Isle of Man TT Champion Plater wins again
The 2010 Isle of Man TT is just weeks away, and last year’s TT Champion Steve Plater has again proved he is on top form.
The Lincolnshire rider was dominant at the second round of the National 1000cc Superstock Championship at Thruxton on Sunday. He took his HM Plant Honda to a hard-fought victory, making it two from two so far this season.
Plater headed the times throughout practice, and unofficially broke the lap record on his way to pole position. Hopes of a clean start to the race were dash when the Woodhall Spa star was clipped by another rider and pushed wide in turn one, coming out of the first corner down in eighth.
Unshakeable as ever, Plater set about recovering from the poor start and, by lap four, he was up to fourth. He then snatched third from Tristan Palmer and just two laps later was second and chasing Howie Mainwaring for the lead.
Over the remaining laps the pair battled, swapping the lead until Plater finally surged ahead as the chequered flag fell – his Honda just two tenths of a second ahead of Mainwaring.
It had been a smooth and impressive ride from Plater, a ride which saw him cut the lap record with a time of 1m 16.938s – 110.23mph on lap two of 15.
Plater said:
“Another lap record and another win which obviously is good for me and HM Plant Honda. The Fireblade is working so well to be honest and I am riding it well so the package is complete.”
“I nearly got run in to at the first corner so I lost some time, but I didn’t panic and just got my head down and came through the pack to slot in behind the front two. I sat there for a little while and then went on attack mode and hit the front just in case there was a stoppage.”
“That didn’t happen and I was able to stay in control and win the race.”
Plater now enjoys a 10 point championship lead.
It was also a good race for Manxman Conor Cummins.
The 2009 Senior TT podium finisher put in a superb ride to take his Team Blackhorse Kawasaki to a well-deserved fourth place.
The 23-year-old had been in contention for victory throughout the race, crossing the finish line just 0.977s behind winner Plater.
Keen to continue his Brands Hatch form, Cummins was on the pace immediately and secured third place in qualifying.
When the race started, the Ramsey man slotted into second and shadowed fellow Kawasaki rider Mainwaring for lap after lap.
With eight riders battling for the lead, Cummins was shuffled down to third on lap seven when Plate came past. A lap later it fourth as TT winner Ian Hutchinson took his Padgetts Honda through.
Cummins stayed with the lead pack of four and was threatening to snatch back his podium place until, heading into the final chicance for the last time, everyone was forced to back off by a yellow flag.
The result now places Cummins third in the championship with 26 points.
He said:
“It’s been a solid opening two rounds for me and it was great to be fighting it out at the sharp end of the field once more. I got a great start and hung in there throughout, but Ian (Hutchinson) kept defending his line on the way in to the final chicance in the last few laps and with the yellow flag being out on the last lap, I couldn't attempt to overtake.”
“The bike was flying and everything was working well - we had the right gearing and the suspension was awesome so it was a strong race all round for us and the final result could have gone either way. There wasn’t a lot of grip out on the circuit due to the heat, but we brought it home and, overall, it’s been a great weekend.”
“Oulton Park is one of my strongest circuits, so I can’t wait to get there and challenge again for the race wins. The overall package we have is as good as anything out there so a big thanks to all the team and sponsors for making it happen and they’ve given me the platform to show what I can really do.”
Hutchinson, who took two wins in one day at last year’s TT, held on to finish an impressive third. Later in the day he took his Padgetts Honda to sixth place in the British Supersport Championship race.
The National 1000cc Superstock Race was a tough one for 15-times TT winner and outright lap record holder John McGuinness. He could only manage 12th on the starting grid after being repeatedly baulked by other riders – there were 54 trying to qualify, making finding a clear lap very hard.
His starting position didn’t reflect his speed – adding together his best sectors, the Morecambe star could have been fast enough to start fourth.
His disappointment was compounded by a poor race start which saw him pushed onto the inside kerb, forcing him to back off and drop to 15th on lap one.
McGuinness put in a battling performance, drawing on all his experience, to fight his way back up through the field. First, he put himself at the lead of an eight-bike battle for 11th at the end of lap four, then he pulled away to challenge for a top 10 finish.
By lap 10 the Padgetts Honda ace was into ninth which, with the riders ahead setting the same pace, was where he would finish at the end of the 15-lap race.
The seven points were enough for McGuinness to maintain his sixth place in the championship standings.
He said:
“I've got mixed feelings after today’s race as, whilst it was nice to fight my way through the field, it’s frustrating at the same time as I’m sure if I could have got a clean first lap under my belt, I would have been in the group fighting it out for the lead.”
“The first couple of laps are becoming a bit of an Achilles heel for me and I need to dig deep and push as hard as everyone else because I know my race pace is as good as anyone else’s out there - if I can nail those first two laps, I know I can repeat the results I was getting last year.”
“It’s a solid finish and I’m pleased to still be sixth overall, but I know there’s more to come. The bike was absolutely awesome and the team did a superb job once more so I’m determined to give them the result they deserve at the next round.”
Gary Johnson, who finished in the top 10 in all five TT races he contested in 2009, including a superb third in the blue riband Senior TT, enjoyed a successful weekend at Thruxton.
Riding the AIM Suzuki, Johnson, still recovering for injuries sustained in a testing crash, took two second places in the EVO class of the British Superbike Championship.
Following a disappointing first round at Brands Hatch, where the Lincolnshire rider was forced to retire with mechanical problems in both races, Johnson was determined to get onto the scoreboard at Thruxton.
He had a strong showing in both races, not only taking second twice in his class, but also securing 14th and 18th overall.
Johnson said:
“I had a rubbish qualifying, I just couldn’t pull the lap times I did in free practice so I was disappointed with that, but I pulled it back in the first race. I got a good start and had a good, consistent run although I was struggling for grip out there, I know a lot of other riders were, but I seemed to be struggling a little bit more.”
“The suspension was a little bit stiff so we made a change for race two and slacked it off which helped the grip, but on the downside the bike was pushing wide on the corners and I couldn’t hold it. So the guys ahead just pulled away from me in the second race. I was a bit gutted with that as I felt I had more pace than them.”
“I was lucky not to fall at the chicane towards the end as two guys went down in front of me, but I saw them in time and just cruised round them. I was happy to get another second place, in fact to be fair, I would have been happy with third that time. The bike is coming on nicely now, its just a shame we didn’t have much pre-season testing time as we could have ironed out all the niggling faults then but its all coming together now and we should begin to move forward.”