Guy Martin reflects on a TT of two halves
Guy Martin says a run of podium finishes at the 2009 Isle of Man TT is ‘something to be pleased about’ despite being denied a first victory yet again.
The Hydrex Honda rider went into Friday’s Pokerstars Senior TT as one of the favourites to win after securing a run of top three places during racing earlier in the week.
However, his hopes of finally taking his first TT victory were dashed at the end of lap four of the six-lap Senior TT when his chain snapped as he tried to leave the pits.
Martin had been lying third when he was forced to retire.
It hadn’t been an easy race for him. There was a scare before the race when the bike refused to fire up and he nearly missed his start time, but he made it in time and was soon on his way.
With the front forks from his 2008 machine fitted to the bike, it took Martin much of the first lap to get used to the new set-up and this could be seen with his relatively low position of sixth at the end of the first lap.
His second lap was at an average speed of more than 129mph, moving him up one place. A lap later and he was into third.
His best lap of the race, a 129.348mph, came on lap four as he headed into the pits for his second stop.
It looked like everything was running smoothly while rear wheel was changed and fuel added, but when he clicked the bike into gear to exit, the chain snapped and he was cruelly forced out of the race.
Martin said:
‘It’s been a week of two halves for me. The first part was great with the three podiums, but the second half has given us nothing but disappointment with retirements in both the second Supersport and Senior races.’
‘I had a scare at the beginning of the Senior when the bike wouldn’t start, but we got going - although it took me a while to get into the race as the bike felt completely different with the new forks.’
‘I’d worked my way up to third though and hadn’t given up hope of climbing further up the leaderboard, but when I went to put the bike into gear after the second pit stop the chain broke clean off, another one of those problems that we could have done nothing about.’
‘It’s been a mixed TT, but I was the only rider to make three podium finishes so that’s something to be pleased about and I’ve got to say a big thank you to all the lads in the team for all their hard work during the fortnight.’