Rennie Scaysbrook reflects on the TT experience so far
By Ben McCook
Australia’s Rennie Scaysbrook will make his TT race debut in Monday morning’s Monster energy Supersport TT. Start positions for those outside the top 20 seeded riders are now determined by qualifying times, so the only Aussie in the race will set off 34th after a steady week in practice. Rennie had arrived on the island with the goal of lapping at 115 mp/h in his debut year but has already surpassed that with a lap of 116.7 last Thursday. Scaysbrook spoke to us on Sunday ahead of tonight’s three-lapper.
“This makes everything I’ve ever done before seem like child’s play“, he said. Quite the statement from a man who is the last ever motorcycle winner at Pike’s Peak (the American Hill-Climb is now banned as it is deemed to be too dangerous).
Scaysbrook is blown away by the manner in which you have to ride the unique Mountain course; “This is just another level. I was totally unprepared for the strain on my neck and shoulders. I mean, I did heaps of training in the lead up… loads on my legs… but I wasn’t prepared for the strain on my neck and shoulders. I’m a big guy, it’s hard to get tucked in… I’m getting messages from my mate saying ‘tuck your bloody arms in’… I wish I had ordered a bigger screen; you can’t use different body work but you can use a bigger screen.”
Despite his problems with the aerodynamics, Rennie is putting in a more than respectable performance so far.
“Thursday was just perfect… I was just screaming inside my helmet. I hit the bottom of Bray Hill perfect, rolled it a little, but pretty much flat and then straight up over the other side… Wow!
“Friday I was just knackered. I wasn’t feeling it- I still did 115 but it felt like I could have got off and walked faster. I came across Boothy’s crash and went across whatever he had left on the track… I presume it was fuel, so I was braking trying to rub it off my tyres before I had to tip into the corners up ahead.” (Mike Booth crashed at Joey’s and was airlifted to Hospital with leg injuries)
Rennie didn’t get off to the best of starts on the opening Sunday of TT 2022. He missed his slot in the opening newcomers ‘controlled speed’ lap due to a technical issue (a faulty sensor) with his PRF Suzuki GSXR-600. Thankfully the organisers were sympathetic and made a special arrangement for him to do his rookie lap behind Richard ‘Milky’ Quayle just before the start of the sidecar session.
Since then, he has steadily been increasing his speed and learning all the time. He experienced some issues during practice with a strobing effect as the bright evening sun was causing major problems in the tree lined sections. The light was flickering through the gaps between the trees as the riders raced along the leafy tunnels at speed.
“It’s amazing how much safer it is when you can see.” Rennie quipped. “At the top of the Ballahutchin … tipping into Ballagarey, I was tipping in not because I could see it but just because I knew that it was there.”
Those are sobering words when you think that the 265 km/h Ballagarey kink (nicknamed Ballascarey for obvious reasons) was the scene of a fatal accident on Wednesday when Welshman Mark Purslow sadly lost his life. Scaysbrook reckons Purslow was directly behind him, for when he was stopped under red flag conditions at Greeba, no other competitors came through, indicating that the other riders had been pulled in before they reached the incident.
Traditionally it’s been said that it takes a rider three years to learn the Mountain Course. When asked if at this stage he would like to continue this learning experience and return to the TT, maybe even do the North West 200 he said, “I’m not even thinking about it, I just need to get Wednesday’s race over with and readjust to normal life, come back from outer space…
“I mean, I would love to do them all (the North West etc) but it’s not easy when you live so far away. Even for the riders coming from Europe… it’s so much easier for them than those of us coming from America or Australia. Maybe I could come back on a bigger bike… I’m a big guy… you get more track time on them.”
This year Scaysbrook only has a GSXR-600 at his disposal and therefore only competes in two races, the second of which is on Wednesday. Once that’s over with he’s planning to become a fan and get out trackside to soak up the atmosphere during the show piece Senior TT next Friday.
“I’m going to watch the Senior and enjoy it with a few beers. Yesterday, I did watch the race but just around here (the grandstand), I don’t want to watch anywhere fast until after Wednesday.”
The Monster Energy Supersport race is scheduled to start today (Monday) at 1945 (AEST) and has been reduced to three laps to allow for Saturday’s abandoned Sidecar race to be slotted into the programme. You can follow Scaysbrook’s progress via the live timing website or through the TT Live plus subscription service.
