Despite being stripped of its world championship status in the 1960s, the Isle of Man TT races have always continued to attract the attention of the world’s media. While there has been negative comment, in the main there has been admiration for an event that has challenged both rider and machine, pushing both to the very limit.
Valentino Rossi will pay tribute to the 'different breed' of riders that are willing to race on public roads when he rides in a ceremonial opening lap at the 2009 Isle of Man TT.
It is a fact that a bike set to run at a MotoGP or WSB event would not survive the rigors of the 37.75 mountain course, made up of roads used by the general public on a day-to-day basis throughout the year as part of normal life. Even an Endurance machine built for racing in 24-hour events needs to be modified, as most of these are conducted on relatively smooth circuits.
Likewise the riders too tend to be a different breed and many a good circuit racer has struggled against those who have tended to specialize in the few remaining road races still running throughout the world. While many top riders choose not to accept the challenge of a course with walls and hedges that pass inches from helmets and leathers, with no run- off areas and changing weather on different parts of the course, there are still those who do!
(top) Giacomo Agostini racing in Thundersprint. (bottom) Agostini flanked by Jim Redman and Sammy Miller.
Which probably explains why eight-time MotoGP world champion, Valentino Rossi, has confirmed that he will make his first visit to the TT races this year. The 30-year-old winner of nearly 100 Grands Prix will visit the Island on the first day of racing - Saturday June 6th, with fellow Italian legend and ten times TT winner Giacomo Agostini, who raced on the famous Mountain Course between 1966 and 1972.
The pair of Dainese sponsored riders will complete a lap of the course prior to the Dainese Superbike race. However much the fans may wish to see the two famous Italian world champions go head to head, the lap will be behind the course car on 2009 Yamaha R1s, flanked by some of the Travelling Marshalls, who will all be riding similar machines.
Rossi has said, in the past, that he is fascinated by all forms of motorsport and has wanted to experience firsthand the TT experience for a long time, but racing commitments have prevented him getting there. The gap in this year’s MotoGP schedule has allowed him to make the flying visit to fulfill his desires.
The two Italians will not be the only two riders present to have achieved world champion status. Ex-sidecar world champions Tim Reeves and Klaus Klaffenböck will be racing in the two sidecar races. Both have publicly backed the Isle of Man TT Races as the true test in world sidecar racing.
Unlike the solos, where each race is a complete entity, an aggregate ‘championship points’ system based on results from both of the sidecar races has been developed which will create an overall TT table. The first 15 crews in each race will receive points.
But, moving away from the big names, there are literally hundreds of other racers who visit to accept the mountain challenge from all around world. This year alone there are 33 participants from 20 countries joining in the home country riders on both two and three wheels. This includes six American riders in this year’s event.
Since Godfrey, Franklin and Moorehouse swept aboard Indian motorcycles in the 1911 Isle of Man TT, racing and Indian have gone hand-in-hand.
However, this interest is nothing new and in fact dates back some 98 years to the inaugural TT run on the mountain course in 1911. (The first four races from 1907 did not use the mountain course.) At that time the main races were the Senior and Junior races, the former being for the larger machines.
US manufacturer Indian made the long haul across the pond and were rewarded with a clean sweep in the five-lap (187.5 mile) race taking the first three places with English riders at the helm of the factory machines. Oliver Godfrey took the actual win in a time of 3 hours 56 minutes and 30 seconds with an average speed of 47.63 mph! He was backed up by C. Franklin and A. Moorhouse, but the teams’ victory celebrations were tempered by the fact that their own flamboyant American rider Jake de Rosier was an early faller.
On an individual basis, arguably the most notable performances in the TT’s history by riders from the US have come from Pat Hennen and Dave Roper. Hennen won the Newcomers Trophy in 1977 after taking 5th place in the Senior, whilst a year later he became the first man to lap the Mountain Course in less than 20 minutes. Sadly, a crash later in the race ended his racing career. Dave Roper, well known for his classic race exploits, ensured his place in the history books when he took victory in the 1984 500cc Historic race, which is no longer run. To this day, he remains the only American rider to have actually won a TT.
However, this year’s six American riders all have tremendous pedigrees having ridden at the highest levels. Three are old hands at the TT and three are rookies looking for the ultimate challenge.
American Mark Miller racing in the 2007 Isle of Man Senior TT.
Starting with the experienced, or maybe the fastest US TT rider, Californian Mark Miller is competing in five races during the week. He has 20 AMA podiums to his name from Superbike and Superstock competition. He will be riding a GSX-R1000cc Suzuki and an ex-Bruce Anstey TAS 600cc Suzuki. His best lap in 2007 of 121.756mph on an Aprilia RSV1000 makes him the fastest American rider ever to have lapped the 37.75 mile course. Miller has so far picked up six bronze replicas from his eight TT rides, but this year is his best chance of cracking the top ten as he lines up for WA Corless/Jackson Racing and maybe adding a silver to his collection.
Next up is Jimmy Moore from Oregon, who returns for his third TT with JMF/Millsport Racing who are providing him with a full compliment of Yamaha machinery. He has, perhaps, the best home track record of all the Americans with two AMA titles to his name, the 2001 Supersport 750cc and the 2002 Superstock crowns. His TT debut was in 2007 competing as part of Team Blackhorse Honda (Sponsored by a fantastic motorcycle website – Motorcycle-USA.com – MCUSA ed).
(
top left, clockwise) Jimmy Moore racing in the 2007 Isle of Man; Moore flanked by
MotorcycleUSA.com editor Ken 'Hutch' and founder Don; Ian Lougher on a torturous
section of road during the 2005 Isle of Man TT; Thomas Montano also in the 2005 race.
He took a best result of 15th in the Supersport race, just 48 seconds behind the very experienced team leader and regular TT rider, Ian Lougher. Moore also posted a best lap of 121.381mph on his 600cc Honda, the fifth-fastest time ever by a newcomer. All four riders ahead of him on the all-time list were all on 1000cc machines. Unfortunately he was forced to pull out of last year’s event after problems in practice.
Top of the list in terms of years competing at the TT though, having started his TT career in 1992, is Californian Thomas Montano. His best finish to date is ninth but he can boast no less than 12 top twenty finishes to his name. He also has the honour of being the first American to lap the Mountain Course at more than 120mph, in 2005. He will contest the two Supersport races for Taj Mahal Racing in an effort to add to his 5 silver and 15 bronze replicas.
While the remainder of the US contingent may be novices at the TT, they all come with very impressive track records suggesting that once they have learned to course, they could be hitting the big numbers like their experienced colleagues.
Scott Jensen at the 2009 AMA Superbike Championship Fontana round.
Hailing from South Dakota, 33-year-old Scott Jensen has been the leading privateer in the AMA Superbike series for the last two seasons, finishing 11th overall in 2008 and 12th, 16th and 13th in 2007, 2006 and 2005 respectively. He has also contested the Macau GP last year where he finished 16th, impressing many seasoned veterans. He is down to ride 600cc and 750cc Suzuki’s for the well-established PRF Racing team in the Supersport, Superstock and Senior races.
North Carolina’s CR Gittere is another of the leading privateers in the AMA Championship, having finished 12th in the 2004 Daytona 200 Superbike race. A true all-rounder, Gittere has also competed in the Baja 1000 Endurance race. Gittere has apparently been studying the Mountain Course for some time and now plans to become a regular competitor. He rides a Mick Charnock-prepared TCR/DP Coldplanning 1000cc Honda in the three big capacity races.
James Vanderhaar from Kentucky is 29 and started racing in 2003 and has become one of America’s leading Endurance riders having ridden for Fast by Ferracci and Yamaha USA. After finishing third in the 2006 Supersport series, Vanderhaar moved in to the Superstock class and won the 2008 AMA WERA National Endurance Championship riding a Yamaha USA-supported Yamaha R1. He is another rider who is going to be very busy having entered all five solo races over the week on his own R1 and R6 Yamahas.
So as we head for the final countdown towards Saturday’s first race and the start of Honda’s 50th year celebrations (they first raced at the TT in 1959) you can see there is a very talented US team to battle against some of the best road racing riders in the world!
