A day of history at the 2009 Isle of Man TT
History will be made around the legendary Isle of Man TT course today (Friday).
Not only will we discover who will win the 2009 Pokerstars Senior TT – the blue riband race of the event – but we will also witness the world’s first race for clean emission motorcycles, the TTXGP.
The Mountain section of the course is due to close at 9.30am, with the rest of the circuit closed by 10am.
The one-lap TTXGP race is scheduled to start at 10.45am, with the six-lap Pokerstars Senior TT set for a 1pm start.
Of course, the programme is subject to change and, as we’ve already seen during the 2009 TT, weather conditions can lead to delays. Updates will be posted on iomtt.com as they become available, but you can also hear the latest on Sure Radio TT or call (01624) 685888 for the latest road closure information.
John McGuinness has to start as favourite for the Senior – he’s won it in each of the past four years and dominated Monday’s Dainese Superbike race. Now a 15-time TT winner, McGuinness is clearly comfortable on his HM Plant Honda superbike, not only controlling the race from the front, but also recording a new outright lap record with an average lap speed of 130.442mph on his second circuit.
He may have struggled in the supersport and superstock races, but he remains the man to beat on the superbike.
But that means McGuinness has a target on his back for the rest of the field.
TAS Suzuki’s Bruce Anstey will be desperate to make up for one of his most disappointing TTs. He retired on the opening lap of the Dainese Superbike race, retired on the final lap of the first Relentless Supersport while leading and retired from the Royal London 360 Superstock race after just one lap.
His only finish so far was second in the Relentless Supersport 2 race, and the Kiwi will be determined to finish TT2009 on a high. Following the cancellation of the Senior practice session on Wednesday, the TAS team took advantage of the Thursday’s break from racing to put in some testing on the Jurby airfield circuit.
The Suzuki GSX-R1000 clearly has race-winning pace – Anstey set a fastest practice speed of 130.129mph and his TAS teammate Cameron Donald set an unofficial lap record pave of 131.457mph.
Guy Martin, another to test at Jurby on Thursday, is still without a TT win to his name, and will be going all out to put that right in the Senior. His best speed on the Hydrex Honda in practice was just a whisker under 130mph, and took his best speed to 129.806mph during the Dainese Superbike race.
While the practice pace may not mark them out as obvious candidates for honours in the Senior, Ian Hutchinson and Michael Dunlop are on highs after stunning victories this week. Hutchy took two wins in a day with victory in the first Relentless Supersport race and the Royal London 360 Superstock, while Dunlop put his famous surname back on the top step of the TT podium with a first win in the Relentless Supersport 2 race, making the most of wet conditions to build an impressive lead over the rest of the field.
While the confidence which comes with a win counts for a lot, neither is expected to have the machinery to challenge for a Senior victory unless threatened showers materialise and even the field a little.
The same could be said of Manxman Conor Cummins, still celebrating his first TT podium, and Scot Keith Amor, who has added two third places to his TT tally this week.
Whoever finally takes the honour of winning the 2009 Pokerstars Senior TT, it is expected to be a thrilling race to cap off a dramatic week of racing around the Mountain circuit, and you can follow it all with TT Live!.
The TTXGP pace may not quite be in the superbike region yet, but the practice sessions have shown the electric-power bikes have quite some speed – with 100mph+ being recorded through the Sulby speed trap and the quickest average lap speed topping 85mph.
Rob Barber starts the first ever TTXGP as favourite for to cross the line first after the single lap of racing. Whatever the result, the inaugural TTXGP is a moment in history.