TT 2003
For race fans the abiding memory of TT 2003 will have nothing to do with the racing, but the tragic death of lap record holder David Jefferies during practice on Thursday 29th May.
The loss cast a pall over the meeting, although it was somewhat lifted by the fittingly superb racing that was witnessed.
By the time racing finally got underway after the delayed start to the six lap Duke Formula One TT, Adrian Archibald and the TAS Suzuki team were in the line-up and fittingly, after taking his debut TT win, the Ulsterman dedicated his emotional victory to his late teammate.
McGuinness and Lougher on the V-twins set the early pace. In fact, the MonsterMob rider led for two laps until overhauled by Archibald during a slow pit stop. Once at the front, Archibald drew ahead to win by 75 seconds from Lougher's Honda SP-2 with McGuinness clinging onto third place narrowly ahead of Jason Griffiths.
Chris Palmer, now a Manx resident, took his first TT win in the Ultra Lightweight event. The veteran set off cautiously, overhauling early leader Michael Wilcox on the second lap and posting a 110.41mph lap record along the way took the flag some 40-seconds ahead of Wilcox, with three times 125cc winner Ian Lougher third.
John McGuinness, who only got hold of a 400 Honda on the eve of the race, won the Lightweight 400cc TT. Leading from start to finish, he resisted early challenges from Ulstermen Richard Britton and Ryan Farquhar, the pair finishing in that order.
Triumph won the Junior TT with Kiwi Bruce Anstey aboard, their first TT victory for nearly three decades. His winning margin was 11 seconds from Lougher's CBR600 Honda, while Adrian Archibald as GSX-R600 was another six seconds behind in third. Ryan Farquhar, a relative novice to the TT, set a new lap record of 122.30mph on his final lap. It was the first Junior TT to be won at over 120mph.
In the 250cc class run alongside the 600's, Chris Palmer took a borrowed four-year-old Honda to victory.
Kiwi Shaun Harris gained his second TT victory with a win in the 1000cc Production Race with an emphatic performance on the all-conquering GSX-R1000 Suzuki. The big Suzuki grabbed 16 of the first 17 places. Harris had a 16 second advantage over fellow Kiwi Anstey with Ryan Farquhar taking the final podium place.
New Zealand's third win of the week came in the 600cc Production TT, when Shaun Harris took his second victory. Started in sunny conditions and scheduled for three laps, it was reduced to two when mist clouded out the Mountain. In second place was Ian Lougher with Ryan Farquhar taking a further excellent third place podium.
When Dave Molyneux's DMR Honda ground to a halt at Ramsey on the opening lap of Sidecar Race A, it left the way clear for Ian Bell and Neil Carpenter to score a maiden TT Victory - the pair winning by over 50 seconds in a start to finish victory. Local crew Nick Crowe and Darren Hope, in only their second TT, came home in second place, followed by Steve Norbury and Andy Smith.
It was 'business as usual' in Race B, as Dave Molyneux took the chequered flag and Crowe and Hope repeated their runner-up position, with Greg Lambert and Daniel Sayle taking third position.
The Senior TT was reduced from six laps to four and postponed to the Saturday because of the same weather conditions that had cut short the Production 600 race. In the early stages it was McGuinness's F02 Ducati that led from Lougher's SP-2 and Archibald's GSX-R.
By Ramsey on lap one the Ulsterman had forged a narrow lead, which he increased all the way to the end. John McGuinness brought the MonsterMob Ducati home in second place with Ian Lougher placed third on the Honda from Jason Griffiths, Ryan Farquhar and Shaun Harris.