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ISLE OF MAN: Wednesday Recap
Written by: Ken Hutchison
Motorcycle-USA.com   http://www.motorcycle-usa.com
06/06/2007
Isle of Man, UK
 
HM Plant Honda's Ian Hutchinson (Photo: Honda Pro Images) ยป More Photos

HM Plant's Ian Hutchinson earned his first career TT victory with a win in the Supersport race on Tuesday afternoon. The 27-year old redeemed his Supersport disqualification from 2006 with a valiant ride that had him best his friend and mentor John McGuiness aboard the Padgetts Honda CBR600RR by a mere two seconds. The charismatic Guy Martin rode his Hydrex Honda to the final position on the podium and ensuring an all Honda podium for the Centenary Supersport TT.

While not battling for the outright victory the quest to break the 120 mph lap barrier was enough driving force to keep Blackhorse Racing Honda's Jimmy Moore motivated. After being moved up from 51st on the grid to 30th because of his impressive effort in the Superstock race, Moore was sure that his position among the faster riders would allow him to pick up the pace a bit.

Hutchy was in fourth at the end of the first lap but Relentless Suzuki's Bruce Anstey was setting a blistering pace in the early stages with a 124.055 mph first lap followed by a mind-boggling 125.051 on Lap 2. McGuiness and Martin were running ahead of Hutchinson on the clock so at this point the odds of keeping his Centenary TT podium streak alive looked more viable than a win. But that's why they run the race. Before the riders reached the pivotal pit stop at the end of the second lap, Hutchinson had dispatched Martin on the time sheets and was chipping away at the gap between himself and second place McGuiness. Things were looking up for the Yorkshireman.

Meanwhile, Anstey, the supersport specialist, had his GSX-R600 at the top of the time charts and was effectively checking out. When the Superstock race-winner pulled into pit lane for refueling everything was pointing towards him earning his second win of the weekend. That is until the Relentless team closed the gas cap and tried to push start his GSX-R (Not running a battery or starter saves valuable weight dontcha know) the stubborn steed wouldn't fire. The team pushed, and pushed down the pit lane losing valuable seconds hand over fist as the fans watched unbelieving. One can only imagine what was going on in Anstey's mind at that point. Eventually the bike started but his hopes for another TT victory were all but dashed as Hutchinson's HM Plant team's pit stops were efficient and uneventful by comparison.

The Blackhorse pit stops went well too. Although Ian Lougher was not having the type of day he is accustomed to at the TT he was determined to keep his CBR inside the top-10. By the time Moore came down pit lane he had worked his way into the top-20 and was looking like a veteran in only his third TT race in as many days. Unbeknownst to the native Alaskan was that he had broken the 120 mph barrier on the second lap with a 120.178 mph average.

By Ballaugh Bridge, Hutchinson found himself nearly six seconds ahead of McGuiness but the 12-time winner was not about to roll over with a lap and a half remaining. While McGuiness was busy trying to work his way through lapped traffic in an attempt to cut into Hutchy's lead, Anstey was riding his heart out trying to reel in Martin and the trio of Hondas now in front of him.

Late in the race, Anstey was not able to gain time on Martin but McGuiness was making time on Hutchinson. Known as the Master of the Mountain, McGuiness made up two seconds on the leader and if not for a few difficult passes facilitated by the slower back markers, McGuiness might have made it up. On the course, Anstey had physically caught Hutchinson but the Honda pilot realized that it was critical for him to stay on the tail of the GSX-R in order to maintain his lead in the standings. Plus, following an ultra-fast rider like Anstey couldn't hurt his attempt to hold off a hard-charging McGuiness.

When the dust settled and the riders crossed the finish line on the final lap, Hutchinson had earned
his first ever TT win leaving McGuiness to wait until Friday's Senior TT to get a shot at extending his TT tally to 13. Anstey could only wonder if those extra pounds in the form of a starter and battery were worth the sacrifice.

"I am absolutely over the moon - everything was brilliant today," said race-winner Hutchinson. "I really love riding the 600 and I tried so hard to ride four perfect laps. It's very special to win with it being the centenary event. There are so many people here that haven't been here before. I pushed hard from the start and didn't realize Bruce had any problems until he came past me - so I knew if I stayed with him we'd be on target."

Jimmy Moore capped off his career-best TT finish with an impressive 121.381 mph lap on his final dash around the 37.73-mile road course. Moore was 15th on the day.

2007 Isle of Man Supersport TT Results:

1. Ian Hutchinson (Honda) 1h 13' 29.11" - 123.23 mph
2. John McGuinness (Honda) 1h 13' 31.95" - 123.15 mph
3. Guy Martin (Honda) 1h 13' 35.92" - 123.04 mph
4. Bruce Anstey (Suzuki) 1h 13' 38.27" - 122.97 mph
5. Nigel Beattie (Yamaha) 1h 15' 03.59" - 120.64 mph
6. Conor Cummins (Yamaha) 1h 15' 10.08" - 120.47 mph
7. Ryan Farqhar (Kawasaki) 1h 15' 14.46" - 120.35 mph
8. Steve Plater (Yamaha) 1h 15' 14.93" - 120.34 mph
9. Chris Palmer (Honda) 1h 15' 15.20" - 120.33 mph
10. Ian Lougher (Honda) 1h 15' 34.94" - 119.81 mph
11. Dan Stewart (Yamaha) 1h 15' 41.99" - 119.62 mph
12. Keith Amor (Honda) 1h 15' 45.03" - 119.54 mph
13. Martin Finnegan (Honda) 1h 16' 05.56" - 119 mph
14. Ian Pattinson (Honda) 1h 16' 08.61" - 118.92 mph
15. Jimmy Moore (Honda) 1h 16' 22.98" - 118.55 mph

Sidecar TT - Race B

HM Plant and Honda continue to be the dominant force in the Centenary TT as the Sidecar pairing of Dave Molyneux and Rick Long claimed their second win of the week. Molyneux earned his 13th career TT win while Long extended his wins total as a passenger to eight. The win did not come easy. Nick Crowe and Daniel Sayle had extended their lead to 25-seconds on the final lap but a mechanical failure dropped them out of the lead, handing the win over to the HM Plant team.

It was a miracle that Molyneux even made the Sidecar race. Actually it was a good piece of luck as a stray dog wandering on the course caused a 15-minute delay which allowed the team to make last minute repairs to the sidecar that were controversially completed just moments before the start of the race. Sometimes it's just as important to be lucky as good.

"Unbelievable, these are the two most unexpected victories of my career," said Molyneuxr. "A week ago I didn't think it would happen. At the start we had an electronic problem, but the start was delayed and that gave me time to fix it. I didn't know the reason at the time, but though I hate dogs, I'll have this one as pet. I'll love it forever."

John Holden/Andrew Winkle (Suzuki) took second place ahead of Yamaha crew Steve Norbury and Scott Parnell.

Sidecar TT Race B Results:
1. Molyneux/Long (Honda)
2. Holden/Winkle (Suzuki)
3. Norbury/Parnell (Yamaha)
4. Neary/Bond (Yamaha)
5. Schofield/Founds (Suzuki)
6. Connole/Winn (Honda)
7. Harrison/Williams (Honda)
8. Jones/Lake (Honda)
9. Elmer/Marshall (Yamaha)
10. Howles/Jewel (Suzuki)

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