Isle of Man TT promises awesome battles as action continues
Wednesday 10 June 2009
TT
It would be a brave person who would try to predict the outcome of today’s Relentless Supersport Race 2 event at the 2009 Isle of Man TT.
The Mountain section of the TT course closed at 9.30am, and the rest of the course is due to shut at 10am, with the four-lap race scheduled for 10.45am.
After his magnificent results on Tuesday, all eyes will be on Padgett’s Honda rider Ian Hutchinson. He snatched victory in the first Relentless Supersport Race on the very last lap, and took another win in the Royal London 360 Superstock race after a classic battle with Guy Martin.
The Superstock race was one of the all-time classic TT confrontations, with Hutchy and Martin separated by just 0.04 seconds at the end of lap three. The blistering pace saw Hutchinson set a new race record, and a new lap record in excess of 129mph!
With that form and his confidence at an all-time high, Hutchinson must start today as a favourite for the win.
However, Martin is also in great form – taking two second places yesterday – and must be close to that elusive first TT win.
Scot Keith Amor, who took the Wilson Craig Honda machinery to third place in both of Tuesday’s races will also be out to make more headlines as racing continues.
Teammates John McGuinness and Steve Plater had a disappointing day, and will be hoping for more from their 600cc Hondas today.
Potentially the man to watch today is Bruce Anstey.
The TAS Suzuki had the first Supersport race won as he left Ramsey on the final lap, his GSX-R600 comfortably in the lead and a new lap record under his belt. However, disaster struck on the Mountain and a mechanical problem saw him coast to a halt at Brandywell, just five miles from the finish.
The bad luck continued in the Superstock race, with Anstey retiring after just one lap.
The Kiwi clearly has the speed, and barring mechanical problems the 600cc Suzuki can win – if it all comes together today Anstey may be able to secure his eighth TT victory.
This afternoon will see the second Sure Sidecar TT race, with Dave Molyneux looking to add to his amazing 14 TT wins. He equalled Mike Hailwood’s TT record on Monday with victory in the opening sidecar race, finishing well ahead of the rest of the field.
However, fellow Manxman Nick Crowe will be determined to put the disappointment of Monday behind him – he was in a clear lead when he was forced to retire.
It is set to be another magnificent battle between the pair, but after the pace shown in practice and Monday’s race, the outfits of Phil Dongworth, Simon Neary and Tim Reeves cannot be discounted.
The Sure Sidecar race is due to start at 1.15pm.