Isle of Man TT 2023
Monday Summary
With Ben McCook
Now that super car TT over, we finally have a chance to breathe. The past seven days have been stressful, and Monday’s day off provides much-needed respite for all involved.
Fans were on the hot track while the riders struggled under the summer heat. Records have been broken and history has been made. TT ’23 has reached its climax and a day off offers everyone a welcome opportunity to calm down and gather their thoughts.
From the start of practice, it was clear that lap records never stood a chance this year, especially with the island in Mediterranean conditions. Resurfacing on the run to Sulby and at Tower bends has allowed for faster, smoother driving.
The Department of Infrastructure or ‘Bun Troggalys’ (known in Manx Gaelic) was very busy during the winter months and that was reflected in the lap times.
Of course, the riders are also trying their best, which helps. The divine trio of Dunlop, Hickman and Harrison performed very quickly wherever you saw them on the field. All three look very aggressive and assertive, but still go with it. Absolutely true, they are making all the headlines and getting rave reviews.
Such is their dominance, you can easily forget that there is an entire field of riders closely following them, each carrying out a personal mission, fulfilling lifelong ambitions and creating a calendar. their own history.
Three of that supporting cast are Australian, and so far each has had a hard time trying to tame their machines.
Davo Johnson comes in at number 1 which for some may be a great honor but for others it is a poisoned goblet. Unless the first mover is at race-winning pace from the start, he’s the rabbit for the dogs to chase and can often be mercilessly hunted.
Unfortunately for the Adelaide man, setup issues got in the way of making his favorite Superbike Fireblade and he struggled with his size on the smaller 600.
Johnson called the Supersport competition a ‘mini bike race’, saying he would be pleased with finishing in the top 8, which is exactly what he got. So it’s not all bad… the 40-year-old is still collecting silver copies and has time to turn things around.
Hopefully the Jackson Racing boys (who are getting help from the injured Lee Johnston’s team) can decipher and put something more stable on him for the big bike races later. with Davo was looking for damping settings that would make him comfortable enough to actually keep going.
There’s no doubt he can get back to his 2019 form if they can. Before Covid, Davo taped a Fireblade to the podium at Stock TT before winning the Superbike race at Classic TT.
Josh Brookes ducked his head into the FHO BMW, quietly went under sight, and sped up again. The British dual Superbike champion hasn’t been in the TT since 2018 (and that’s on the much-maligned Norton).
Much has been made of Hickman’s stability woes with his Superbike and Brookes riding for the same team, but he’s been tight-lipped about any issues he might run into … However, Josh is in a different situation where he wouldn’t be expected to push the limit far enough to break lap records and win races, at the same time he’s riding. the Superstock bike passes all the major competitions, not the fire-breathing monster Hickman has underneath him.
A solid Saturday today equates to a good start to the week and Brookesy will enjoy once more in the Stocks TT tomorrow before heading to little Dafabet Kawasaki later in the afternoon. After so many years apart, he would be happy to bring home a new package of silver watches for the collection.
Poor Rennie Scaysbrook was having a hot time. He ended up breaking up with Wilson Craig after a miserable week of practice. Thankfully, the Kibosh BMW team intervened at the last minute to save the Pike’s Peak winner’s TT.
Unfortunately, an electrical problem caused Scaysbrook to be disqualified in the fifth round of yesterday’s Superbike TT.”It was like someone pulled the plug out of the wall…“
Rennie did the warm-up and was in fact his seventh round of the day when it was all over. But it will all be a welcome follow-up time for the Australian athlete, who only participated in shorter Supersport races last year, and at least he has something to build on for now.
Other stories of the day include Dominic Herberston’s first 130 mph lap. The Northumberland planter was completely speechless when informed of his lap time after the big six lap dog. “Say it again,” was all he could muster as Beth Espey relayed the news post-race.
Those familiar with Herberston’s “Chasing the racing” podcast will know what it means to him to join the 130 club… they will also be aware of how important it is for him to be described. described as speechless.
Herberston had a lengthy road battle with Michael Rutter and his crying RCV. It was a sight to behold, with Herberton in eighth and Rutter last in ninth.
Austria’s Julian Trummer became the fastest driver ever from continental Europe when he hit a lap of 128.14 MPH in the SBK race. “What a day! … We’ve known this for a long time, now it’s just on paper,” he quips.
Trummer finished a respectable 18th in the grand slam. Germany’s David Datzer, Italy’s Stefano Bonetti and Spain’s Raul Torras Martinez will duel around that time for the rest of the week when Trummer has made his mark.
The local Manx racers weren’t so lucky and were bone-chilling on Sunday morning. Injured Nathan Harrison was ruled out before the event began following a severe crash at the NW200 track and Conor Cummins was hospitalized midway through training due to a mysterious virus.
Padgett’s rider hopes to be fit enough to take part when the race resumes on Tuesday, but it’s an unfortunate situation for him and the local fans. The only Manx to complete SBK TT was Michael Evans from Santon.
If there’s one man who can beat the Dunlop-Hickman-Harrison group, it’s Cummins’ teammate; Davey Todd. Coming to the event, based on his performance at the North West 200, many would believe that the Saltburn driver was a real challenger.
Indeed, in the early stages of Superbike TT, he led Hickman, running in third before retiring in the pit because of bike problems. Todd scored a slightly lackluster fifth in opening Supersport tournamentt and it will be interesting to see if he can make the leap and blend into the hustle and bustle of these high-speed podium battles.
As things settle, James Hillier and Jamie Coward are jostling for fourth place and hoping to pick up the piece if the men on the ordinary podium get unlucky.
John McGuinness plugged behind them. While it’s unlikely McPint will ever make the list of the top performers, he’s showing that he can still do business and fully deserve a factory-made Honda, despite his age. 50.
For many, it’s been a great privilege to see a man who has set a record for so long still out there clapping as fast as he is.
But now, the island is sleeping. Monday will see some teams frantically dismantling and rebuilding engines while others enjoy some time off and relax; The roads will be open all day and some normal activity will return to the Isle of Man in 24 hours.
We do it all again on Tuesday with Stocks and Twins… Surely Dunlop can’t win both? He can?
