Ian Hutchinson equals Mike Hailwood’s record of 14 TT wins with second Supersport victory
Ian ‘Hutchy’ Hutchinson went down in the record books overnight at the Isle of Man TT. Riding for the CAME BPT Yamaha team, Ian secured two fantastic Supersport wins for Team Traction Control. On Monday, Ian took a fantastic victory in race one of the Monster Energy Supersport race from Michael Dunlop and then repeated that again today in the second Supersport race.
Ian Hutchinson also gained two wins on the Team Traction Control machine in 2015 and was eager to ride in the Supersport class again this year. Practice week was hampered with a couple of problems on and off track, but ‘Hutchy’ was always near the top of the time sheets each time he got out on the bike.
As most know Ian has gone through over 30 operations in previous years after a horrific accident at Silverstone in 2010. Last year, with TTC he gained his first TT victory since the life changing injuries he sustained to his leg.
He was super-fast in all classes throughout the practice week and was more than eager to get out on the little CAME BPT Yamaha YZF-R6 during race week on the Island. Ian was on a mission in race one on Monday morning and in absolutely perfect weather conditions to secure his third consecutive TT Supersport win for the team and his 12th TT victory, in doing so he also smashed the current Supersport lap record around the Island.
Ian Hutchinson after taking out Supersport Race Two at IOM TT 2016
“I was really excited about riding on the little 600 again. It is great to have gained four successive wins now for TTC and they are not a big team, yet it is perfectly run. Â It was certainly different conditions today and on the first lap I thought I had a front wheel puncture as the grip was really bad after all the rain yesterday. Once I got my head around that and the difference in track conditions, I just got my head down and wanted to crack on with the race.
“Apart from the lack of grip on lap one the track was in great condition and the CAME BPT Yamaha was faultless and it really is a lovely little bike to ride around here. I was a bit worried as after Monday we had a small oil leak and so to play on the safe side the team wanted to change the engine, I was a bit cautious as I was happy with the other one! They made the right choice and it didn’t miss a beat for the entire race.
“I think everyone had problems on the 600s this year, with the first Saturday practice being 600s only. We’ve all done a lot of laps on them and think with such high revs around here they are all a little tired.
“It certainly wasn’t an easy race and it is great to be up here with such good riders and it’s an absolute pleasure to ride this Yamaha around here. On the Supersport bike you have to be 100% perfect everywhere and there is no room for mistakes. You have to be accurate everywhere and if you aren’t you can totally get out of a rhyme.
“When you get it right though and hit every point right it’s the best feeling and makes it so nice to ride. I really wanted this win today as didn’t want to be stuck on the number 13 for too long! I can’t really complain about a bad TT now, if you break down you break down. A bad TT for me was sat in a hospital bed just wishing I was there. It is nice to be back feeling how I did in 2010.
“I can’t thank the CAME BPT Yamaha team enough for their support and help this week. They are not a big factory team and Grant, PJ and Chris have been brilliant, plus Steve from Raceways and the people that have helped out over the last few weeks. It is a credit to them to take four wins on the trot and says a lot about the team and how it is put together. Also thanks to everyone around the course for all their pit boards, it was a huge help.
“Now I have to get my mind set on the Senior on Friday.”
IOM TT 2016 Supersport Race Two Report
His eventual winning margin was 17.5s with Michael Dunlop overcoming the disappointment of Monday’s disqualification to claim second with Dean Harrison on the podium again in third.
The race was delayed by two hours due to sea mist swirling round parts of the island, finally getting underway at 12.45pm, but at Glen Helen on the opening lap,
Hutchinson led but only narrowly with Dunlop just six tenths of a second behind which Hutchinson extended to half a second by Ramsey.
However, with an opening lap of 127.451mph Hutchinson established a commanding lead of four seconds while Dunlop pointed down to his machine as he flashed past the Grandstand. Harrison slotted into third, 7.6s behind Dunlop but ahead of Bruce Anstey, Conor Cummins and James Hillier as the top eight all lapped at more than 125mph.
By Glen Helen second time around, Hutchinson was exerting his control on the race as the gap grew to 5.6s and he now led on the road as well having caught and passed Anstey and John McGuinness. The Kiwi was still in fourth ahead of Cummins and Hillier as Harrison maintained his third place.
Hutchinson’s second lap was slightly quicker than his first at 127.736s and when he came into the solitary pit stop, the margin over Dunlop had grown further to 7.1s. However, he had a quicker pit stop than his arch-rival and by the time they reached Glen Helen on lap three, the margin had shot up to 12s.
Harrison was still holding onto third from Anstey, Cummins and Hillier and although McGuinness started the third lap in eighth, he retired shortly afterwards at Braddan Church.
At the head of the field, there were no such problems for Hutchinson and he continued to pull away from Dunlop throughout the lap as the podium positions were being cemented. It was a lot closer for fourth though as just six seconds separated Anstey, Hillier, Cummins and Lee Johnston.
Going into the fourth and final lap and Hutchinson had stretched further away, his lead now up to 18s at Glen Helen. Harrison was looking secure in third but Hillier was on the move and by Ballaugh he’d overtaken Anstey albeit by just half a second.
Hutchinson wasn’t to be denied his third win of the week and with another start to finish victory, he got the verdict from Dunlop and Harrison with Hillier sealing fourth with a final lap of 126.968mph. Anstey, Johnston and Cummins were close behind with just 5.6s covering the quartet with Peter Hickman, Gary Johnson and Michael Rutter completed the top ten.
The win has seen Hutchinson already clinch the Joey Dunlop Championship with an unassailable total of 95pts with Harrison in second on 67 and Hillier third on 50.
Meanwhile, the battle for the TT Privateer’s Championship continues to rage on. Jamie Coward got the maximum 25 points having finished in a fine 12th place. Michael Dokoupil was second with Dan Hegarty in third and Coward now has 72 points to Hegarty’s 66.
IOM TT 2016 Supersport Race Two Results
IOM TT 2016 Lightweight TT Race Report
Ivan Lintin won the four-lap Bennetts Lightweight TT race at the 2016 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy on Wednesday evening, the second year in a row for both him and Devitt RC Express Racing – and third in total for the team – as he came home 12.4s ahead of James Hillier. Yeovil’s Martin Jessopp, on the Riders Motorcycles Kawasaki claimed third for his maiden TT podium.
Morning mist had seen the race pushed back to a 6.30pm start and at Glen Helen on the opening lap, it was Lintin who led but it was close with his advantage over Hillier just 0.33s while Michael Rutter was only a further tenth of a second back in third. Italian Stefano Bonetti jumped up the order into fourth on the Paton with Daniel Cooper and Gary Johnson rounding out the top six but Danny Webb and Mark Miller were already reported to be out on the opening lap.
By Ramsey, there was a change at the front of the field with Hillier in the lead from Lintin with Rutter still in third and with an opening lap speed of 118.864mph, it was the Quattro Plant Muc-Off Kawasaki rider who led at the end of the first lap. Lintin was now 2.1s adrift in second with Johnson, Bonetti, Martin Jessopp and Cooper completing the top six with Rutter having retired at Brandywell.
The difference between Hillier and Lintin remained negligible throughout the second lap with the margin varying between the timing points. Indeed, Lintin had reduced the gap to 1.1s at Ramsey Hairpin and as they came into their pit stop at the end of the second lap, just 1.4s separated the pair but Lintin was now the new race leader. Johnson was still holding onto third ahead of Jessopp, Bonetti and Cooper.
A quicker pit stop by the Devitt RC Express Racing team gave Lintin some breathing space and by Glen Helen on the third lap, his lead over Hillier had gone out to 8.2s. Jessopp’s pit crew also put in a rapid turn around and he moved into third ahead of Johnson.
At the head of the field, the gap between Lintin and Hillier now remained constant and the race was all about these two as Jessopp, although now in third, was over a minute back. Italian Bonetti on the Paton regained fourth with Johnson dropping to fifth although with a healthy gap over sixth placed Cooper.
Lintin was pressing on ahead though and, riding to his signals, he wasn’t to be denied his second successive win in the class, also making it three in a row for the team after Dean Harrison’s triumph in 2014. Lintin’s win also made him the first man to win the Lightweight race more than once since it was re-introduced in 2012.
Hillier was secure in second but the battle for third went all the way to the chequered flag and it eventually went the way of Jessopp by just over two seconds from Johnson with Bonetti and Cooper rounding out the top six.
Jamie Coward, Colin Stephenson, Bjorn Gunnarsson, and James Cowton completed the top ten.
IOM TT 2016 Lightweight TT Race Results
Bruce Anstey wins TT Zero race for Mugen ahead of William Dunlop on the Victory Brammo
Bruce Anstey won a hectic SES TT Zero for Japanese tech-specialists Mugen with a lap speed of 118mph on Wednesday afternoon.
The Flying Kiwi took the lead from team mate John McGuinness at Ballaugh as the Morecambe man suffered a temporary technical problem.
William Dunlop on the Victory Brammo Power machine pushed Bruce hard, taking a well-earned second, comfortably ahead of Daley Mathison on the University of Nottingham’s entry.
John McGuinness, winner of the last two SES TT Zero races and current class lap record holder, later managed to restart his machine to finish fourth overall.
