Honda celebrate 'magical' 2012 Isle of Man TT
Honda Racing boss Neil Tuxworth has praised the ‘magical’ Isle of Man TT fuelled by Monster Energy after Honda claimed three victories and 11 podiums.
Despite the cancellation of the PokerStars Senior TT< which was widely expected to be dominated by the Honda TT Legends Superbike of John McGuinness, the Japanese manufacturer still regarded the 2012 TT as an unprecedented success.
Both the Dainese Superbike and the first Monster Energy Supersport race at the start of the week ended with a Honda 1-2-3, McGuinness taking victory in the first aboard his Honda TT Legends CBR1000RR Fireblade and in the latter, Padgetts Racing’s Bruce Anstey piloting his Honda CBR600RR to what was the second closest TT victory in history, with a winning margin of just 0.77 seconds.
Victory for McGuinness in the Royal London 360 Superstock TT, with Padgetts Racing, aboard the near stock Fireblade, took the tally of Honda TT wins to 163.
In addition to the three wins from five solo races contested, Honda machinery also claimed 11 out of 15 possible podium spots (excluding the SES TT Zero which Honda did not contest).
The decision to cancel the Senior TT at the end of the week, deprived McGuinness of the chance to challenge for his 20th Isle of Man TT victory, but there is always next year for the ‘Morecambe Missile’, currently sitting on 19 TT wins.
Among all the success there was one moment of misfortune when Honda TT Legends rider Simon Andrews crashed at Grahams during lap one of the Superbike race. He was immediately taken to hospital to receive treatment for his injuries. He is now expected to make a full recovery.
Honda Racing Manager Neil Tuxworth said:
“The TT is always such a magical event for Honda. It is where Honda began racing and have been coming for over 50 years to compete, with numerous successes during this period.”
“To come back with the manufacturer's title, three solo wins out of five races and with a total of 11 podiums, two of which comprised fully of Honda, is a fantastic reward for all the hard work put.”
“The Honda TT Legends, Padgetts Racing and Wilson Craig Racing teams all performed with such professionalism and proved once again that the Honda is still the most competitive machine out there, across all classes.”