2007 Isle of Man TT - Centenary TT Race Week - Superbike TT Race

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 back 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.