Guy Martin confident first TT win is on its way after double podium joy
Guy Martin remains confident his maiden TT win is coming, despite having to settle for two third places in the latest races at the 2011 Isle of Man TT fuelled by Monster Energy.
The 29-year-old put in two superb performances during Monday’s racing, but his ambitions of taking a first win around the Mountain course were frustrated yet again.
Despite not taking victory, Martin was satisfied with his performance and is confident the win is on its way.
He said:
“I haven’t won one yet, but it’ll come. This is a proper team effort and all the Relentless Suzuki by TAS boys are a great bunch of lads.”
During the re-started Monster Energy Supersport 1 race, held over a reduced length of three laps, Martin was hovering around the podium positions for the duration. When others faltered he was ready to pick up the pieces, giving Suzuki’s all-new GSX-R600 its second International Road Racing podium of the season.
The delayed four-lap Royal London 360 Superstock race got under way at 6.30pm, and it proved a real exhibition of pure road racing. At the first checkpoint at Glen Helen on lap one less than three seconds covered the top five and by the end of the lap Martin had forced his GSX-R1000 to the top of the leaderboard, with a lap of 127.953mph from a standing start.
From there he was embroiled in a battle royale with John McGuinness and Michael Dunlop, eventually coming home in third place, struggling slightly in the latter stages to find the same level of performance he had done on lap one to challenge for the win.
Martin said:
“I couldn’t have taken the little 600 round there any faster today. When Cameron blew up in front of me I thought it was going to end in tears for both of us. I hit the kerb trying to get round him, but a podium is a good effort for us. We’ll change a few things and see what we can do on Wednesday.”
He added:
“In the Superstock race the early grip and stability were great and the bike was just mega. The whole job was coming easy enough and I wasn’t having to hang it out anywhere and I wasn’t bouncing off any kerbs!”
“I started to struggle a little bit in the latter stages with grip and stability – what you’d expect I suppose – so I was just glad to get it home on the podium. It’s not a shabby job at all.”
Team Manager Philip Neill said:
“It’s been a long day obviously tainted with sadness, which is always the case when a competitor loses his life – so our thoughts and prayers are with Derek Brien’s family at this time.”
“Two podiums is a strong day for us. Yes we are here to win, but overall you’ve got to be happy with podiums at the TT. All you can do is make your package competitive enough for a podium finish; after that it’s really down to the circumstances of the race.”
“A lot of things must be taken into consideration, but getting into a lengthy dice on the road didn’t help Guy’s chances of second place in the Superstock race. But that’s the way it goes sometimes, although it would make me consider our start numbers for next year.”
“We used to dominate the Superstock class with the GSX-R1000 so it’s good to be back on the podium and also very pleasing to give the new GSX-R600 another international road racing podium, especially here at the TT.”
He added:
“We have a few more tweaks to do to the 600 for Wednesday and we’ll fit a new generator on the Superbike for Friday and look to end this TT on a positive note, but so far, it has not been so bad.”
“I must also congratulate our former team member Bruce Anstey on his win earlier today in the Supersport class.”
Racing at the 2011 Isle of Man TT fuelled by Monster Energy is scheduled to continue on Wednesday with the second Monster Energy Supersport race and second Sure Sidecar TT.