Friday 22nd 2022 –
The 2022 Isle of Man TT has been a long time coming, it has been 3 years since riders from around the world have lined up to participate in this fast and furious world of motorcycle racing.
What have the top riders been doing during this time whilst the world of high speed racing was on hold on the mountain course?
John McGuinness MBE along with Peter Hickman, Dean Harrison, James Hillier, Lee Johnston and co have all been taking part in the British superbike series held on the Mainland, with a mixture of results in their relevant disciplines.
Change of Sponsors for some riders this year which will be covered later in this article, some which may surprise fans and some that probably were on the cards already.
So where do we stand today, the TT Course has been undergoing road surface preparation, parts of the course have undergone removal and re-laid in readiness for this long awaited event to return. There has been a revamp of TT Health and Safety measures along with a new Live Digital TV coverage channels, you can find out more about the coverage by searching the Isle of Man TT website.
Although some TT riders participated in the Festival of Motorcycling in August of 2019 many riders will have had a 3 year lay off from the Course, this will be a factor of who has the upper hand in getting up to speed for this year’s event?
John McGuinness
John received an MBE after being included in the 2021 New Year Honours List, for his services to motorcycle racing. Following in the footsteps of his Hero Joey Dunlop, his experience will certainly play its part, although turning 50 this year he still has the passion and will to win.
Returning to Honda HRC this year and with a wealth of knowledge he will be 1 to watch when he rides down Bray hill for the first time on the Fireblade once again riding under the number 1 plate.
Johns last win was when he made a dream return to the Isle of Man mountain course, after suffering injuries during the NW 200 by taking the honours in the 2018 Senior Classic TT aboard his Roger Winfield Paton ahead of Jamie Coward and Lee Johnston.
The Honda Fireblade which has been quite impressive during the first round of the British Superbike Championship which took place at Silverstone with Glenn Irwin aboard taking 3 wins out of 3,
It will certainly be a year of celebration with it being Johns 50th birthday, his 100th TT race start and the Honda Fireblade’s 30th anniversary should he take the honours in Blue Riband event?
Bennetts British Superbikes, Silverstone Round 1,
Dean Harrison
Dean has confirmed his return to this year’s event aboard his Dao Racing-run Silicone Engineering Kawasaki ZX 10RR, 2019, saw him take a thrilling win in the Blue Riband event beating Peter Hickman, with Peters machine suffering technical difficulties, it was still a hard fought for win.
Dean is the second fastest rider at the event with a lap speed of 134.9 mph will also be in top form, another of the road racers who is competing in the British Superbike Series, although having fell from his machine at Silverstone at the 1st round Dean suffered damage to the tips of his fingers removing skin from the tips this may or may not play a part?
You can be certain that Dean will be up there at the front fighting for the top spot.
Michael Dunlop
Michael will always come out looking for wins no matter what bike he is riding, second on the list of all time winning greats with 19 wins,four wins behind John McGuinness.
Michael will be contesting this year onboard a Paul Bird Motorsport Ducati Panigale V4, Should Michael and the PBM, should the team be successful in their bid at the TT, it would be the first time a Ducati has won at the event since 1985 when the four-time World Champion Tony Rutter took first in the Formula 2 TT.
As stated Michael is a hard riding competitor and .fans will be enthralled with his ability, will the Ducati prove to be a winning machine in his hands? Well you cannot deny Michaels commitment to get every little bit out of the machine he is riding.
The PBM Ducatis have not shown their speed at the British Superbike Series as yet so Michael may well have a trying time of it but i wouldn’t rule him out.
Peter Hickman
Peter goes from strength to strength Monday 14th March saw Peter awarded the prestigious Royal Automobile Club Torrens Trophy following his achievements in 2019, an impressive start to his 2022 season.
The fastest man on the planet today at the TT with a blistering pace of 135.452 mph, the outright lap record, he will certainly be in the mix, this year he has gained a new sponsor from the United States.
Probably not that familiar with some TT race fans out there Gas Monkey Garage, the global leader in customized cars from Discovery Channel’s hit series Fast N’ Loud, will become the title sponsor of Peter Hickman and FHO Racing at the 2022 Isle of Man TT Races.
All new livery will be on Peters machines for the event and it certainly won’t be missed, Peter also holds the Superstock outright speed record along with the fastest newcomer lap.
Without a doubt Peter will be 1 of the riders you just cannot rule out in every race he partakes in, not only fast but considered to be one of the most laid back riders you could ever meet, having taken five wins and 14 podiums between 2017 and 2019 he will definitely be at the front.
report by Glynne Lewis
