Rennie Scaysbrook | June 7, 2019
From iomtt.com
Senior TT
Dean Harrison won a dramatic Dunlop Senior TT race on Friday morning, the final race of the 2019 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, with the Silicone Engineering Kawasaki rider taking the lead after long time leader Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) ran into trouble on the fifth lap.
After a week of second places, Harrison finally won the biggest prize in road racing in the Senior TT.
Hickman had opened up a nearly 18-second lead at two-thirds race distance but he slowed when the bike overheated on the penultimate lap of the Mountain Course which allowed Harrison to sweep through for his third TT victory. Hickman held on for second – 53.062s behind – with Conor Cummins (Milenco by Padgetts Honda) taking third.
With good conditions all around the course, Hickman led from Harrison at Glen Helen first time around but – as expected – it was close with the gap just 0.351s. The duo had already opened up a near six-second advantage over third-placed Cummins. Michael Dunlop, Michael Rutter, and David Johnson were lying in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively but James Hillier clearly had an issue during the first sector and was down in 21st place.
Harrison nudged ahead at Ballaugh by two-tenths of a second but by Ramsey Hickman was back in front albeit by just a tenth of a second. Cummins was now over 11 seconds in arrears and while Dunlop remained in fourth, he was only 0.024s behind the Manxman. Johnson had now overhauled Rutter for fifth with the latter coming under pressure from Davey Todd.
Hickman lead early but ran into machine troubles, forcing him to drop to second.
An opening lap of 134.284mph – which proved to be the fastest lap of the race and the meeting – gave Hickman a 2.2s lead over Harrison with Cummins still in third but now over 14s adrift. He only led Dunlop by 0.824s as Johnson maintained fifth but Todd had now moved up to sixth with his first ever 130mph+ lap. Twenty-three time TT Race winner John McGuinness retired at the Bungalow while Hillier had clawed his way back up to 11th.
Harrison reduced his deficit to Hickman by four tenths at Glen Helen on the second lap with Cummins pulling away from Dunlop – the gap between the two now more than three seconds. Johnson was ten seconds behind the 19-time TT Race winner in fifth but six seconds clear of sixth-placed Todd.
At Ramsey, Hickman had extended his lead to 3.4s and aided by another superb run over the Mountain, the second lap of 134.28mph, which was, amazingly, only 0.022s slower than his first lap, saw the gap stretch to 8.067s. Cummins continued in third although Dunlop closed the gap slightly but Johnson retired at Bedstead which allowed Todd and Rutter to move up to fifth and sixth respectively. It was a double disappointment for Honda as Ian Hutchinson retired at the pits.
After the first round of pit stops, Hickman’s lead had grown to ten seconds by the time he got to Glen Helen on the third lap and Cummins had also pulled away from Dunlop in the battle for the final podium spot, the difference now almost 11 seconds. Rutter had closed in on Todd though and they were split by only 1.4s.
By the end of the third lap – half race distance – Hickman had added more time to his advantage and the Burton upon Trent rider’s lead had increased to a formidable looking 13.48s. Cummins was looking safe in third as he now had a healthy gap of almost 16 seconds over Dunlop but although Rutter had got to within a second of Todd at Ramsey, the youngster enjoyed a seven-second gap over his more experienced rival as they headed out onto lap four. Hillier was now running in seventh.
Coming into the second pit stop, Hickman’s lead over Harrison had increased again, up now to 17.6s, after lapping at 133.55mph as Cummins got more and more secure in third. Todd remained in fifth but Hillier was continuing to work his way back up the leaderboard and a near 131mph lap saw him close to within 3.1s of Todd.
Another solid Senior TT for Cummins put the local man in third on the box.
The pit stops saw a significant change at the top of the timings though and by Glen Helen on the fifth lap, Harrison had brought the lead down to 7.9s as Hickman went through the first sector over nine seconds slower than his Kawasaki rival. The drama continued and at Ballaugh, Harrison had brought the gap down to just 1.1s with Hickman going through the subsequent Sulby speed trap at just 159mph, 30mph slower than Harrison!
Going through Ramsey for the penultimate time, there was a new race leader as Harrison took the lead for the first time and he now led by almost eight seconds. Hickman was losing seven to eight seconds to Harrison through every sector but although he was now over 18s behind, he continued on to his sixth and final lap.
Harrison pressed on and with an untroubled final lap, he duly took his third TT win by 53.062s but with Hickman’s pace slowing, all eyes fell on whether or not he could hold onto second place. He did it – just – as he held off Cummins by 5.8s.
Dunlop had a comfortable fourth place and it was Hillier who got the verdict over Todd for fifth, the latter setting a personal best lap of 131.49mph on the sixth lap in just his second year at the TT. Michael Rutter, Jamie Coward – who recorded his first 130mph lap – Brian McCormack and Dominic Herbertson completed the top ten.
The race results enabled Hickman to regain the Joey Dunlop TT Championship he last won in 2017 with 111 points, 13 ahead of Harrison (98) with Hillier in third (69). Hickman will receive a Bremont watch from the TT’s Official Timing Partner.
After twice previously finishing second, Coward won the TT Privateer’s Championship with the maximum 125 points after being the top privateer in all five of the races. McCormack (61) finished second with Paul Jordan (58) in third.
Kawasaki won the Manufacturer’s Award with Smiths Racing taking the Team Prize for the third year in a row.
2019 Isle of Man TT Results—Senior TT (click PDF)
TT Zero
Michael Rutter was in record-breaking form in today’s SES TT Zero race for electric bikes at the 2019 Isle of Man TT Races fueled by Monster Energy.
Michael Rutter smashed the lap record for the TT Zero class. They are getting fast now!
Rutter clinched the race win with a new record lap from Bathams Mugen teammate John McGuinness. Another veteran competitor, Team Mirai’s Ian Lougher, took the final podium place.
Celebrating its 10th year this year, the TT Zero Race lap record has gone from an average speed of 96.82mph set by Mark Miller in the inaugural TT Zero Race, to Rutter’s new time of 121.909mph, just under a second inside his old record set last year.
John McGuinness claimed another TT podium, his first since returning from a near career-ending injury in 2017.
The race has been dominated in recent years by the Mugen team, with John McGuinness, Michael Rutter and Bruce Anstey all winning races for the Japanese-based factory team and today’s win for Rutter’s – his fifth in the class -also extended his record of winning every TT Zero Race that he has participated in. He was also the first rider to break the prestigious 100mph mark for an electric bike in 2012.
Rutter was never headed in the race and his lead was over 4 seconds at the opening timing point at Glen Helen from Bathams Mugen teammate John McGuinness. Davey Todd, who replaced his Penz13.com teammate Daley Mathison—who was so tragically killed in the Superbike race earlier in the week—on the Nottingham University bike, was in third but was already almost eleven seconds off the leader’s pace. Wales’s Ian Lougher and South African Allann Venter (Brunel University) completed the top five.
McGuinness closed the gap to just over three seconds at Ballaugh and set the fastest time through the Sulby speed trap – a remarkable 176.14 to Rutter’s 173.86 with Todd also flying through Sulby straight with 160.16 – all three times testament to the progress that these electric bikes have made.
Veteran Ian Laugher came home third.
However, Rutter again improved his lead back up to almost five seconds by the third checkpoint at Ramsey Hairpin. By the Bungalow the main question on everyone’s lips was whether Rutter could break his own lap record and he answered the question at the Grandstand with a new lap record.
McGuinness comfortably held on to second place at the chequered flag but with Davey Todd stopping after Ramsey, Ian Lougher moved into the final podium place and duly came home in third with an average lap speed of 102.690mph.
With Todd retiring, it was left to Allann Venter to give Brunel University the honor of being the leading University. The Duffy Motorsport pair – Mike Norbury and Shaun Anderson were next home with 83.289 and 72.026 respectively. Matthew Rees, representing the University of Bath, was the final finisher.
2019 Isle of Man TT Results—Zero TT (click PDF)
Lightweight
Michael Dunlop took a thrilling Bennetts Lightweight TT Race victory at the 2019 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, on Thursday evening when he beat Jamie Coward by just 1.299s at the end of the shortened two-lap race.
Michael Dunlop took his 19th TT victory in the Lightweight class for Paton.
Dunlop (SC Corse Paton) and Coward (KTS Racing Kawasaki) swapped the race lead on a number of occasions and were never more than a few seconds apart but the Ulsterman just held off Coward for his 19th TT victory. Lee Johnston finished in third place on the KMR Kawasaki.
Dunlop led Coward at Glen Helen on the first lap by 2.68s with Gary Johnson only 0.676s adrift in third. Bonetti slotted into fourth ahead of Michael Rutter and Johnston with Peter Hickman the best of the Nortons in eighth.
Coward pulled two-tenths of a second back on the run to Ballaugh but by Ramsey Dunlop had extended his lead to four seconds and although Johnson was still in third, he was now 5.8s behind Coward. He had his hands full with KMR Kawasaki team-mate Johnston who had closed to within 0.158s but John McGuinness was a retirement at Ballaugh.
Second place for Coward signaled his first TT podium.
Over the Mountain, Coward took 3.7s out of Dunlop’s lead to trail by just three-tenths of a second at the Bungalow and he took the lead for the first time at Cronk ny Mona. His opening lap of 120.65mph gave him a slender 0.748s advantage over Dunlop but Johnston had made great progress to move up to third ahead of Stefano Bonetti, Johnson, and Paul Jordan.
Davey Todd retired his Norton at the pits but at the head of the field, Dunlop cut Coward’s lead by three-tenths of a second at Glen Helen second time around with just under half a second separating the duo. Johnston was only two seconds ahead of Bonetti as Jordan moved ahead of Johnson into fifth.
At Ballaugh, the gap had come down further still to 0.163s but at Ramsey Dunlop was back in front by 1.4s with just the final run over the Mountain to come. Coward wasn’t giving up without a fight though and he had the better run to the Bungalow as he brought the deficit down to 1.158s.
Lee Johnston took another podium in third.
The Yorkshire rider took another four tenths out of Dunlop as they passed through Cronk ny Mona and as Dunlop flashed across the line at 122.746mph, three-hundredths of a second outside his own lap record, he had an agonizing wait to see if he’d won.
Coward lapped at 122.52mph but fell 1.299s short although second place saw him claim his first ever TT podium. Johnston took third for former winner Ryan Farquhar with Jordan taking an excellent fourth place finish in his third TT ahead of Rutter and Bonetti.
Johnson faded to seventh as Peter Hickman gave Norton something to cheer about in eighth with Dominic Herbertson and Horst Saiger completing the top ten.
2019 Isle of Man TT Results—Lightweight TT (click PDF)
Superstock
Peter Hickman joined a select group of riders to win two races in a day at the Isle of Man TT Races, fueled by Monster Energy when he dominated the RL360 Superstock race to win by 26.045s from Dean Harrison (Silicone Engineering Kawasaki).
The Smiths Racing BMW rider followed up his Monster Energy Supersport success from earlier in the day to take his fifth TT victory – and his third of the week – with David Johnson (Honda Racing) achieving his maiden TT podium in third as he got the better of Michael Dunlop on the final lap by just 0.208s.
A superb first sector saw Hickman lead through Glen Helen on the opening lap, – 1.68s ahead of Harrison with James Hillier a similar distance back in third. Dunlop slotted into fourth ahead of Michael Rutter and Davey Todd who was having a storming ride in sixth.
Another TT, another win for Peter Hickman.
Hickman increased his lead by a further seven-tenths of a second at Ballaugh, while Dunlop moved ahead of Hillier for third. At Ramsey Hairpin the Burton upon Trent rider’s advantage had grown to 3.978s. Harrison was now almost five seconds clear of Dunlop with Hillier, Conor Cummins and Johnson occupying fourth to sixth positions.
A brilliant run over the Mountain and an opening lap of 132.02mph gave Hickman a 9.026s lead over Harrison as the riders all made their mandatory pit stop. Dunlop was just over four seconds behind Harrison but 6.7s ahead of Hillier although the Kawasaki rider picked up a 30s pit lane speeding penalty which dropped him down the order. Johnson was now in fifth having overhauled Cummins.
Hickman’s lead at Glen Helen had come down to 5.8s as Harrison made his bid to close the gap and it looked like it was now a two-horse race with Dunlop over eleven seconds in arrears in third. Johnson had moved up to fourth, courtesy of a superb pit stop, from Cummins and Rutter as Hillier went through in ninth.
Harrison once again took the runner-up place in second.
As the lap unfolded, Hickman began to reassert his authority back on the race once more and the lead was up to nine seconds at Ramsey with Dunlop having lost a further three seconds on the west part of the circuit. Indeed, he was now coming under pressure from a charging Johnson on the Honda Racing machine.
Hickman’s second lap speed of 128.13mph gave him a healthy lead of 16.576s over Harrison as he headed into his third and final lap of the 37.73-mile course. Dunlop was now only 3.2s ahead of Johnson as Cummins and Rutter slotted into fifth and sixth. Hillier had fought his way back up to seventh.
At Glen Helen third time around, Hickman had extended his advantage over Harrison to 18.078s but Johnson had now moved up to third at the expense of Dunlop, although the gap between the pairing was only 0.784s.. Cummins and Rutter remained in fifth and sixth respectively but the battle for third was getting closer with Dunlop having closed to within 0.114s at Ballaugh.
After a decade of trying, Johnson finally cracked the TT podium in third place.
Throughout the final lap, Hickman continually pressed home his advantage and with a final lap speed of 131.38mph, he took the chequered flag by 26.045s to move on to a career total of five TT wins.
Harrison took his second runner-up spot of the day, and third of the week, with Johnson getting the better of Dunlop for third by 0.208s as he overhauled the Ulsterman in the final sector. Cummins and Rutter took fifth and sixth with Hillier, Todd, Jamie Coward and Gary Johnson completing the top 10.
Dean Osborne was reported to be unhurt after coming off at Appledene.
2019 Isle of Man TT Results—Superstock TT (click PDF)
Supersport 2
Peter Hickman claimed his fourth TT Race victory at the Isle of Man TT Races fueled by Monster Energy when he won Thursday’s two-lap Monster Energy Supersport TT Race, his first win in the 600cc category.
Hickman took his second TT win of 2019 with a 3.3-second win, once again over arch nemesis, Dean Harrison.
The Trooper Beer by Smiths Racing Triumph rider was locked in battle throughout the two laps with Dean Harrison (Silicone Engineering Kawasaki) but with his now customary charge over the Mountain on lap two, the Burton upon Trent rider edged to a win by 3.3s. James Hillier took third on the Quattro Plant Wicked Coatings Kawasaki.
Having originally been scheduled for 10.45am on Wednesday, the race, cut from four laps to two, eventually got underway at 12.55pm on Thursday and with dry conditions all round the Mountain Course, except for some sight damp patches at Laurel Bank, the Black Dub, Glen Helen, Kerromoar and Ramsey Hairpin, it was Hickman who led at Glen Helen on the opening lap.
However, his lead over Hillier was just 0.06s and it was close across the leaderboard with Harrison, Gary Johnson, Lee Johnston and Jamie Coward filling third to sixth place positions as just two and a half seconds covered the top six. Ian Hutchinson was in trouble though with the Honda Racing rider retiring at Quarter Bridge.
Harrison must be getting sick of finishing second to Hickman at the TT by now.
It was all change at Ballaugh as Harrison took over the lead from Hillier and Hickman with the trio separated by only half a second but by Ramsey Hickman moved back to the top of the leaderboard. The gap was only 0.038s as Hillier dropped back to third, one and a half seconds adrift of Harrison.
The trio remained close as they went up and over the Mountain for the first time but an opening lap of 127.21mph gave Hickman a 2.3s lead over Harrison with Hillier just under a second further back in third. Conor Cummins and Coward had moved up to fourth and fifth as Johnston slipped back to sixth.
With no pit stop on this occasion, the riders went on to their second and final lap but Harrison’s strength on the opening sector could again be seen as he turned his deficit into a half second advantage as the riders swept round the left hander at Glen Helen. It looked to be a two-horse race as well as Hillier was now three seconds in arrears of Hickman.
By Ballaugh, Hickman had edged ahead again but it remained extremely tight with Harrison only three tenths of a second behind. Hillier dropped another second but stayed in third over six seconds clear of Cummins as Coward and Johnson completed the top six.
As they arrived at Ramsey for the final time, the gap, amazingly, was almost exactly the same and, just like last year’s Senior race, it was all going to come down to the final run over the Mountain.
Hillier came home for another podium in third.
Through the Bungalow, Hickman had added another six tenths of a second to his lead and he’d increased it to 1.9s at Cronk ny Mona. Indeed, with the fastest lap of the race, 128.14mph, Hickman clinched victory by 3.302s for his first Supersport TT win.
Harrison had to settle for second with Hillier taking another 600cc podium in third as Cummins finished in a safe fourth. Coward took his best ever TT result in fifth ahead of Dunlop with Davey Todd also having his best ever TT finish in seventh. Gary Johnson, Lee Johnston and David Johnson rounded out the top 10.
Hickman’s victory saw him extend his lead at the top of the Joey Dunlop TT Championship to 13 points and he now leads the way on 66 from Harrison (53) and Hillier (49).
Coward took his third successive maximum haul of points in the race for the TT Privateers Championship and he’s moved onto 75 points ahead of Derek Sheils (47) and Paul Jordan (45) who took 12th and 11th respectively in today’s race.
Matt Stevenson was reported to be off at Greeba Castle and was treated at the scene for a wrist injury.
2019 Isle of Man TT Results—Supersport 2 TT (click PDF)
Sidecar 2
Ben and Tom Birchall matched the ten wins of TT legend Rob Fisher when they took their second victory of the week in the Locate.im Sidecar TT Race at the 2019 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy.
The brothers Birchall took yet another TT win in race two.
In a weather-affected fortnight, the race was moved forward from Friday’s scheduled start and reduced to 2 laps to complete a packed program of races.
The Nottinghamshire brothers overcame the early challenge of John Holden/Lee Cain to win by more than twenty seconds with Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley sealing the final podium position in third.
The Birchalls led Holden/Cain by a second at Glen Helen on the first of the two laps with Alan Founds/Jake Lowther, Founds/Walmsley and Lewis Blackstock/Patrick Rosney slotting into third to fifth. Dave Molyneux/Harry Payne and Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes both got further than what they had done in the opening race but were back in sixth and seventh respectively.
Holden and Cain came home second.
Founds/Lowther only made it up the hill and were reported to have stopped at Sarah’s Cottage where they were making adjustments while Monday’s sensational newcomers Ryan and Callum Crowe failed to make the start with machine issues but at the head of the field, it was extremely tight as Holden/Cain reduced the deficit by a tenth of a second as they took the jump at Ballaugh Bridge.
Through Ramsey Hairpin first time around, the Birchalls injected a sense of urgency and their lead had increased to 2.757s but with Alan Founds reported as stopped, brother Pete moved up to third albeit over 14 seconds adrift of Holden/Cain. Blackstock/Rosney were now fourth with Molyneux/Payne in fifth and Reeves/Wilkes up to sixth.
An opening lap of 118.38mph saw the Birchalls extend their lead over Holden/Cain to 10.602s while Founds/Lowther remained in third albeit now thirty seconds behind the leaders. Blackstock/Rosney, Molyneux/Payne and Reeves/Wilkes continued to occupy fourth to sixth.
Founds and Warmsley took their first podium since 2016.
The lead had stretched to 13 seconds at Glen Helen second time around and Holden/Cain were also extending their advantage over Founds/Walmsley, the gap now up to 24.636s. Blackstock/Rosney continued to hold on to fourth but they pulled into the car park by the commentary point to make adjustments before rejoining the race.
Former race winners Molyneux and Reeves were now split by only 0.2s as they circulated in fifth and sixth but by Ramsey for the second and final time, the Birchalls were almost 17s clear of Holden/Cain and with a lap speed of 118.609mph, they took their second win of the week, and tenth in total, by a commanding 20.511s.
Holden/Cain had to settle for second once more, the Blackburn driver’s 12th podium in a row, with Founds/Walmsley finishing in third and taking their first podium since 2016. Reeves/Wilkes came through to take fourth ahead of Gary Bryan/Phil Hyde with Estelle Leblond/Franck Claeys finishing in a fine sixth place after another 110mph+ lap for the French female driver.
The top ten was completed Blackstock/Rosney, Allan Schofield/Steve Thomas, John Lowther/Scott Hardie and a slowing Molyneux/Payne.
Passenger Julie Grosset-Bourbange was reported to have come out of the sidecar at Rhencullen and sustained an arm injury.
2019 Isle of Man TT Results—Sidecar 2 TT (click PDF)
Superbike
Peter Hickman took victory at the opening race of the 2019 Isle of Man TT races fuelled by Monster Energy when he won a shortened RST Superbike race on the Smiths Racing BMW by 1.782s from Dean Harrison (Silicone Engineering Kawasaki) with Conor Cummins completing the podium in third on the Milenco by Padgetts Motorcycles Honda.
Hickman took the 2019 Isle of Man Superbike TT, but it was a result mired in tragedy.
After the weather affected the race program earlier in the week, the race was scheduled to be held over a reduced four laps but an incident at Snugborough on the third lap brought out the red flag following the crash of Kawasaki-mounted Daley Mathison, who tragically succumbed to his injuries. The result was subsequently declared at the end of the second lap.
After a slight delay of twenty minutes, the race got underway at 11.05am with good, dry conditions reported all around the Mountain Course although the competitors would again have to contend with winds of 25-30mph.
Harrison led at Glen Helen on the opening lap – his advantage over Hickman just 1.1s – with James Hillier a further second back in third. Cummins was only a tenth of a second behind the Kawasaki man as Michael Dunlop and Michael Rutter completed the top six. Three of the fancied runners – John McGuinness, Lee Johnston, and Ian Hutchinson – were down the order though in 14th, 15th and 16th respectively.
The gap between Harrison and Hickman remained the same at Ballaugh as Cummins moved up to third and by Ramsey Hairpin, it was still close with Harrison’s lead just 1.4s. Cummins was now 3.8s adrift of Hickman but almost eight seconds clear of Hillier.
An opening lap of 132.48mph gave Harrison a lead over Hickman of just one second with Cummins still in third but now 4.8s behind the BMW rider. They were the only three riders to lap at more than 130mph with Hillier, Dunlop, and Rutter continuing to fill fourth to sixth places. McGuinness pulled into the pits though with an oil pressure issue whilst Derek McGee also retired.
Cummins held on for third on the Honda CBR1000RR SP2.
Harrison eked out another half second on the run to Glen Helen as he and Hickman remained neck and neck and although Cummins still sat in third place, he was now over eight seconds behind the race leader. Hillier still occupied fourth but Rutter had now overhauled Dunlop for fifth.
A superb sector between Glen Helen and Ballaugh enabled Harrison to increase his lead to 4.8s with Cummins a similar distance behind in third. By the time they reached Ramsey for the second time, Harrison led on the road with his advantage cut back slightly by Hickman to four seconds. Manxman Cummins was now 6.3s behind Hickman.
However, Hickman utilized his prowess over the Mountain and although he was still in second place at the Bungalow, he was now only 0.045s behind Harrison. Cummins was leading on the road again as well but by the end of the lap, the Burton upon Trent rider was ahead for the first time, his second lap of 132.947mph giving him a gap of 1.7s over Harrison.
Hillier broke the 130mph barrier to maintain his hold on fourth and he was now almost 13 seconds ahead of Rutter with Dunlop still in sixth. David Johnson was up to seventh with Jamie Coward, Gary Johnson and Davey Todd rounding out the top ten.
After the single pit stop, Hickman still led but through Glen Helen for the third time, the gap had come down again to 0.690s with Cummins a further ten and a half seconds back in third. There was a change in fourth though as Hillier dropped back to seventh and fourth to sixth was now Rutter, Dunlop and David Johnson.
However, the red flag came out shortly afterward with the result declared at the end of lap two giving Hickman his third victory around the Mountain Course with Harrison and Cummins completing the podium positions.
Hillier was awarded fourth ahead of Rutter and Dunlop with David Johnson, Coward, Gary Johnson, and Todd completing the top 10.
2019 Isle of Man TT Results—Superbike TT (click PDF)
Supersport 1
Lee Johnston took his maiden victory at the Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy when the Ashcourt Racing Yamaha rider won Monday evening’s Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 1 by 3.6s from James Hillier (Quattro Plant Wicked Coatings Kawasaki) with Peter Hickman (Trooper Beer by Smiths Racing Triumph) taking third.
Lee Johnston took his first win at the Isle of Man TT with the first Supersport win of the program.
In the post-race press conference, an emotional Johnston explained that running his own operation rather than being factory-backed suited him, “Because we built and designed the bike from scratch it means a lot more – it’s a personal thing.’
Hillier had set the initial pace before Johnston took control at the end of the first lap but conditions on the second lap saw rain falling on the west part of the circuit and organizers took the decision to end the race after two of the scheduled four laps.
Hillier led at Glen Helen on the opening lap – his lead over Johnston 1.3s with Gary Johnson slotting into third, a further 1.2s in arrears. Dean Harrison was lying in fourth as Jamie Coward and Michael Dunlop moved into fifth and sixth.
By Ballaugh, Hillier still led, adding three-tenths of a second to his lead and although second to fourth positions remained the same, Hickman moved up to fifth ahead of Coward.
At the head of the field, Hillier was pressing on but it was still extremely close and Johnston had brought the deficit down to 0.6s at Ramsey Hairpin with Johnson still in third two seconds further back. Less than five seconds covered the leading six riders as they started the Mountain climb for the first time.
Johnston was on the move though, taking the lead as they swept over the tramlines at the Bungalow, and an opening lap speed of 126.03mph gave him a lead of 1.989s over Hillier with Hickman the new third place rider only a further 1.9s adrift. Johnson dropped back to fourth as Harrison and Dunlop ended the lap in fifth and sixth.
Second time around at Glen Helen and Johnston extended his lead over Hillier to 3.9s and Hickman was now only half a second behind the Kawasaki rider. Harrison moved up to fourth at the expense of Johnson with Dunlop still sitting in sixth but unable to make any impression on the riders ahead of him.
Hillier had a superb run from Glen Helen to Ballaugh to bring the gap back down to 0.6s and by Ramsey, the pairing had almost matched each other mile for mile with the difference now 0.7s. Hickman was only 3.6s behind Hillier with Harrison now fourth and Dunlop fifth as Johnson slipped back to sixth.
However, the rain was beginning to fall on the west part of the circuit and the chequered flag came out at the end of the lap with Johnston getting his maiden TT victory by 3.6s from Hillier with Hickman taking his second podium of the day in third.
Harrison, Dunlop, and Conor Cummins took fourth to sixth place positions as Johnson, Coward – the first of the privateers to finish – Davey Todd and Ian Hutchinson completed the top 10.
2019 Isle of Man TT Results—Supersport 1 TT (click PDF)
Sidecar 1
Ben and Tom Birchall took a dominant victory in Monday’s Locate.im Sidecar TT Race at the 2019 Isle of Man TT races, fuelled by Monster Energy, as they swept to victory by 48.116s from John Holden/Lee Cain with Alan Founds/Jake Lowther completing the podium in third.
Brothers Tom and Ben Birchall were once again unstoppable on the mountain.
With a new race record of 57:24.005 (118.317mph), it was the sixth win in a row for the Birchall brothers and ninth in total as Tom became the most successful passenger in TT history bettering the previous best of eight wins he had jointly held with Rick Long and Dan Sayle.
The Birchalls set the pace through Glen Helen on the opening lap with their advantage over Holden/Cain some 4.1s as Pete Founds/Jevan Walmlsey slotted into third a further 5.8s in arrears. They were only 0.362s ahead of Founds/Lowther though as Gary Bryan/Phil Hyde and Lewis Blackstock/Patrick Rosney rounded out the top six.
However, the race saw two big name retirements early on as Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes only got as far as the Bottom of Bray Hill with Dave Molyneux/Harry Payne not faring much better as they retired at Braddan Bridge.
By Ramsey, the Birchalls had increased their lead and the gap to Holden/Cain was now 8.7s but the battle for third was a lot closer and it was Founds/Lowther who were now in third just 0.588s ahead of Founds/Walmsley, the duo now almost 12 seconds adrift of Holden/Cain. Blackstock/Rosney had moved up to fifth with newcomers Ryan and Callum Crowe running in a brilliant sixth place.
At the head of the field, an opening lap of 117.709mph gave the Birchalls a lead over Holden/Cain of 14.904s who were in turn more than 15 seconds clear of the battle for third that continued to rage. It was Founds/Lowther who continued to hold onto the final podium position though with the gap to Founds/Walmsley having increased slightly to 1.687s.
The big news came in fifth place though as the Crowe brothers lapped at 112.56mph to become the fastest sidecar newcomers ever, bettering the mark of 112.031mph set by Tim Reeves in 2008. Blackstock/Rosney slotted into sixth.
By Glen Helen on lap two, the Birchalls extended their lead further with their advantage over Holden/Cain now at a more than healthy 21.3s whilst Founds/Lowther remained in third albeit almost 18s in arrears. Pete Founds, Crowe and Blackstock continued to occupy fourth to sixth.
Throughout lap two, the Birchalls were on lap record pace and at Ramsey Hairpin they were over seven seconds inside their record from twelve months ago. However, the wind over the Mountain appeared to have slowed their progress although a lap of 119.129mph was only a second outside their outright lap record.
Holden/Cain lapped at 117.01mph to remain in third but Founds/Lowther and Founds/Walmsley both set personal best laps of the Mountain Course as they lapped at 116.22mph and 115.77mph respectively. The gap between the two was now 6.2s and although they remained in fifth, the Crowe brothers went quicker still second time around with a lap of 113.53mph.
On the third and final lap, the Birchalls continued to extend their lead through the timing points and they duly crossed the line at 118.12mph to win from Holden/Cain by 48.116s.
Founds/Lowther took their second TT podium, and first since 2016, as they edged out Founds/Walmsley by just 5.5s, the duo both lapping quicker than the previous lap at 116.37mph and 116.44mph respectively.
Ryan and Callum Crowe took a brilliant fifth place ahead of Blackstock/Rosney as Bryan/Hyde, Conrad Harrison/Andy Winkle, Allan Schofield/Steve Thomas and the father and son pairing of Gary and Daryl Gibson completed the top ten.
2019 Isle of Man TT Results—Sidecar 1 TT (click PDF)
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