IoM TT Report
For the third evening in a row, conditions all around the Isle of Man were perfect which meant that it was another ideal night of practice for the 2010 TT races fuelled by Monster Energy, the final session before Saturday’s opening race day.
It was the last chance for competitors to make further adjustments to their machinery in preparation for the 6-lap Superbike race whilst the sidecars were also out in force, preparing for their first 3-lap race on Saturday afternoon.
As happened in Thursday’s qualifying, the sidecars were first out on the course and they were greeted with an information board saying simply ‘dry roads, clear weather’.
At 6.30pm, it was John Holden/Andy Winkle who left the line first followed by Klaus Klaffenbock/Dan Sayle, Simon Neary/Paul Knapton, Conrad Harrison/Kerry Williams and Gary Bryan/Gary Partridge.
Dave Molyneux/Patrick Farrance set off mid-pack with Tim Reeves/Dipash Chauhan further back although they were later reported as having stopped at Parliament Square where they were making adjustments.
This also applied to Keith Walters/Alun Thomas and Brian Alflatt/Herve Chenu who had both pulled in at the Highlander.
Klaffenbock and Holden crossed the line almost together, lapping at 113.508mph and 112.55mph respectively with Neary sandwiching the pair on speed at 113.058mph. Harrison was the only other driver above 110mph with speeds generally down on previous evenings as the crews used the session to bed in engines and scrub in tyres prior to the race.
Holden improved to 113.24mph second time around, to go third fastest for the week, and was one of only a handful of competitors to complete two laps.
The chairs had a slightly shorter session tonight and the solos were underway at 7.20pm, getting a full hour and a half thus meaning four laps, at least, could be completed by the majority of the field.
The riders again set off in numerical order so, once again, it was Bruce Anstey who blasted off first, this time alongside Ian Lougher with Ian Hutchinson, Keith Amor, Cameron Donald, Guy Martin, Adrian Archibald, Conor Cummins and Gary Johnson following them. John McGuinness set off in the fifth pairing on his 600, leaving his Superbike in the garage during the session.
Anstey was reported stopped at Sulby Bridge before proceeding whilst Guy Martin pulled off the course at Ballacraine (not getting back out again until 8.30pm) and Carl Rennie at Parliament Square but Hutchinson was again flying and his opening lap was 130.234mph, just shy of McGuinness’ lap on Wednesday evening.
Cummins lapped at 129.405mph on his Superbike with Amor putting in a fine lap on his BMW Superstock machine at 128.156mph, the bike only 4mph down on Hutchinson’s Superbike through the Sulby speed trap.
James Edmeades and the KTM were also having a good evening with their first ever 120mph+ lap, Senior Manx Grand Prix winner Michael Russell also recorded the benchmark average speed for the first time..
Hutchinson went even quicker on his second lap at 130.614mph to move to the top of the Superbike qualifying leaderboard and win the Graham watch for the fastest rider of the week whilst Amor did likewise on the Superstock BMW at 128.229mph.
Meanwhile, the Dunlop brothers were setting the pace on their 600s, Michael getting close to the class lap record at 126.39mph with older brother William moving in to the top six at 123.621mph, just behind McGuinness at 123.750mph. Meanwhile, Donald was again close to 129mph on his Superbike machine.
Dunlop then went quickest in the Superstock class also at 128.324mph, another personal best, whilst Amor switched to the HM Plant Honda Superbike lapping at 128.48mph with Hutchinson and McGuinness above 125mph, having gone back out on their Superstock machines.
Just like Thursday, the majority of speeds dropped off as the session wore on, a combination of traffic out on the course and the dropping temperatures, but Archibald did 129.372mph and Dunlop 128.792mph, both on their Superbikes and both personal best laps ever. Martin eventually got back out and did two laps on his Superbike, the best at 128.240mph
The newcomers were again in fine form with Stephen Thompson lapping at 117.456mph, Herve Ganther 115.481mph and Hudson Kennaugh getting above 110mph for the first time at 112.976mph.
Anthony Czyzewski and Clinton Pienaar also posted their best laps of the week in excess of 112mph. In the 600cc division, David Johnson recorded 115.552mph, Dan Cooper improved to 114.481mph with David Jones and Brandon Cretu not too far behind at 111.931mph and 111.128mph. Gary May also posted his first 110mph+ lap.
TT Superbike – PRACTICE Fastest Laps – All Sessions (Provisional)
Pos No. Rider Machine/Entrant Lap Time Speed Run
1 4 Ian Hutchinson 1000cc Honda / Padgetts Motorcycles 17 19.92 130.614 Fri, 4th June
2 2 John McGuinness 1000cc Honda / HM Plant Honda Racing 17 22.89 130.242 Wed, 2nd June
3 10 Conor Cummins 1000cc Kawasaki / McAdoo Kawasaki Racing 17 29.63 129.405 Fri, 4th June
4 9 Adrian Archibald 1000cc Suzuki / AMA Racing Team 17 30.00 129.360 Fri, 4th June
5 8 Guy Martin 1000cc Honda / Wilson Craig Racing 17 31.75 129.145 Wed, 2nd June
6 6 Cameron Donald 1000cc Suzuki / Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing 17 33.14 128.974 Fri, 4th June
7 14 Michael Dunlop 1000cc Honda / Street Sweep/Robinson Concrete 17 34.63 128.792 Fri, 4th June
8 5 Keith Amor 1000cc Honda / H M Plant Honda 17 35.46 128.691 Thurs, 3rd June
9 1 Bruce Anstey 1000cc Suzuki / Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing 17 35.54 128.682 Fri, 4th June
10 16 Michael Rutter 1000cc Honda / Batham’s Honda 17 44.78 127.564 Thurs, 3rd June
11 11 Gary Johnson 1000cc Suzuki / AIM Racing 17 45.90 127.431 Fri, 4th June
12 3 Ian Lougher 1000cc Kawasaki / Blackhorse Kawasaki 17 49.31 127.024 Fri, 4th June
13 12 Ryan Farquhar 1000cc Kawasaki / MSS Colchester Kawasaki 17 51.09 126.813 Fri, 4th June
14 13 Daniel Stewart 1000cc Honda / Wilcock Consulting 17 54.52 126.409 Wed, 2nd June
15 15 Carl Rennie 1000cc Suzuki / PRF Racing 18 02.25 125.505 Wed, 2nd June
16 18 Dan Kneen 1000cc Suzuki / Manx Gas / Marks Bloom Racing 18 04.75 125.217 Fri, 4th June
17 40 Steve Mercer 1000cc Yamaha / G Forces / SMR Road Racing 18 09.95 124.619 Fri, 4th June
18 29 Mark Buckley 1000cc Kawasaki / OTSS Racing 18 12.58 124.319 Thurs, 3rd June
19 24 Ian Mackman 1000cc Suzuki / 2 MACHS 18 14.01 124.157 Fri, 4th June
20 33 Jimmy Moore 1000cc Yamaha / East Coast Racing 18 20.48 123.426 Wed, 2nd June
21 41 Paul Dobbs 1000cc Yamaha / Dave East Engineering 18 21.37 123.326 Fri, 4th June
22 28 Davy Morgan 1000cc Suzuki / CSC Branson Racing 18 23.79 123.056 Fri, 4th June
23 19 James Hillier 1000cc Kawasaki / Bournemouth Kawasaki 18 24.67 122.958 Fri, 4th June
24 21 John Burrows 1000cc Suzuki / BE Racing 18 25.97 122.813 Wed, 2nd June
25 27 James McBride 1000cc Yamaha / Downview Finance / Pazzo 18 32.39 122.105 Wed, 2nd June
26 34 Stephen Oates 1000cc Suzuki / Hallett Aviation/Road & Racing 18 33.40 121.994 Fri, 4th June
27 32 Stefano Bonetti 1000cc Honda 18 33.53 121.980 Fri, 4th June
28 43 Sergio Romero 1000cc Suzuki / Sondel Sport Racing 18 34.88 121.832 Fri, 4th June
29 23 Derek Brien 1000cc Kawasaki / Hunky Dory Racing 18 35.70 121.743 Wed, 2nd June
30 25 Ian Pattinson 600cc Honda / Phase One Endurance 18 35.77 121.734 Wed, 2nd June
31 30 Oliver Linsdell 1000cc Yamaha / Team Flitwick Yamaha 18 37.00 121.601 Fri, 4th June
32 17 Mark Miller 1000cc BMW / Fuchs BMW 18 37.35 121.563 Fri, 4th June
33 37 Luis Carreira 1000cc Suzuki / Benimoto Suzuki Cetelem 18 38.58 121.429 Wed, 2nd June
34 38 Antonio Maeso 1000cc Yamaha 18 39.14 121.368 Fri, 4th June
35 55 Roger Maher 1000cc Honda / Monarch Honda 18 41.32 121.132 Wed, 2nd June
36 59 James McCullagh 1000cc Yamaha / C & C Limited 18 46.01 120.627 Fri, 4th June
37 31 Rico Penzkofer 1000cc BMW / Penz13.Com Racing Team 18 47.09 120.513 Fri, 4th June
38 52 Michael Russell 1000cc Yamaha 18 48.35 120.377 Fri, 4th June
39 45 Ben Wylie 1000cc Yamaha / Phase One Endurance 18 48.63 120.348 Fri, 4th June
40 35 Robert Barber 1000cc Yamaha / Race Spares UK 18 50.51 120.148 Fri, 4th June
