The blue ribbon event of the Isle of Man TT, the Senior TT is typically the most-welcomed race at the end of the TT fortnight, but after seeing the 2012 race cancelled (for the first time ever outside of World War I & II), on the account of rain, the 2013 PokerStars Senior TT has an amazing amount of build-up.
As if the running of the fastest machines on the Mountain Course wasn’t enough, there was the prospect that Michael Dunlop could sweep the five main solo-classes, a feat only ever done once before, by Ian Hutchinson.
As the flag dropped, and we held our breaths to see if John McGuinness would get his first race win this TT fortnight, if Micky D could make the clean sweep, or if another competitor would rise to the challenge (Guy Martin, anyone?), tragedy struck: a red flag on the first lap.
Jonathan Howarth went off at Bray Hill, and though he was hurt, but ok, the accident injured 10 spectators, one critically. Having already waited two years to see the return of the Senior TT, fans at the Isle of Man would have to wait a little longer it would seem.
In a statement by the ACU that was published right after the incident, “ten spectators and the rider were taken to hospital with injuries ranging from slight to serious but not life threatening. Four of the spectators have been discharged, five of the injured have been kept in hospital and one remains under observation in the emergency department.”
A racing event fraught with tragedy and real-world danger, we all breathed a sigh of relief a dodging another tragic outcome at this year’s TT. Moving onward thanfully, the 2013 Senior TT resumed three hours later, click past the jump for its race results.
A stark contrast to the Senior TT that it precedes, the Isle of Man TT’s Lightweight TT race is comprised of 650cc twins, and the field is dominated by a sea of Kawasaki race bikes. A few competitors try different machinery, Suzuki’s mainly, though a couple Chinese models can be spotted in the paddock.
To be truly competitive in the Lightweight TT though, you need to be on one of Ryan Farquhar’s race-prepped bikes, which draws a small circle on the number of true contender’s for the class’s podium spots.
This prospect left Michael Dunlop to withdraw from the Lightweight TT, prefering to concentrate his energy in securing a clean sweep of the five main solo races in the 2013 Isle of Man TT.
Should he win the Senior TT, he would accomplish a feat only ever achieved by Ian Hutchinson — so we can’t fault him for his absence. This still left a strong grid in the Lightweight TT class. Race spoilers after the jump.
Given every year to the rider who wins the most points in the five main event solo races, the Joey Dunlop TT Championship Trophy is the not the ultimate goal for the competitors in the Isle of Man TT, but it certainly is a prestigious prize. Winning four of the five main races this week already, Michael Dunlop has locked up the trophy named after his Uncle Joey, ahead of the TT’s blue ribbon race, the Senior TT.
Michael will be keen to win the Senior, less so because of the clean sweep, but more so because it would single the true arrival of the Irish racer as a serious contender in every class. Before this TT fortnight, Dunlop had won only three races (two Supersport races and one Superstock race) at the Isle of Man, though he wasn’t considered just yet to be in the same league as the veteran Superbike class riders. We believer that distinction is no longer relevant.
It looks like Dainese, one of the main sponsors of the Isle of Man TT, is gearing up to do a series of short videos about the famous road race (you may have seen our coverage of the 2013 Isle of Man TT thus far). The first installment, simply titled “The Island”, captures perhaps the most important, yet most difficult element to describe: the allure of the Isle of Man TT.
A little rock in the middle of the Irish Sea, the views from the countryside and mountain tops are breathtaking, the Manx people are warm and hospitable, and the racing, well…the racing is unlike anything you have ever seen. That all seems to come through here, and we can’t wait to see the rest of what the Italian company has to offer from The Rock. Good stuff.
Double the pleasure, double the fun, that’s the Supersport TT at the Isle of Man TT. Along with the Sidecar class, the supersport riders get two goes of things on the Mountain Course, and for Michael Dunlop that meant another golden opportunity to dominate this year’s TT.
Having three wins so far this fortnight to his name, and always one of the top picks on the 600cc machines, the Irish rider is looking on-point going into the second Monster Energy Supersport TT. With the Isle once again blessing riders with sunny skies and warm weather, the stage was set for another day of great road racing. Race report after the jump.
You either love the technology and progress being showcased in the SES TT Zero race at the Isle of Man TT, or you hate the lack of sound, slower speeds, and fairly predictable outcomes that the electric race provides.
For our part, we love watching the electrics go around the Mountain Course, and if you have been following the practice and qualifying sessions for the TT Zero class, the racing is anything but a parade lap at the pointy end of the entry list.
With John McGuinness leading the field with his Mugen Shinden Ni going into the 2013 TT Zero, many wondered if MotoCzysz could make it four in a row at the 2013 Isle of Man TT.
To win though, McGuinness would have to defeat two-time TT Zero winner Michael Rutter, and the 2010 TT Zero winner Mark Miller, both of whom are on the brand new 2013 MotoCzysz E1pc this fortnight. Well, now we know the answer. Click through past the jump for our full race report 2013 SES TT Zero.
In a few hours, the TT Zero race will kickoff for the 2013 Isle of Man TT, and if the practice and qualifying sessions are any indication, it should be a close-fought race between the 2013 Mugen Shinden Ni of John McGuinness and the 2013 MotoCzysz E1pc race bikes of Michael Rutter and Mark Miller (Update: The SES TT Zero race report can be found here).
McGuinness has been fastest so far with the Mugen Shinden Ni, posting a 109.038 lap during Monday’s qualifying session, while Rutter and Miller posted 107.817 mph and 105.806 mph laps, respectively. On the course, this means McGuinness is roughly 16 second faster than Rutter, a notable difference, but not a huge margin in this class, which sees huge (by TT standards) speed leaps from session to session.
Hoping to make it four wins in a row, it goes without saying that the MotoCzysz crew is working hard to close the gap. However, having Team Principal Michael Czysz stuck back in the US, undergoing cancer treatments, must certainly add another level of motivation for the on-island MotoCzysz crew.
Making time in their busy schedule, Asphalt & Rubber got to take some up-close photos of the 2013 MotoCzysz E1pc. Check them out after the jump, you won’t see better photos of the ’13 E1pc anywhere else.
We would be remiss in our coverage of the 2013 Isle of Man TT if we didn’t say a few more words about Joey Dunlop. A legend of the sport, Joey is the winningest rider ever to race at the Isle of Man, and has 26 TT race wins to his name. Unfortunately, Joey died while road racing in Estonia, losing control of his 125cc race bike in the wet conditions.
The longest standing Honda rider of all time, Big Red wanted to pay tribute to Dunlop at this year’s TT, as it marked the 30th anniversary of Joey’s first win with the Japanese brand. Picking John McGuinness to ride in Joey’s livery, the current King of the Mountain started his career as a teammate to Joey, and was honored to pay homage to the racing legend.
In the video, you can hear McGuinness getting a bit choked up talking about his idol, and we think all the TT fans on the course enjoyed seeing Joey’s old colors go by. He truly is a legend of our sport. Enjoy Honda TT Legends’ video after the jump.