TT favourite Guy on form
Wednesday 04 July 2007
TT
TT favourite Guy Martin dominated proceedings at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough, over the weekend.
The strong form shown at the Centenary TT – where he scored three podium finishes in four attempts – was still on display as Guy contested the Cock o’ the North National Road Races – he won all five of the races he entered!
Riding the Hydrex Hondas, his 100 per cent success rate saw him take not only both legs of the Supersport 600cc and Superbike races, but also the feature Cock o’ the North event. This is the third time Guy has claimed the coveted trophy, having previously won it in 2003 and 2005.
Like the rest of the UK, the seaside town of Scarborough was affected by the frequent, and heavy, rain showers, but the majority of the races were held in drying conditions and Guy took commanding race victories in both Superbike races, his winning margin in excess of 10 seconds on both occasions.
The Supersport 600cc races were very different though as he was locked in battle with arch rival Ian Lougher. The duo exchanged places on a number of occasions, but Guy was in front when it mattered most and he was able to edge out the Welshman. His winning margin was just 0.2 seconds on Saturday, but a final corner; final lap mistake by Lougher on Sunday meant Guy took the win by a more comfortable 7 seconds.
A torrential downpour late on Sunday afternoon meant the Cock o’ the North race was delayed by over an hour and cut from its original 12 laps to six, but Guy didn’t let the delay upset his focus and after another close battle with Lougher, he was able to claim yet another victory, his 40th win around the 2.43-mile woodland circuit.
Speaking afterwards, the 25-year old said:
’I always enjoy riding at Scarborough as it's where I made my real road racing debut back in 2002 and it's been another enjoyable weekend here. The weather did it's best to spoil things and whilst we were lucky not to race in the pouring rain, all of the races were held in damp, tricky conditions, which meant it was quite treacherous at times.'
‘The boys in the team did a great job though and we had the right tyres for the job in each and every race, which certainly made my task that little bit easier. Ian pushed me really hard in the Supersport races and they were very tough but I managed to squeeze by on the final lap each time whilst the Superbike races were a bit more straightforward. The Cock o' the North was another great race so I'm pleased to reclaim the title and very happy to get five wins for the Hydrex team in their first event at Oliver's Mount.’
Guy’s next outing will again be on the public roads as he heads back to the Isle of Man for the Southern 100. The event takes place on the 4.25-mile Billown circuit from July 9-12.
Guy now leads the Duke Road Race Rankings after eight rounds, taking the lead from TT legend John McGuiness by six points. The results also put him back ahead of Conor Cummins, who slips to third.
Phil Wain