Anstey storms to RST Superbike Race win
New Zealander Bruce Anstey took a hugely popular win in today’s RST Superbike TT Race.
Riding for the Valvoline Racing by Padgetts Motorcycles, Bruce took the chequered flag with a margin of just over ten seconds from PBM Kawasaki’s Ian Hutchinson.
Hutchy made the early running in the race, leading for most of the first three laps before Anstey seized the initiative with a speedy pitstop to start the fifth lap as leader.
James Hillier was another earlier contender, leading the field at Glen Helen on the first lap and swapping first position back and forth with Ian Hutchinson.
As Michael Dunlop pushed up the rankings Hillier fell back, seemingly out of contention until the very final lap. He reported a number of scares during the race, including narrowly missing a pheasant on the course at Kirk Michael.
Dunlop had closed the gap to second placed Ian Hutchinson to just 12.8 seconds at the Bungalow on the last circuit and seemed to be on for lap record and a solid third place until an incident at the Nook.
That left the podium positions as Bruce Anstey from Ian Hutchinson with James Hillier in third.
See the post-race press conference
The race was red-flagged due to Dunlop’s crash at the Nook, meaning only six riders crossed the line to take the chequered flag - John McGuinness in fourth, William Dunlop in fifth and Michael Rutter sixth.
Michael Dunlop arrived at the Grandstand via ambulance just before the podium ceremony and, other than a limp, seemed to be OK.Scott Wilson who was also involved in the incident at the Nook was reported to have a shoulder injury.
Guy Martin was an early retirement in the race, only making it as far as Glenlough before having to park the Tyco BMW on the first lap.
Conor Cummins was another high profile retirement, he made it to Kirk Michael on lap four before retiring.
Gary Johnson was reported as off at the Guthrie’s Memorial on the last lap but was OK. He later told Manx Radio TT’s Chris Kinley he had lost the front end and laid the bike down but had received no injuries.