his innovative motorcycles setting record laps in each attempt, no less.

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Bikes

Mugen Shinden Go Debuts in Japan with More Power

By Jensen Beeler 03/25/2016 7 Comments

The Mugen Shinden Go has officially dropped in Japan, showing us the Japanese outfit’s fifth evolution of the Isle of Man TT electric superbike.

As we reported earlier, the Shinden Go comes with obvious changes to the fairing design, though likely there are further enhancements underneath its skin.

To our eye, the Shinden Go looks to have smaller frontal cross-section than bikes of the past, and there are noticeable changes to the race bike’s carbon fiber chassis, which now looks to be of a monocoque design. The carbon fiber swingarm design has also been changed.

Additionally, Mugen says that the rear suspension is a “cross link rocker” design, which has been developed specifically for the Shinden Go.

Of course, the biggest change people will be talking about is the 10kW power increase, which brings the Mugen Shinden Go’s peak horsepower figure up to 161hp. Weight remains at 550 lbs, with peak torque down to 154 lbs•ft (from 162.24 lbs•ft).

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Bikes

Mugen Shinden Go Caught Testing in Japan

By Jensen Beeler 03/21/2016 14 Comments

The Isle of Man TT is still two months away, but Team Mugen is looking ready to make it a three-peat in the TT Zero electric race. Mugen’s 2016 bike is called the Shinden Go, and while “go” might be Japanese for “five” the name is very appropriate for the electric superbike.

Many expect Mugen to break the 120 mph lap barrier at the Isle of Man TT, especially since John McGuinness came extremely close to the mark last year, with a 119.279 mph lap.

Caught testing in Japan this month, here are our first glimpses of the Mugen Shinden Go, with test rider Hikaru Miyagi on-board at the Tsukuba Circuit (above) and Sodegaura Forest Raceway (photos after the jump).

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Bikes

Suter MMX 500 Hopes to Smoke the Field at Isle of Man TT

By Jensen Beeler 02/15/2016 14 Comments

Two-stroke fans were stoked to hear of Suter Racing building a 500GP-styled superbike smoker, the Suter MMX 500. The 576cc, V4, two-stroke machine promises superbike power coupled to a GP-level punching weight, 195hp and 280 lbs respectively, with modern suspension and chassis design.

Only 99 specimens of the Suter MMX 500 will be produced though, each costing CHF 120,000 – roughly $125,000 or €109,000. And now, one of those machines has been tapped for racing duty, as Suter will be competing in the 2016 Isle of Man TT.

Therefore, expect to see the Suter MMX 500 racing in the RST Superbike and PokerStars Senior TT races, with Ian Lougher behind the handlebars.

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Products

Arai Unveils Its 2016 Limited Edition Isle of Man TT Helmet

By Jensen Beeler 02/10/2016 10 Comments

Every year Arai Helmet comes out with a highly coveted limited edition lid for the Isle of Man TT; and each year has a different design, with the latest crop coming from the studio of Aldo Drudi.

This year’s design comes on the Arai Corsair-X, a helmet we were very impressed with when we tested it at Thunder Hill last year.

As you can see from the photos, Drudi has emblazoned the Corsair-X helmet with the “TT” logo, as well as the island nation’s Triskelion symbol, which is of three running legs. “Ellan Vannin” is of course the native Manx name for the Isle of Man.

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Racing

Mugen Confirms “Shinden Go” for 2016 Isle of Man TT

By Jensen Beeler 01/29/2016 3 Comments

Development for properly fast electric racing motorcycles has fallen onto the shoulders of one brand: Team Mugen, and the Japanese firm has confirmed that it will continue to push boundaries at the Isle of Man TT this year.

Confirming this week that it would race the 2016 Isle of Man TT, in the SES TT Zero electric race, Mugen also announced the return of its two-rider team of John McGuinness and Bruce Anstey.

In addition to that news, Mugen formerly divulged the fifth edition of its electric superbike, called the Shinden Go – in case you haven’t caught onto Mugen’s naming scheme, “go” is “five” in Japanese.

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Bikes

James Hillier Talks About Taking a Lap Around the Isle of Man TT Course Aboard the Kawasaki Ninja H2R

By Jensen Beeler 08/21/2015 9 Comments

What is it like to ride a supercharged 300hp hyperbike around the Isle of Man TT? Somewhat terrifying, and that’s coming from a guy who does it for a living: James Hillier.

As you might know, Hillier rode a Kawasaki Ninja H2R around the Isle of Man TT road course as part of an exhibition lap during this last TT fortnight, much to the delight of fans lining the Manx hedgerows.

Now we can relive that experience, since Kawasaki put together a short video on James’ impressions riding the supercharged carbon fiber beast, complete with on-board footage. Enjoy!

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Racing

Senior Race Day at the Isle of Man TT with Tony Goldsmith

By Tony Goldsmith 06/12/2015 6 Comments

For the final day of racing at the 2015 Isle of Man TT, and I headed to the north of the Island, as I had a brief to photograph the Lightweight race from the Ginger Hall section in Sulby. Just after the Sulby Straight, the Ginger Hall is very popular with fans, mainly due to the pub that gives the section its name.

After the Lightweight race, I drove the few miles to Ramsey and to the spectacular Milntown jump. From there, it was a brief stop at Parliament Square in the center of Ramsey before driving back to the Grandstand for the podium celebrations.

Above: John McGuinness plants a kiss on the Senior TT trophy.

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Racing

IOMTT: PokerStars Senior TT Race Results

By Jensen Beeler 06/12/2015 7 Comments

If there is one event everyone gets excited about at the Isle of Man TT, it’s the Senior TT. Often called “the blue-ribbon event” at the Isle of Man, the Senior TT is not a race for the elderly, like the name suggests, but instead it features the biggest, meanest, machines on the road course.

Most of the PokerStars Senior TT grid is filled with bikes from the Superbike TT, as the classes have a great deal of overlap, but the Senior TT usually has one or two special machines, who fall outside of the Superbike rules — the Norton SG4 is one of those machines.

All the TT riders want to win the Senior TT, and it fittingly is the final race of the Isle of Man TT, which only adds to excitement.

With Friday being drama-filled at the Isle of Man TT, the Senior TT was no different.

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