2025 IOMTT
Milwaukee Senior TT
The Milwaukee Senior TT was cancelled on Saturday evening due to gusting winds on the mountain. The blue-ribbon show-piece had originally been due to take place at 1045 in the morning but overnight rain meant that plan was pushed back. Showers persisted throughout the morning, which meant that many viewed the possibility of racing as unlikely. Teams were already disassembling the paddock infrastructure that had served them so well over the fortnight by midday.
However, in the afternoon, the sun came out and the roads began to dry. Suddenly, a more positive outlook emerged. A final revised schedule was released, which involved an inspection lap at 1800, followed by a four-lap Senior event starting one hour later, provided feedback from the riders was favourable.
Roads closed as planned at 1700 and 60-minutes later around 20 riders set off. When they returned to the paddock, there were mixed reviews. Some believed the course fit to race while others gave it a big thumbs down. Frustratingly, it was not damp patches on the road that were the issue; this time, it was gusting winds.
We have battled strong winds on the mountain throughout this year’s TT, but today the gusts had changed direction. This time it had switched to be North Westerly, the opposite of the South Westerlies that have blown across the island up until this point.
James Hillier was the first man back. While he admitted that it was drier than expected, he likened the conditions to ‘riding in the winter’.
The gusts were affecting braking points in places such as the Mountain mile during the lap. Riders also reported being caught out on the run into Creg-ny-baa.
Shaun Anderson told how he had been blown off-line at St. Ninian’s cross roads which is located on fairly low ground just after the start line. The Manx GP winner said he had been shifted six-feet across the road, something that gave him the ‘heebie-jeebies’. He said he was 50/50 on whether or not the race should go ahead.
Adelaide’s Davo Johnson was also hesitant. While he recognised the sentiment behind the concept of riding to the conditions, he could also see the other side of the coin. ‘You can say ride to the conditions. But it’s a Senior TT, who’s going to ride to the conditions?’
Ian Hutchinson, perhaps sniffing an opportunity was adamant that it was good to go. ‘It’s fit to go. We’ve been out in way worse, I don’t understand why people are complaining. The roads are dry’.
Marcus Simpson was at the other end of the argument to Hutchy.
‘Not for me,’ was his verdict. ‘If other people want to do it, then crack on. I do this to have fun- that’s not fun out there.’
In the end the overwhelming consensus from the riders seemed to be that it wouldn’t be a great idea to race. However, the consultation meeting between the riders and Clerk of the Course, Gary Thompson was still ongoing as the 1900 start time approached. Officials began assembling the start-line infrastructure and fans were still hopeful of closing out the festival with ‘the big one’.
But seconds later, Thompson came over the airwaves to make the announcement that racing was too dangerous and that the Milwaukee Senior TT had been cancelled. The announcement was met with groans and frustration, but deep down I think we all knew that it was the right thing to do.
Gary Thompson – Clerk of the Course
‘It was clear, after speaking with a number of competitors from across the field that conditions were not where they needed to be. A couple of competitors said they’d be happy to ride in the conditions, but the overwhelming majority felt that the winds speeds, the way they were gusting and the fact that they were coming from the opposite direction to what they had experienced over the past two weeks- made the conditions too unpredictable and not fit for racing.
Delaying or cancelling any qualifying session or race is never an easy decision. Of course, in situations like this the prestige and profile of the Senior TT naturally come to mind. But there are far more important matters at stake. Ultimately, we’re here to deliver the event in the safest possible manner- and unfortunately, that simply wasn’t achievable this evening.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone; medics, officials, volunteers and competitors for their patience and co-operation throughout this challenging event’.
As Gary’s announcement tailed off, you could hear the emotion creeping into his voice. He was right; this has been a challenging event for all concerned. A testing fortnight that required patience and resilience as the whole island had no choice but to remain positive in the face of unseasonably winter weather on almost every single day. We had delay after delay; and a schedule so often revised that it was almost impossible to plan your day the night before.
But Thompson did a fantastic job. I heard it said many times, by many people that they, ‘wouldn’t do his job for a fortune’. Every day he had calls to make that would change the course of the next 24 hours for an entire island of people. Many of whom had saved all year to experience the TT in all its splendour.
This year, I heard many strange accents of people from far away lands. Much more than I have ever known before. In recent times the live stream TV coverage has reached every corner of the planet and it would seem that the secret of the greatest show on Earth has been let out of the bag. Each time I saw a public service bus whizzing about the City of Douglas and beyond, it had standing room only, if any at all.
The influx of people ground the 4g internet service down to a halt at times; it just couldn’t take the strain. Each and every person obviously felt compelled to report back to their homeland to tell of the incredible things they had seen that day…
In their messages they will have spoken of Davey Todd and his first victory in the Superbike TT; the race that got everything underway, albeit 48 hours later than scheduled.
They’ll have regaled friends and family with tales of ‘The Bull’ Michael Dunlop and his quadruple of wins around the Mountain course. They’ll have sent videos of ‘Deano’ Harrison enroute to a Superstock double on his fire-engine red Fireblade.
And they’ll most likely have struggled for words after witnessing the Crowe brothers score another sidecar double, just inches from the floor, lapping at an average speed of 121 mph.
Of course, this year experiencing those exhilarating moments didn’t come easy. Almost every day, the fans lay waiting in ditches and hedges, sheltering from the elements hoping against hope that Gary Thompson would update the schedule and utter those magic words, ‘we’re good to go’.
On masse, the collective remained positive though, and in the end they were always rewarded. The cliché phrase spoken over and again by all was, ‘… that’s the TT.’ And as much a cliché as it might be, that well-worn adage encapsulates all the many components and elements that make up the great event. If you have ever had the good fortune to attend the festival (even on a good year), then you will instantly recognise the loaded meaning behind those words.
‘That’s the TT’ allows for anything and everything that can possibly go wrong. It also flicks an affectionate nod to all the fantastic things that can go well; the glory, the joy and the overwhelming sense of being apart of something special that does not and cannot exist anywhere else. As a rule of thumb, it also covers all the little idiosyncrasies and foibles that fall between the two extremes… if you know, you know. ‘That’s the TT’.
Sadly, it hasn’t been a positive experience for some. Many riders have had a bruising time- the highest profile of these being Peter Hickman. Thankfully the Lap-record holder is now up on his feet and back in the paddock, all be it with a heavily bruised face and arm in a sling.
On the final lap of the final race on Friday evening, (SuperTwins Race Two), seven-times winner, Michael Rutter crashed at the 31st Milestone. Rutter has been transferred to hospital in England where he is described as stable and talking but with spinal injuries.
Jonathan Goetschy had a major crash at Glen Helen in Friday’s Stock race. The Frenchman has also been transferred to England where he will be treated for head and chest injuries. Goetschy’s condition has been described as ‘serious’.
There was also some politics and drama unfolded on the final day. Mikey Evans was excluded from the results of the opening twins race this afternoon. His bike had preliminary checks after the race in question (after finishing second), but was sealed and to be tested again following the second race. Sadly for Evans, the Dafabet team failed to produce the bike in the allotted time frame when required and the officials removed Evans from the results.
It was unfortunate for Mikey who had wept tears of joy in the winner’s enclosure after his great achievement. Those who witnessed that will have felt intensely sorry for him. Paul Jordan was promoted to third and expressed disappointment at not being able to enjoy the podium, as well as recording his sorrow for Evans. Dafabet took full responsibility, with the Santon rider understandably ‘Absolutely devastated’.
But just like that, TT 2025 is over. The ferrys and the planes will take the punters away across the Irish Sea to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales over the next few days and life on the Isle of Man will return to normal. You can bet that each and every person who leaves will be counting the days until next year.
We can only cross or fingers and hope for good weather. Will John McGuinness return at 54 years of age? Can Peter Hickman come back from that 140 mph crash and be competitive? And surely Michael Dunlop can’t take another yet quadruple… can he?
