2007 Isle of Man TT

Pre-TT Classic Races

The main races for the Pre-TT Classic Solo and Sidecar where run on Sunday 27 May 2007 on the Billown Course to accommodate the Centenary TT celebrations held on Monday 28 May 2007 at St. Johns. The races held in mixed weather produced a third successive straight win for Chris Palmer, a regular Manx Grand Prix and TT Race competitor in the Senior Classic event riding a 500cc Manx Norton in 27 minutes and 00.833 seconds at an average race speed of 84.956 mph. Fellow TT competitor Guy Martin rode a 750cc Triumph Trident to first place in the 850cc Classic Race at an average race speed of 87.852 mph which also produced an exclusion from third place overall and first in the Post Classic category by the former German TT competitor Peter Rubbatto riding a three-cylinder 1986 OW31 Yamaha as the event was for pre-1976 motor-cycles only. The Sidecar Classic Race was won by Nick Houghton/Paul Thomas riding a 900cc Windle outfit in 20 minutes 58.697 seconds at an average race speed of 72.933 mph from Ralf Englehardt/Winnfried Viecenz riding a 980cc Busch BMW outfit. Former Manx Grand Prix winner Roy Richardson won the 350cc Junior Classic Race at an average race speed of 81.260 mph and former TT competitor Geoff McMullan won the 250cc Lightweight Classic Race in 28 minutes and 17.904 seconds an average race speed of 82.402 mph.

Centenary Re-enactment

To celebrate the first 1907 Isle of Man TT held on 28 May of that year, a special Re-enactment of the 1907 event was held on the village green next to Tynwald Hill in St. Johns on Monday 28 May 2007. The vintage parade of 100 classic motor-cycles for the Centenary Re-enactment of 1 lap on closed public roads on the original St. John's Short Course (St. Johns – Ballacraine – Glen Helen – Kirk Michael – Peel – St. Johns) was flagged away by former World Motor-Cycle Champion Geoff Duke. The first of the participants to start the Re-enactment parade was Dr George Cohen riding the recently restored twin-cylinder Peugeot-Norton ridden by Rem Fowler during the first Isle of Man TT Race in 1907. Also participating in the 2007 Re-enactment was the current TT competitor Guy Martin riding a 1938 Triumph Tiger 100 500cc and other former TT competitors included Alan Cathcart, Sammy Miller, Nick Jefferies and Mick Grant also completed the Re-enactment lap.

Superbike TT Race

After dominating practice week John McGuinness riding a 1000cc Honda Fireblade was set as favourite for a 12th TT win for the first race of the Centenary TT with the 6 lap (226.38 miles) Superbike TT race scheduled for mid-day on Saturday 2 June 2007. Despite the 2006 Isle of Man TT being the first practice and races not interrupted by the weather since the Golden Jubilee event of 1957, after the cancellation of the Wednesday evening practice the Superbike Race was first delayed by 30 minutes due to spilt oil at the Bungalow and then by damp-patches, low-lying mist and high winds on the Mountain Section of the course. The Superbike TT Race was postponed until Monday 4 June 2007 after the deterioration of the weather and controversy over the TT Race regulations the bans the use of hand-cut slicks. As the difficult weather conditions demanded hand-cut slick racing tyres, it was alleged that Honda would withdraw if the Superbike TT race was not postponed or that John McGuinness and Ian Hutchinson would start the race on slicks and then turnoff the course at Bray Hill and return to the race paddock.

The rescheduled Superbike TT race was to be run on Monday 4 June 2007 with Michael Rutter riding a 1000cc ZX 10 Kawasaki the first competitor to start the Centenary TT Races. The first retirements were Isle of Man competitor Nigel Beattie riding a Yamaha R1 with a broken gear-linkage at the TT Grandstand. At Crosby, Bruce Anstey also retired on lap 1 of the Superbike TT with a failed ignition amplifier on his 1000cc GXSR Suzuki and Michael Rutter with an engine failure at Isle of Man. After leading the race by 2 seconds at Glen Helen, John McGuinness records a time of 17 minutes and 42.79 seconds an average speed of 127.804 for lap 1 of the Superbike race and leads Guy Martin by 4.81 seconds and Ian Hutchinson by 11.79 seconds both riding Honda motor-cycles. At Kerrowmoar on the first lap, local competitor Paul Hunt slipped-off and was taken to Nobles Hospital with minor injuries. By lap 2 and the first of the pit-stops at the TT Grandstand, John McGuinness now leads Guy Martin in second place by 10.55 seconds and laps in 17 minutes and 38.85 seconds an average speed of 128.279 mph. Riding a Honda, Ryan Farquhar displaces Ian Lougher for 5th place with Martin Finnegan and Ian Hutchinson in 3rd and 4th places respectively. Also on lap 2, James Edmeades crashed at Ballacraine and Mark Parrett at Cruickshanks Corner in Ramsey and both were uninjured. Through the speed-trap at the TT Grandstand, John McGuinness records a speed of 172 mph on lap 3 and now leads Guy Martin by 22.06 seconds and Ian Hutchinson by 42.75 seconds in third place. Also, Ian Lougher retakes 5th place and leads Ryan Farquhar by 10.26 seconds. The damp patches on the Mountain Course dominated the rest of the race and John McGuninness records an average speed for lap 4 of 127.207 mph and 126.513 mph for lap 6 and wins the TT Superbike race in 1 hour and 48 minutes, 11.17 seconds at an average race speed of 125.550 mph. A finish in 10th place at an average race speed of 119.657 mph produced a silver TT replica award for TT Newcomer Steve Plater.

Sidecar TT Race 'A'

The second race of the Centenary TT Races was the Sidecar TT Race ‘A’ over 3 laps (113.00 miles) of the Mountain Course. The Sidecar race produced a dramatic and closely contested event with local Isle of Man competitors Nick Crowe/Dan Sayle leading from the start and quickly passing race favourites Dave Molyneux/Rick Long at the 11th Milestone on lap 1. The Austrian pair of Klaus Klaffenblock/Christian Parzer retired at Ballacraine on lap 1 and this was quickly followed by race leaders Nick Crowe/Dan Sayle at Sulby Crossroads with gearbox problems. This left the Suzuki power outfit of John Holden/Andrew Winkle to lead lap 1 of the Sidecar Race ‘A’ in 20 minutes 19.56 minutes at an average race speed of 111.374 by 8.81 seconds from the sidecar outfit of Dave Molyneux/Rick Long in second place and by 10.05 seconds from the third place outfit of Simon Neary/Stuart Bond. The combination of John Holden and Andrew Winkle increased the lead to over 12 seconds at Glen Helen on lap 2. This lead was reduced to 3.78 seconds by Dave Molyneux/Rick Long in 2nd place at the Bungalow on lap 2 and to 1.86 seconds at the TT Grandstand at the end of lap. Despite the technical problems during practice and a return to racing from a practice accident at Rhencullen during the 2006 Isle of Man TT, the 3rd lap of Sidecar TT Race ‘A’ produced a lap of 20 minutes and 4.83 seconds by the sidecar outfit of Dave Molyneux/Rick Long an average speed of 112.738 mph. After leading the Sidecar race for 2 laps, despite lapping at an average speed of 111.959 mph, John Holden/Andrew Winkle only trailed the leaders by 3.8 seconds at the official timing-point at Ramsey Hairpin on the last lap. After a dramatic race, Dave Molyneux and Rick Long won the Sidecar TT Race ‘A’ by 6.5 seconds from John Holden and Andrew Winkle in 1 hour and 49.6 seconds at an average race speed of 111.688 mph. After the race Dave Molyneux said that “I would have been happy with sixth. I really rode my heart out and I have never been so committed going into bends.”

Superstock TT Race

The delayed Superstock TT Race was held over to Tuesday 5 June 2007 and was over 4 laps (150.92 miles) of the Snaefell Mountain Course. Despite the windy conditions, the race favourite Bruce Anstey riding a Suzuki motor-cycle established a 5-second lead at Glen Helen on lap 1 and shattered the lap record for the race from a standing start, lapping in 17 minutes and 38.70 seconds an average speed of 128.29 mph. The fast pace and blustery conditions caused both Ryan Farquhar to Guy Martin to run out of fuel on lap 2 and Bruce Anstey increased the pace to produce another Superstock lap record in 17 minutes 37.85 seconds an average speed of 128.400 mph and a lead of 23.15 seconds. The Honda pair of John McGuinness and Ian Hutchinson occupied 2nd and 3rd places, Martin Finnegan in 4th place riding an MV Agusta motor-cycle and 5th place Conor Cummins who now held the record for the fastest local Isle of Man competitor after lapping at 18 minutes and 10.78 seconds from a standing start on lap 1 of the 2007 Superstock Race. Despite a reduce pace which produced laps at an average speed of 121.299 mph and 125.771 mph on the 3rd and 4th laps, the New Zealander Bruce Anstey won the 2007 Superstock TT Race in 1 hour, 11 minutes and 56.29 seconds at an average race speed of 125.875 mph. The winning margin was 40.3 seconds over 2nd place John McGuinness who mentioned at the race finish that “....Bruce has taken Superstock racing to a new level. He pulled our pants down on the first lap and that was it.” At Union Mills on the last lap, former New Zealand TT winner Shaun Harris crashed while in 13th place and was taken to Nobles Hospital with injuries that were described as critical.

Supersport TT Race

The 4 lap (150.92 miles) Supersport Junior TT race for 600cc motor-cycles and starting at number 5 with a 40-second interval after the first competitor, the New Zealander, Bruce Anstey continued his winning ways by again leading the Junior TT race on lap 1 at Glen Helen by 1.8 seconds from the Honda team-mates of John McGuinness and Ian Hutchinson. Increasing his lead to 3 seconds at the official timing-point at Ballaugh Bridge on the first lap Bruce Anstey led John McGuinness and Guy Martin also riding a Honda replaced Ian Hutchinson for 3rd place. At Ramsey Hairpin on lap 1, Bruce Anstey riding for Suzuki had increased the lead to 3.4 seconds and completed lap 1 in 18 minutes, 14.90 seconds at an average speed of 124.055 breaking the previous lap record held by Ryan Farquhar for the 600cc Junior TT Supersport class. At Glen Helen on lap 2, Anstey increased the lead over John McGuinness to 4.47 and Guy Martin led Ian Hutchinson at the Bungalow timing-point by the small margin of three-tenths of a second. After setting a new lap record of 18 minutes, 6.27 seconds an average speed of 125.041 on lap 2, Bruce Anstey headed for the solitary race pit stop at the TT Grandstand for the tightly contested 600cc Supersport Junior TT Race. The resulting drama in the pit-lane, Bruce Anstey lost 23 seconds and the race lead after having to be pushed down the pit-lane by team mechanics after the Suzuki motor-cycle refused to restart immediately. Although John McGunniess led initially on lap 3, it was Honda teammate Ian Hutchinson at Glen Helen replaced him as race leader by one-third of second and gradually pulled-out a lead of 5.03 seconds by the end of lap 3. During last lap, John McGuinness reduced the lead to 2.84 seconds at the Bungalow on the last lap and Ian Hutchinson managed to hang-on to become a popular first-time TT winner in 1 hour, 13 minutes and 29.11 seconds at an average race speed of 123.225 mph. In second place was Honda team-mate John McGuinness who said that “....I really enjoyed the race....but I seemed to have bad run with the back markers. I also lost one of my knee-sliders and every time I put my knee down it scraped the road.” Completing a Honda 1-2-3 was Guy Martin in third place and also set a new lap record for the Supersort TT race of 18 minutes, 5.23 seconds at an average speed of 125.161 mph. Eventually finishing in 4th place was the early race leader Bruce Anstey in 1 hour, 13 minutes and 38.27 at an average race speed of 122.969 mph from the Isle of Man pair of Nigel Beattie in 5th place and Conor Cummins finishing in 6th place.

Sidecar TT Race 'B'

The second race of Wednesday 6 June 2007 was the 3 lap (113.00 miles) Sidecar TT Race ‘B’ the start was delayed by 15 minutes due to a stray dog on the Snaefell Mountain Course at the Glen Lough campsite near the fast Ballagarey Corner in Crosby. The delay allowed Dave Molyneux the winner of the first sidecar TT race of the week to replace the dashboard unit after his sidecar outfit suffered electrical failure while warming the engine shortly before the start of the Sidecar TT Race. It was the Honda powered outfit of Nick Crowe/Dan Sayle that repeated their race pace from Sidecar Race ‘A’ and led by 14.7 seconds on lap 1 from Dave Molyneux/Rick Long and by 17 seconds from the 3rd place outfit of the Suzuki of John Holden/Andrew Winkle. The 2nd lap of the Sidecar TT race ‘B’ the lead had increased to about 25 seconds and the sidecar pair of Nick Crowe/Dan Sayle also produced the fastest lap of the race in 19 minutes 24.24 seconds an average speed of 116.667 mph breaking the Sidecar TT record. As with the Supersport Race earlier in the day, drama quickly followed with Nick Crowe/Dan Sayle suffering engine failure at the top of the Ballahutchin Hill just outside Union Mills, followed by Klaus Klaffenblock/Christian Parzer outfit suffering engine failure in the same area on the last lap. This handed the lead to Dave Molyneux/Rick Long to complete his 13th Sidecar TT win in 59 minutes and 39.11 seconds at an average speed of 113.851 mph. As for the initial 15 minute race delay, Dave Molyneux said that;- “It gave me just the breathing space I needed to fit the new dashboard and get the bike restarted, which it did perfectly....I’m not a big animal lover, but if I could find that dog I’d love it for life.”

Senior TT Race

The Blue Riband event of the Isle of Man Centenary TT Race week was Senior TT race over 6 lap (226.38 miles) of the Snaefell Mountain Course. With now high expectations of a new lap record breaking the 130 mph average speed mark, the first competitor away from the TT Grandstand on Friday 8 June 2007 was Michael Rutter riding a 1000cc Kawasaki. The first lap quickly produced retirements for three of the race favourites with Ryan Farquhar retiring at the Hawathorn, Martin Finnegan at Ballig and the winner of the Superstock TT Race when Bruce Anstey retired at the TT Grandstand at the end of lap 1 with handling problems. Despite cement dust at Guthrie's Memorial and at Sarah's Cottage and also some low cloud on the higher sections of the Mountain Section of the course, John McGuninness completed lap 1 in a time of 17 minutes 25.77 seconds at an average speed of 129.883 mph of the 2007 Isle of Man Senior TT race and led Guy Martin in 2nd place, also riding a Honda by 10 seconds and in 3rd place Ian Hutchinson with an average speed of 128.414 mph. Although the time for lap 1 of the Senior TT was only 4.5 seconds short of an average speed of 130 mph, John McGunness completed the second lap at a faster pace and lapped in 17 minutes, 21.99 seconds at an average speed of 130.354 mph to finally break the 130 mph speed barrier.

With a fast pit stop at the end of lap 2, John McGuinness extended his lead over Guy Martin to 20.5 seconds at Glen Helen on lap 3. For the rest of the race, John McGuinness produced a further 3 laps of 129.296 mph, 122.867 mph and 128.207 mph to win the 2007 Centenary Senior TT Race in 1 hour, 46 minutes and 44.23 seconds at an average speed of 127.255 mph. The Senior TT Race was also completed a 1-2-3 clean sweep with Guy Martin in 2nd place, 32.73 behind the winner and Ian Hutchinson in 3rd place. The Senior TT win was described by John McGuinness as;- “Absolutely amazing....If there was going to be a time to crack the 130. I knew this was it with a rolling start and just about perfect conditions.

The 2007 Senior TT Race was followed by a TT Centenary Parade of Champions which included former world motor-cycle champions, Giacomo Agostini, John Surtees and Jim Redman. The parade was also completed by World Superbike champions Carl Fogarty and Neil Hodgson and fellow superbike rider Noriyuki Haga also finishing the TT Centenary lap. After the Parade of Champions it was announced by the Race organisers that on lap 5 of the 2007 Senior TT Race that a serious incident had occurred at the 26th Milestone. As a result of an accident involving a race competitor, Marc Ramsbotham riding a Suzuki was killed along with two spectators Dean Jacob and Gregory Kenzig. The accident also resulted in injuries to TT Race marshals, Hilary Musson and Janice Phillips.

Post-TT Races

The final racing of the 2007 Centenary TT week was the Post-TT Races held on the Billown Circuit in Castletown on Saturday 9 June 2007. The first event was the combined 250cc/600cc race of 9 laps (38.25 miles) of the Billown course. This race was initially led by Ian Lougher riding a 600cc Honda from Roy Richardson riding a 600c Yahama motor-cycle. However, Race 1 was red-flagged on lap 3 after a serious incident at Cross-Fours Ways when local resident Carl Roberts riding a 250cc Honda collided with female competitor Marie Hodgson's 600cc Yamaha and Barry Davidson riding a 250cc Honda motor-cycle. The resulting accident resulted in injuries to Carl Roberts and four spectators. The restarted Race 1 was won by Ian Lougher in 14 minutes and 39.818 seconds at an average race speed of 104.340 mph from Conor Cummins in 2nd place and Adrian McFarland in 3rd place over a reduced race distance of 6 laps. The Race 1, 250cc class run concurrently with the 600cc motor-cycles was won by William Dunlop in 15 minutes and 33.802 seconds at an average race speed of 98.308 from Chris Palmer in 2nd place and Davy Morgan in 3rd place.

The second event of the Post-TT Races was the combined 125cc/400cc race that was led from start to finish by Chris Palmer riding a 125cc Honda in 16 minutes and 12.876 seconds at an average race speed of 94.359 mph from Robert Dunlop and Daniel Sayle in 2nd and 3rd place respectively. The 400c class was won by New Zealander Paul Dobbs in 16 minutes and 16.159 seconds at an average race speed of 94.042 mph. The final event of the Post-TT Races was the 1000cc race over 9 laps (38.25 miles) which was initially led by Ian Lougher until the end of lap 1, when he passed by the 1000cc Yamaha of Conor Cummins. The Honda of Ian Lougher was then passed on lap 2 by Chris Palmer also riding a 1000cc Yamaha and Conor Cummins dominating the rest of the race. The win in Race 3 gave Conor Cummins a first win on the Billown in 21 minutes and 18.320 seconds at an average race speed of 107.720 mph by 12.5 seconds from Chris Palmer and Ian Lougher in 3rd place. The fastest lap of the 1000cc Race 3 was in 2 minutes and 20.643 seconds and average speed of 108.786 mph set by Conor Cummins on lap 2.

Further Events

The Isle of Man Constabulary investigating the deaths of a race competitor and two spectators at the 26th Milestone during the 2007 Senior TT Race arrested a marshall on the suspicion of manslaughter, although the individual was later released without charge. Further safety work was carried-out at the 26th Milestone for the 2007 Manx Grand Prix with the removal of part of a grass bank and a new race-marshall lay-by and shelter on the western side embankment.

The acting Manx Grand Prix press officer, Geoff Cannell a former Member of the House of Keys (MHK), sports broadcaster and journalist in the Isle of Man died on 24 September 2007 after a short illness. The Manx Motor Cycle Club (MMCC) handed in its resignation on 27 September 2007 as the organiser of the Isle of Man TT Races after contractual difficulties and problems with 2007 Isle of Man TT Races, a shortage of marshals at the 2007 Manx Grand Prix and the cancellation of the subsequent Senior Manx Grand Prix.

During October 2007 the Isle of Man Department of Transport began road widening at Braddan Bridge on the Snaefell mountain course and the creation of a roundabout. The Department of Transport also announced the proposal of building a new section of road for the Mountain Course with a link road from Signpost Corner to Governor's Bridge using the existing A18 Bemahague Road.

After the MMCC had anticipated a renegotiation of the terms of the contract with the Isle of Man Department of Tourism and Leisure to organise the 2008 Isle of Man TT Races the MMCC were surprised to discover that the contract was awarded to ACU Events Ltd a subsidiary of the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU). It was also announced by the Isle of Man Department of Tourism and Lesiure that a second 600cc Supersport Junior TT race would be an addition to the schedule for the 2008 Isle of Man TT Races and the return of the Ultra-Lightweight TT and Lightweight TT events to be held at the Post-TT Races on the Billown circuit.

The Clerk of the Course for the Isle of Man TT Races Neil Hanson resigned on 17 January 2008 ending a 40-year involvement as a committee member of the Manx Motor Cycle Club (MMCC). The new organisers of the Isle of Man TT Races had been unable to offer Neil Hanson a position and ACU Events Ltd and felt that a change was needed. The official press launch for the 2008 Isle of Man TT Races was held on 18 February 2008 and was attended by regular Isle of Man TT competitors, Ian Lougher, Bruce Anstey, Ryan Farquhar, Martin Finnegan and John McGuinness. It was announced at the press launch that BSB competitor Sean Emmett and former 250cc British Champion Jamie Robinson would compete at the 2008 Isle of Man TT Races.

The Isle of Man Department of Transport started building a new section of road for the Mountain Course with a link road from Signpost Corner to Governor's Bridge using the pre-existing A18 Bemahague Road. This road widening scheme and the creation of a roundabout began in February 2008 with the removal of trees on the Bemahague Estate which includes Government House, the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man.

An inquest held by Coroner Michael Moyle gave a verdict of misadventure into the deaths of race competitor Marc Ramsbotham and spectators Dean Adrian Jacob and Gregory John Kenzig at the 26th Milestone during lap 5 of the 2007 Senior TT Race. The verdict given on 20 March 2008 by Coroner Michael Moyle is a "blistering attack on TT Race Management." A working group was announced on 26 March 2008 by the Isle of Man's Chief Minister Tony Brown to oversee lines of responsibility and course improvements in response to criticism in the coroners report. As Chief Sector Marshall for Sector 9, Cathy Pullen, which included the 26th Milestone resigned her position on 31 March 2007 as one of the officials criticised by the coronors report. This was followed on 9 April 2008 by the Chief Course Marshall, Roger Hurst who also resigned from his position in the Isle of Man TT Marshals Association. The Minister for the Isle of Man Department of Tourism and Lesisure, Adrian Earnshaw MHK, made a statement that the Isle of Man TT Races has a sound future and "everything possible" to address the points made by the coroners inquest.

It was announced by ACU Events Ltd on 3 April 2008 that a contract for the official course vehicles had been awarded to Audi in a 3-year deal to celebrate the win by the pre-war Audi satellite company DKW win by Ewald Kluge in the 1938 Isle of Man TT Races. This was followed by the resignation by David Mylchreest as the official course driver. A further contract was awarded to Yamaha UK to provide motor-cycles and support for the TT Travelling Marshalls. The former British Superbike competitor Sean Emmett withdrew from the 2008 Isle of Man TT races after general comments made by Coroner Michael Moyle to potential competitors to consider carefully their position. The Isle of Man TT competitor Martin Finnegan was killed while racing at the Tandragee 100 Races on 3 May 2008 and this was followed by former Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix winner Robert Dunlop who died in an accident on 16 May 2008 at Mather's Cross during practice for the 2008 North West 200 Races.

2007 Superbike TT final standings.

4 June 2007 6 Laps (236.38 Miles) Mountain Course.

Sidecar TT Race 'A' final standings

4 June 2007 3 laps (113.00 miles) Mountain Course.

2007 Superstock TT final standings

5 June 2007 4 Laps (150.73 Miles) Mountain Course.

2007 Supersport Junior TT final standings

6 June 2007 4 Laps (150.73 Miles) Mountain Course.

Sidecar TT Race 'B' final standings

6 June 2007 3 laps (113.00 miles) Mountain Course.

2007 Senior TT final standings

8 June 2007 6 Laps (236.38 Miles) Mountain Course.

New Outright Lap Record: John McGuinness, 130.354 mph