The six-lap Superbike race, scheduled to take place on Saturday 1st June, will once again be named the ‘Dainese Superbike Race’, and trackside branding will be present all along the circuit. In addition, travelling marshals will be kitted out with Dainese leather suits, boots and gloves.

As ever, Dainese will continue to support riders, Guy Martin, Connor Cummins, James Hillier and Cheung Wai On.

The actual days of the strike will be announced seven days in advance, but they will be timed to create as much disruption as possible. According to Bobby Morton, Unite’s national officer for passenger transport;

‘We’ve got disputes scheduled for the last week in May and first in June.The drivers will be trying to cause as much disappointment as possible, otherwise there is no point.’

He went on to say that the TT had been chosen because it was the most profitable time of the year for the government-owned bus service, Bus Vannin. This will be the drivers fifth walkout since December in a dispute over plans to cut  wages by £3000.

]]> 0 http://www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk/tt-sidecar-90th-anniversary-parade-lap/ http://www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk/tt-sidecar-90th-anniversary-parade-lap/#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 11:35:57 +0000 Katie Baker http://www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk/?p=13705 This year’s Isle of Man TT sees the sidecars celebrating their 90th anniversary, so it’s only fitting that an honorary parade lap will take place to celebrate the milestone, featuring some of the sport’s greatest riders and machines!

The lap will take place on Senior Race Day which is scheduled for Friday 7th June. Off at number one on the day will be Stuart Muldoon and Chris Gusman, on board the late, great, Jock Taylor’s 1982 race-winning machine. Muldoon and Gusman only managed one outing in 1996, but it was enough to mark them out as one of the fastest ever newcomers, with a lap of 104mph.

Other riders on the day will include champ Dave Molyneux,who will be reunited with Karl Ellison. The duo will be taking part onboard an ex-Steve Webster 500cc Windle Yamaha. Spectators can also enjoy ten-time winner, Rob Fisherout on a 600cc Baker Yamaha and nine-time winner Mick Boddice on his 600cc Honda.

Recent winner, Klaus Klaffenbock will be heading out in fifth place, on the same outfit which took him to three TT wins in 2010-2011. These riders and many more, will be taking part on the day in celebration of sidecars at the TT, so if you’re heading to the Isle of Man this year, enjoy!

Riders Dan Hegarty and Ian Mackman will be onboard the famous bikes in the 500cc Classic scheduled for August, and neither rider is a stranger to the Norton marque. Mackman rode the Norton SGI at 2012′s TT race meet, and was the first man in twenty years to qualify a Norton in the Senior category; sadly, the race didn’t go ahead. Hagerty made his TT debut in 2010 and managed to clock a 121.73mph lap on a Supersport machine. Along with the Classic TT, both riders will be a part of a two-bike factory team on the brand new Norton V4 TT bike.

The Norton SG2 has been built at the Donington Park factory and is comprised of an ISR-braking set-up and semi-active suspension. It also has a brand new chassis and Ohlins suspension.

According to the Evesham rider, he is now 90% fit; something which helped him set the fastest lap on his first stint on the French circuit, before allowing him to settle into a ‘comfortable’ pace. He told bikesportnews.com;

‘I was amazed how well my body held up at the Bol d’Or, having to muscle a Superbike on slicks in the damp so that was pleasing and now I’m ready to get back on the roads.’

Sixteen-time race winner Dave Molyneux will be leading the field in the Number One position, along with his passenger Patrick Farrance in the chair. The duo will be eager to add to their winning tally and as ever will be the ones to watch! It won’t all be plain sailing however, as John Holden and Andy Winkle will will be going off in Number Two position. After securing their first ever victory in 2011, followed by a less than favourable performance last year, they’ll be hoping to come back fighting!

Competing for Honda will be four times World Champion, Tim Reeves, under the SMT banner, along with his teammate Dan Sayle. This duo will be eager to improve upon their second place from 2012. Sitting under Number Four will be the Birchall brothers who still have the backing of three time winner Klaus Klaffenbock. Last year, they managed second and third in both races and lapped just below 113mph.

After missing out on last year’s TT due to a hand injury, Conor Cummins returns to pick up where he left off! He will be riding for Yamaha backed Milwaukee Yamaha, and with podiums in the latter half of last year in the Ulster GP and Southern 100 he will be keen to get back to his best. Conor will also be competing in the Lightweight race aboard one of Ryan Farquhar’s Rapid KMR Kawasaki’s. Since breaking the fastest ever starting lap with a speed of 131.511, he will most definitely be one to watch.

Next up is Dan Kneen who has switched to Suzuki power for 2013. He’ll be pushing hard for top six results and to be prominent in every race!

Gavin Hunt will make his TT debut this year, after showing what he’s made of in the British Superstock 1000 since 2009. He has also contested the North West 200 since 2010. As the son of former TT star, Paul Hunt, Gavin has plenty of pedigree behind him and will campaign on a ZX-10R Kawasaki in the Dainese Superbike, Royal London 360 Superstock and the PokerStars Senior Races.

Rounding off the line-up is Ryan Kneen, brother of Dan. He began his career at the Manx GP, winning the Newcomer’s Race in 2008.

2013 is the second year running that numbers 1-20 have been seeded at the TT, with the rest of the start positions determined by qualifying times. The first 12 riders will be the same for Dainese Superbikes, PokerStars Senior, Royal London 360 Superstock and the Monster Energy Supersport race.

Quattro Kawasaki’s James Hillier will be taking the number one spot. Hillier was the star of 2012′s TT, finishing all his races inside the top seven, on his way to fifth in the Joey Dunlop TT Solo Championship. Cameron Donald will be the first Honda rider to leave from second position – he will be looking to add to his two TT wins from 2008.

Guy Martin, Bruce Anstey and Michael Dunlop will take fourth, fifth and sixth places respectively, while number seven will be filled by Gary Johnson on a variety of Honda,Kawasaki and MV Agusta machinery for the Superbike, Supersport and Superstock races.

Eight place is taken up by Michael Rutter who will this year be hoping to clock a 130mph lap and make the podium in the Superbike category, while ninth sees Dan Stewart who makes the top ten for the first time since winning 2012′s Privateer’s Championship.

The tenth position in the lineup goes to Connor Cummins for Milwaukee Yamaha Superbike. Connor will be determined to make a positive comeback after missing last year dur to injury.

John first competed at the Isle of Man in 1996 and so far has accrued a huge nineteen race victories. In addition, he holds the lap record of 131.578mph, which he set in 2009. Born on the Isle of Man, Dave Molyneux has sixteen sidecar races under his belt, including winning both races of 2012 along with his passenger, Patrick Farrance.

In receiving the honour, the two riders will be following some of the greatest names in the history of the TT, including Giacomo Agostini, Geoff Duke and Mike Hailwood, to name but a few. John’s point on the course will be known as ‘McGuinness’s’ and will be situated at  his favourite area of Shoughlaigue. Dave’s corner is the right-hander at the end of Cronk-y-Voddy straight. It will now be known as ‘Molyneux’s’.

The old signs will now be available to buy on ebay, along with other course memorabilia. All funds raised will be poured straight back into the running of the TT!

The free Fan Party, hosted by Manx Radio TT’s Chris Kinley and Tim Glover all begins on Wednesday 10th April, at the Villa Marina. All the top competitors will be there to give their thoughts ahead of the event, before answering your questions. John McGuinness will be speaking about adding to his nineteen race wins, while Josh Brookes will be giving the lowdown on his preparations ahead of his debut TT! Other greats in attendance will include Bruce Anstey, Gary Johnson, Ian Lougher, Michael Dunlop and Michael Rutter. Cameron Donald will even be linking up live from Australia.

If you aren’t able to make it to the Isle this year, then don’t worry, because you can follow the event live on the iomtt.com website. You can also tweet your questions to @iom_tt and the best ones will be put to the riders, live, on the night!

If you are looking to head to the event this year, tickets are still available to the TT Launch – Access All Areas, which offers exclusive, behind the scenes access to the races, as well as providing you with the opportunity to meet the riders in person at the media launch on 10th April. Your ticket will include a breakfast reception, the chance to be pictured with the riders at a secret location, and a lunch. You’ll then be transported back to Villa Marina before having an evening buffet with the riders,  ahead of the public launch where you will have reserved seats. Tickets come in at £200 and can be purchased from the iomtt.com website.

Miller is the fastest American in the history of the event, with a fastest lap of 125.507mph. So far, he has achieved seventeen replicas and a victory in the 2010 TT Zero Race. This year, he will be taking on the Dainese Superbike, the Royal London 360 Superstock and the Pokerstars Senior TT Races.

Wai On will be making his TT debut and will be the first Chinese rider ever to take on the Course. He will contest the 1000cc on an RSV-4 Aprilia and the three-lap Lightweight TT Race on an ER6 Kawasaki. So far, Wai On has raced in Britain in the 125cc class, before contesting the Australian Championship. He moved onto Superbikes in 2011, finishing third in the Chinese Superbike Championship.

2013 will also be Brookes’ first time at the Isle of Man TT, where he will take part in the Superbike and Superstock events, but he says he’s keen to use his first outing as a learning curve, rather than  going out there to win every race. Speaking to bikesportnews.com, Brookes said;

‘Initially, when I thought about road-racing, I didn’t have the NW200 in mind. My priority was to go to the Isle of Man. If I only ever did one road race, the Isle of Man is what I wanted to do, but seeing as I spend most of the year in Northern Ireland, and I have been to the race a few times, I have the bug to do it.’

Headed up by the recently retired Rico Penzkofer,  riders Steve Mercer, Herve Gantner, Yoshinari Matsushita and Steven Michels will take to the famous roads on BMW machinery, with Mercer on the HP4 Superbike and the other three riders on S10000RR bikes.

For Steve Mercer, the 2013 event will be his fifth TT to date. Having taken twelfth place in the Dainese Superbike race for the past two years, he’s ready to take on the Dainese, the Royal London 360 Superstock and the PokerStars Senior TT, so he’ll be eager for top results.

Herve Gantner made his TT debut in 2010, and has already managed to break the 120mph barrier. Forced to miss out last year due to a hand injury, he’s now back with a vengeance and hoping for big results!

Yoshinari Matsushita will be enjoying his fourth year at the TT, and both he and Gantner will line up in the same three 1000cc races as Steve Mercer.

For 22 year old Steven Michels, the TT is the next logical step. After having contested his first ever International Road Racing Championship last year, where he took fifth place overall, he will now compete in the Dainese Superbike, the Royal London 360 Superstock and the Pokerstars Senior Races. The young rider said he was thrilled to be racing in the TT;

‘The TT at the Isle of Man is one of the most famous races in the wold and I will be a part of it. Road racing thrills me and I am happy about this opportunity. This will be my highlight so far!’

Despite his pedigree, it won’t all be plain sailing for Bruce! He’ll be going up against some other greats of the TT world, including the legendary John McGuinness, Cameron Donald, William Dunlop, James Hillier and Ian Lougher, to name but a few! Speaking of his partnership with Bruce, Ken McIntosh said;

‘When I heard about the plans for the new Classic TT I felt we had to be a part of it, and with Cameron Donald already committed to ride another bike at the event, the suggestion came from Cameron himself that I couldn’t get anyone better than Bruce Anstey to take over the reins. It’s a great honour for me to have New Zealand’s most successful TT rider ever on our New Zealand built bike and we will be looking for a result right from the off.’

Dan’s highest result so far is a fifth place finish during the Supersport A Race in 2010. This year, he’s hoping for an even better finish, as he enters all the main classes. 2013 will be the fifth consecutive season that Marks Bloom has supplied machinery for Kneen, who will be racing a Suzuki GSXR600 in the Monster Energy Supersport race, a Suzuki GSXR1000 in the Royal London 360 Superstock and the same K11 Suzuki GSXR1000 Superbike he rode last year in the Dainese Superbike Race. He’ll also be taking part in the Track Electronics ER6 Kawasaki for the Lightweight TT. Speaking of his up and coming season, Dan said;

‘Ever since the end of last season, we’ve been working really hard with the bikes to ensure they’re fully prepared from the word go and I can’t wait for my first outing in a few weeks’ time.’

Rutter has a packed schedule for the 2013 season, so an injury of this magnitude couldn’t have come at a worse time. At the moment, it seems pretty unlikely he’ll be able to make the opening of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch on April 7th, when he was due to ride for Bathams Honda, but he should be back in business when it comes to taking part in the North West 200 for Honda Legends. Rutter explained that after the crash, he didn’t think he’d done anything too serious;

‘It didn’t feel too bad at first and I was walking around after the crash, but I thought it was best to get an x-ray just to be sure. That revealed a crack at the base of the tibia.I was given crutches and a temporary cast so I can get back to the UK and get it sorted out. Hopefully it won’t be too long to heal and I’ll be back on the bike as soon as possible.’

McGuinness will compete for Phil Morris’s RLR Racing team in the race, which is scheduled to take place ahead of this year’s PokerStars senior TT on Friday 7th June, and though it’s been a while, the champion in no stranger to Phil’s team. He last rode for them nearly ten years ago when he managed back to back victories at the Lightweight TT onboard a Honda VFR400. Team Owner, Phil Morris said he’s thrilled to have John back on board;

‘We got the new bike delivered last week and we’ve already spent time with it on the dyno. We know we have a lot to do, but it’s an exciting opportunity and John is really up for it. We have a great bike and the best rider so the aim is to be on the top step of the podium this year.’

As the son of former TT star, Paul Hunt, Gavin has always had a fantastic inspiration for his career. So far, he’s focussed on short circuits, especially the British Superstock 1000cc Championship. This year, he’ll make his debut for the JAR Kawasaki team and intends to focus his entire season around the TT event. Good luck to him!

In the TT, Olie will ride the SMV Engineering R6 in the Supersport races, and the Steve Bond/Flitwick Motorcycles Fireblade in the three larger classes. He will then try his hand at the Suzuki V-Strom racer during the lightweight race at the end of the week.

The team will then return to the Island at the end of August for the inaugural Classic TT, where Olie will field a Paton; before entering the 350cc on a Roger Winfield’s 350 Honda or an Aermacchi. He will also be entering the Classic Superbike TT onboard an FZ750, which has been rebuilt after a crash in 2010 at Bishopscourt.

Competing in three races means Olie is one of very few riders entering every class he is eligible for and while all the plans are in place for the team, they could well be threatened if they aren’t able to find enough funds. If you can help in any way, why not think about visiting www.OlieLinsdellRacing.com where you can make a donation.