News 8 Jun 2010

RR: Hutchinson sweeps IoM TT Supersport and Superstock

Hutchinson added the Supersport and Superstock TT victories on Monday to the Superbike TT race that he won over the weekend.

Hutchinson added the Supersport and Superstock TT victories on Monday to the Superbike TT race that he won over the weekend.

Ian Hutchinson made it two from two at the 2010 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy when he won a record-breaking and thrilling first Monster Energy Supersport race on Monday morning, taking the victory by just 3.03seconds.

The Padgetts Honda rider overhauled Guy Martin to take his fifth TT victory with the Wilson Craig Honda rider again having to settle for second whilst Michael Dunlop came through after a sluggish opening lap to take third.

With conditions perfect all around the Mountain Course, it was Martin who stole the early advantage at Glen Helen on the opening lap, leading Hutchinson by 1.7 seconds with Manxman Daniel Kneen putting in a stunning ride in third, another 1.6 seconds back.

Positions were close behind with John McGuinness, William Dunlop, Ryan Farquhar, Conor Cummins and Bruce Anstey occupying positions 4th to 8th and separated by just 1.6 seconds. Dunlop, meanwhile, was back in ninth.

By Ramsey, Martin had eked out another tenth of a second but Hutchinson was stronger over the Mountain and with an opening lap of 125.536mph, he led the Lincolnshire rider by just eight tenths of a second. Kneen was still holding on to third with Dunlop getting in to his stride and up to fourth. Brother William was also having a strong ride in fifth with Cummins moving up to sixth on the McAdoo Kawasaki.

Martin showed his prowess on the first nine miles again though and he turned his deficit in to a 0.33s advantage second time around, Kneen still in third but now only 0.5s ahead of a charging Dunlop. The field behind were still extremely bunched up with just fractions of a second splitting William Dunlop, Amor, Cummins and McGuinness.

Just like the opening lap, Hutchinson proved to be quicker for the remainder of the lap though and having got back in to the lead at Ramsey Hairpin by over two seconds, a second lap of 126.207mph now gave him a 3.39s lead as they came in to refuel.

Dunlop had also lapped in excess of 126mph to seize third from Kneen with William Dunlop and McGuinness now holding on to fifth and sixth. Anstey was in trouble though and stopped at Ballaugh where he was reported as making adjustments.

After the riders left the pits after their solitary fuel stop, Hutchinson had pulled further ahead to lead by four seconds, whilst Dunlop was closing in on Martin, now only six seconds adrift.

Martin again charged through the high speed run to Ballacraine and the twists and turns of the Glen Helen section to lie just 0.28s behind his fellow Honda rider Hutchinson whilst Amor was also inching his way up the leaderboard, the Scots ace now moving up to fifth at the expense of William Dunlop.

Hutchinson was almost five seconds to the good as the riders went on to their final 37 and ¾ miles but Martin was putting in a determined final lap and continued to reel Hutchinson back as they tore round the Mountain Course.

The gap kept coming down at each timing point and when Hutchinson flashed across the line after a lap of 126.362mph, the stopwatch began. Martin broke the old lap record with a speed of 126.555mph but it wasn’t enough and Hutchinson took his second win of the week by 3.03 seconds.

Dunlop was also inside the old lap record but hugely disappointed with his third place whilst it was Amor who claimed the lap record with a stunning final lap of 126.909mph. This was enough to push Kneen back to fifth but it was still an excellent ride by the 22-year old. William Dunlop, John McGuinness, Conor Cummins, Ryan Farquhar and Donald completed the top ten.

“I’m gutted with those results today but I did the best I could in the circumstances and rode both bikes to a top 10 finish,” Victorian Donald commented. “On a positive note, the pace was hot out there today and it gave me more miles around the TT circuit in preparation for Wednesday’s second Supersport outing and Friday’s Senior.”

In the race for the Privateers Championship, it was Derek Brien who was first home in an excellent 13th place overall whilst Ben Wylie was second, the newcomer of 2009 having a great ride in to 15th. Olie Linsdell, James McBride and Chris Palmer rounded out the leading privateers in the race but it’s Wylie and Stephen Oates who currently top the table after two races, the duo both having 26 points.

Hutchinson’s dominance of the 2010 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy continued on Monday afternoon when he took a nail biting victory in the four-lap royal London 360 Superstock race, his third win in as many races, to join a select band of racers who have won three in a week. With two races still to come he could even threaten the visiting Phillip McCallen’s four in a week on the Isle of Man.

The Padgetts Honda rider came in to the final lap 5.54s adrift of long time race leader Ryan Farquhar but a record breaking lap of 130.741mph saw him edge out the KMR Kawasaki rider by the tiny margin of 1.32s. The Northern Irishman just missed out on a 130mph+ lap but was comfortably clear of third placed Conor Cummins, who made it two Kawasaki’s in the top three.

With the Island basking in warm sunshine once more, conditions were absolutely ideal around the Mountain Course and it was Farquhar who set off quickest, the Dungannon rider holding on to a slender 0.24s lead from Michael Dunlop with Keith Amor in third and Hutchinson, Cummins and Cameron Donald completing the top six. It was incredibly close though with 1.5s covering the top 5 and only 4.5s between the top ten!

Farquhar was flying on the opening lap, extending his advantage at all the timing points, and a first lap speed of 129.648mph gave him a 6.78s lead over Dunlop with Hutchinson now up to third ahead of Cummins and Amor, John McGuinness holding on to sixth. Leading contenders Dan Stewart and Carl Rennie were both out of luck though, the duo retiring at the end of the first lap.

Farquhar and Hutchinson were pulling away from the chasing pack on the second lap and the Kawasaki rider was the first to break the old lap record with a brilliant lap of 129.816mph and this saw him edge further away from Hutchinson, the gap 8.8s as they came into refuel. Dunlop had been relegated to fourth though and he lost further time as he changed his rear tyre at the pit stop, dropping him all the way down to 11th.

Hutchinson had the quickest pit stop and led the race for the first time as the riders left the pits but by Glen Helen, 34-year old Farquhar was back in front to the tune of 1.4s and it was going to be a straight fight over the final two laps.

Cummins was only eight seconds further back in third with McGuinness, Amor and Guy Martin now occupying the top six positions. Dunlop was fighting his way back and was gradually inching his way up the leaderboard.

By Ramsey Hairpin, Farquhar was over four seconds clear and this became 5.54s as the pair went into their final lap – and it was here when Hutchinson made his charge. The gap stayed the same at Glen Helen but Hutchinson had halved this by the time they jumped Ballaugh Bridge, and at Ramsey Hairpin for the final time it was only 1.82s.

In all three races held so far, Hutchinson has been the quickest rider over the Mountain but Farquhar was up for the fight and rode harder than he’d ever done before only to fall short by the smallest margin.

Hutchinson’s final lap of 130.741mph was the first 130mph lap recorded by a Superstock machine and, despite Farquhar setting his best ever lap of the Mountain Course at 129.883mph, he fell short by an agonising 1.32s. Nevertheless, it was his first podium finish at the TT since 2008 and there was further celebration for Kawasaki with Cummins coming home in a strong third and going some way to make up for his disappointment on Saturday, when he retired whilst leading the Superbike race.

Behind, McGuinness maintained his fourth place all the way to the chequered flag whilst Martin got the better of Amor for fifth, albeit by just two tenths of a second. Ian Lougher took a fine seventh with a determined Michael Dunlop fighting his way back up to 8th and Michael Rutter and Adrian Archibald completing the top ten.

James McBride was the best of the Privateers in 14th place, three places ahead of Portuguese star Luis Carreira with Stefano Bonetti the next highest placed in 19th. McBride has now jumped up to the top of the table, the Kettering rider having 49pts and holding onto a 13-point lead over Stephen Oates and Davy Morgan, the pair sharing second on 36 points.

In the battle for the best Newcomer, South Australian David Johnson was again the highest placed in 28th place, lapping at 122.312mph, with Hudson Kennaugh, Brian McCormack and Stephen Thompson in 33rd, 34th and 35th – all three also breaking the 120mph barrier for the first time. Meanwhile, Jenny Tinmouth again set a new personal best lap and a speed of 116.993mph firmly cements her place as the fastest female to have lapped the Mountain Course.

Click here for detailed results

Recent