GO AUSTRALIA!Aussie Josh Brookes gave the
Norton its best TT finish with a
fifth place in the Senior TT after a
final lap of 131.745mph.
“I’m pleased,” the rider harking
from Bringelly in New South
Wales said. “It’s the fastest
Norton lap, its my fastest
lap and fifth in the Senior is a
good result.”
He also claimed two sixth-
place finishes on his McAMS
Yamaha YZF-R6 in the
Supersport events.
But Brookes felt he could havegone even faster on the Norton.
“If I had known before the
week started that we were
going to have this much
track time, I would have
thought that the progression
of the bike would have
been stronger,” he said. “It
has improved because last
year I was absolutely at my
max at 130.9mph and this
year I feel I rode in a similar way
and did a 131.7. But exactly how
much is from me or how much is
in the bike we will never know.”The first half of Aussie David
Johnson’s TT race week went
much better than the second.
The Adelaide man posted two
fourth-place finishes in the
Superbike and Superstock races
on the Gulf Oil BMW S 1000 RRs.
But the Senior race was a
disaster, with a mechanical
problem forcing his retirement
after just one lap. He also gave
up his fastest-Aussie-ever tag to
former Norton teammate Josh
Brookes. And he retired from the
Lightweight race after hittingtrouble on the Ryan Farquhar
prepared IEG/KMR Kawasaki.
“I was happy with fourth, but
I really wanted a podium in the
Senior,” a disappointed Johnson
said.
He struggled to find a set up for
his S1000RRs during practice
and although is now lapping
consistently in the 130mph
bracket, his fastest lap of 2018
at 130.737mph, set on the final
lap of the Superbike race, was
well shy of his best speed,
131.595mph.DJ equals best, retires from SeniorBrookesy’s the best!Lightweight TT
MICHAEL DUNLOP CLAIMED his third win of 2018 and his 18th to
date, with victory in the opening Lightweight TT on the Paton. The
Northern Irishman set a new lap record at 122.750mph on his final
circuit to secure a win that moves him into third place in the all-time
TT winner’s list behind John McGuinness on 23 and his uncle, Joey
Dunlop, who won 26 races.
Dunlop made a slow start and it was former Lightweight winner,
Ivan Lintin who led after the opening lap with a new lap record from a
standing start. Dunlop increased his pace on lap two to move into an
unassailable lead as Lintin retired with a broken crank. Derek McGee
(Kawasaki) finished second and Michael Rutter (Paton) was third.Zero TT
MICHAEL RUTTER WON his sixth TT and fourth electric bike race
with victory in the Zero TT on the Mugen machine. The 46-year-
old also became the first person to lap the Mountain course at
over 120mph on an electric machine, setting a new record of
121.824mph.
The single-lap race that had just six starters was f lagged off by
Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge. Daley Mathison finished
second after posting an impressive 119.294mph lap on the
University of Nottingham-built bike and Rutter’s Mugen teammate,
Lee Johnston was a distant third after he had to stop to put his
chain back on.