Can McGuinness do it again?
Wednesday 03 June 2009
TT
After the stunningly high-speed practice session on Tuesday evening, there is real excitement ahead of the fourth practice session of the 2009 Isle of Man TT.
The Mountain section of the legendary TT course is due to start closing at 5pm, with the rest of the circuit scheduled to be closed by 6pm.
The first solo machines are expected to leave the Grandstand in Douglas at 6.20pm, and riders will be treated to fine conditions, with a breeze and slightly lower temperatures than experienced so far this TT.
John McGuinness, the 14-times TT winner and outright lap record holder, has been the talk of the TT, especially after a staggering effort on the HM Plant Honda Superbike on Tuesday night.
On his second lap out he came within less than 1mph of his own outright lap record, completing the circuit at 129.661mph.
Fans watching the action unfold with the TT Live! subscription service were able to watch the drama sector-by-sector as McGuinness came close to once again breaking the 130mph barrier.
The live data on TT Live! showed he completed the run from the Grandstand to Ramsey Hairpin in a simply amazing 10m 53.59s – an average speed of a staggering 141.557mph!
Guy Martin was second fastest on the Hydrex Honda Superbike, with an average lap speed of 128.294mph on his second circuit.
McGuinness was also the man to beat in the supersport class, at 123.107mph, followed by TAS Suzuki’s Bruce Anstey, with a 121.660mph and Yamaha-mounted Mats Nilsson, who lapped at 121.377mph.
In the superstock class TAS Suzuki rider Cameron Donald came out on top, lapping at 126.436mph, just ahead of Martin, who managed 125.245mph.
Michael Rutter, on his new Suzuki, HM Plant’s Steve Plater and the TAS Suzuki pairing of Donald and Anstey will all be looking for improvements as they prepare for racing, which gets under way on Saturday with the Dainese Superbike TT.
Nick Crowe and Mark Cox should be filled with confidence after managing an average speed of 115.164mph to top the sidecar times, marginally ahead of Dave Molyneux and Dan Sayle, who are consistently pumping in laps in the 114mph-region.
World Champions Tim Reeves and Patrick Farrance will be hoping for some luck this evening, after struggling in each session so far – including one unfortunate incident which had to be resolved with lawnmower parts! (Read the full story here).
Don’t forget you can follow all the action on TT Live!.