Saturday round up from the Isle of Man TT

Isle of Man TT Qualifying

Saturday Qualifying

Once again weather has caused disruption at the Isle of Man TT. Just a handful of qualifying laps were spun on Saturday afternoon before low-lying cloud and rain brought an end to the day’s programme.

Davey Todd grabbed the headlines with a standing start lap of 133.155 mph on his Superstock machine. The lap is made even more impressive by the fact that once he reached the Bungalow and hit low cloud, he had no visibility and ‘cruised’ home. You would imagine that when racing finally gets underway, he will surely be troubling the lap record if conditions allow it. Todd’s lap is the fastest of the week so far, finally eclipsing Dean Harrison’s blistering 133.069 mph effort from Wednesday evening.

There had been a noticeable influx of people overnight to the island, and the pace and urgency of the traffic today was more purposeful as fans rushed to get into positions before the roads closed. This should have been race-day, but unwelcome weather conditions had meant we had had to shuffle and reshuffle the schedule.

Initially, the Mountain was shrouded in fog as the island stirred this morning, and at that point, it looked as though we would see no racing at all. However, breezy conditions helped move the grey whisps along, and soon the fog lifted and the sun burned through. That meant a 3-hour delay and a slow morning for all, but eventually, at 1330, spectators were in position, the 37 ¾ mile circuit was closed, and we were good to go.

Michael Dunlop was first away on the road, riding his Rokit BMW Superbike. Dean Harrison, Ian Hutchinson, Conor Cummins and David Johnson followed him down Bray Hill. The pace was hot enough, and it was immediately apparent that Harrison was pushing as the lead men began clicking through the sectors.

However, Davey Todd was conspicuous in his absence. While his helmet and gloves were reported as waiting and ready on the Glencrutchery Road, the Saltburn rider was nowhere to be seen.

We all wondered where Davey was but Dunlop and Harrison were unconcerned and each completed a lap on their Superbikes before taking their stock bike out. Harrison banked a 132 mph lap on his first attempt, while MD clicked into the 130 club for the first time all week on the Rokit BMW.

Brian McCormack was interviewed in pitlane after completing his opening circuit, and he deemed conditions ‘horrendous’ and described how huge gusts were catching him unawares in parts of the track where he wouldn’t normally expect the wind to be an issue. The example he gave was on the run into Ramsey approaching school house corner.

There was a great excitement in the commentary booths as the likes of James Hind and Dominic Herbertson posted fast times on their Superstock bikes and were leading the Stock session at different checkpoints. But it should be said that things were a little off-kilter, with the usual leaders concentrating on their Superbikes for the time being.

It wasn’t long before Harrison and Dunlop were seen venturing out of pit-lane on their Superstock bikes and the younger riders would soon be toppled from the top of the pile.

It was at this point that Todd finally emerged from the paddock and joined the fun. He was absolutely flying, and when he reached Ramsey a massive 23 seconds faster than Herbertson had managed, it somewhat deflated the earlier excitement regarding Dom ‘the bomb’ leading the session.

By now the focus was fully trained on Todd and it was noticeable that his pace dropped off by the time he encountered the cloud at the Bungalow. Never-the-less, when he crossed the line, the no. 8 had lapped faster than any other rider so far at TT 25.

Immediately after Todd finished his lap, a sign was held up by ‘Milky’ Quayle on the start line showing that the session had been stopped. The officials were keen to point out that it wasn’t a red flag and that the cloud on the mountain was the issue. Riders already on the circuit would be allowed to finish the lap, only once they hit the Brandywell they would then complete the lap under waved yellow flags.

At that point it looked like it was all over for the day, but an unusual arrangement was then announced for the sidecar session. They would be allowed to attack the course as normal until Ramsey. From there, the outfits would be escorted back to the grandstand.

A similar method was used at the Manx GP in 2012 but it has never been implemented at the TT. There’s no doubt it was unorthodox, but was welcomed by most as a good idea.

Obviously, we didn’t learn much in the way of lap-times, but it will have been invaluable to some of the three-wheel teams who as usual, have suffered more than the solos with track time this year and are desperate for miles.

A bank of rain then swept in from the west and that was the end of the action for another day. The stoppages are getting a little tiresome now as there seems to be no end in sight. It’s particularly frustrating now since we should already have two races under our belts. But that is the nature of the TT and ‘weather may cause disruption’ is clearly stated in the small-print each year the great event rolls around.

Yesterday the officials rescheduled things to kick-off with a 6-lap Superbike race tomorrow but that’s went out the window and we are now to have another go at holding a full practice session on Sunday instead, with the first race set for Monday.

Josh Brookes is still struggling with stability on his 1000 cc mounts and says he hasn’t got the confidence to hold it ‘flat stick through the big cahuna corners’. Brookesy laments the unpredictable nature of his machine and has likened it to a mouse trap- one he ‘doesn’t know when it’s going to go off’. JB reckons that the riders who are making the Honda work are grabbing hold of the bars and gritting their teeth, but he says that doesn’t suit his character and his methodical approach. One of the major differences between the Honda and the BMW he rode last year is the protection that the BMW provides with it’s bulky fairing and high screen. Brookes has found himself this year up on top of the bike and fighting the wind and that’s sapping his energy. A BSB podium just a few weeks ago proves that when the Honda isn’t bouncing over the bumps of a roads circuit then he can make it work. Unfortunately for him, the TT offers billiard table smooth tarmac in very few places.

Brookes had been involved in a specatular coming together with Davey Todd during Friday evening’s session. Todd was catching Josh when the red flags for Hickman’s incident came out. When Brookes saw the red flag he shut the throttle off. Todd had nowhere to go and ran into the back of the Jackson racing fireblade at 174 mph. Both bikes were damaged and DT says ‘it was a really scarey moment- I thought it might be the end for us both‘.
It the sort if incident you dont need at the TT when already swimming against the tide.

While Brookes struggles with stability issues on his Fireblade, the other Aussie in the race – David Johnson is much happier with his Kawasaki. Davo says he’s making ‘steady progression’ and is ‘definitely getting there and feeling strong’. Although Johnson was trailing Peter Hickman when the lap record holder had his hefty crash yesterday evening; something that unsettled him a little.

New Zealand’s Mitch Rees is making waves as he continues to impress and is surely odds on to be ‘best newcomer’ this year. Rees probably has more laps than any other rider as he has been allowed out on his 1000 cc at the back of Supersport/Supertwin sessions. Today, he upped his pace again with a lap of 124.3 mph. The question is can he lap faster than Glenn Irwin by the end of the fortnight and break the fastest newcomer record? Irwin thinks he can but has encouraged Rees to enjoy things and the speed will come.

And what of Peter Hickman? There were further details released today on his condition. Hicky is still in Noble’s hospital where he is being treated for chest, back, shoulder and facial injuries but is said to be ‘comfortable’ and in ‘good spirits’. Whatever happens over the coming days, it fair to say that the TT isn’t going to be the same without him. His team-mate and fellow 8Ten team co-owner, Davey Todd will be keen to have a great TT and give his mate something to shout about from his hospital bed. Todd’s 133 mph lap today would suggest that he’s more than willing and able to rise to the occasion.

Superbike Fastest Times of the week

Superstock Fastest Times of the week

Supersport Fastest Times of the week

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Sidecar Fastest Times of the week