Table of contents for 12 June 2024 in MCN

TOP STORY Head of Motorsport for the annual Isle of Man TT races, Paul Phillips, has expressed both his excitement and concerns following news that the racing festival is to be featured in a Hollywood-backed Formula 1: Drive to Survive-style docuseries and feature film. Announced on May 28 during the early stages of TT 2024 practice week, the road racing show is being produced by Box to Box Films who have been behind popular Netflix shows including Formula 1: Drive To Survive, Full Swing, and Tour de France: Unchained. Although no streaming service has been officially announced for this project, the series is set to be called The Greatest Race on Earth and should air in 2025. It's backed by A-list actors Channing Tatum and Brad Pitt's production companies, Free…

Thousands of bikers banded together to celebrate the life of Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers, who passed away earlier this year following a two-year battle with cancer. The event, dubbed ‘I'm having a Dave day’, kicked off in London on Saturday, June 8, before heading 300 miles north up the country to Dave's hometown of Barrow-in-Furness. Some 46,136 riders joined the procession, with attendees from countries as far flung and the US and Malaysia joining in and various non-biking supporters also travelling to the Cumbria town. In addition to this, 200,000 people lined the route, waving from the roadside or cheering the bikes on from motorway bridges. As well as remembering Myers, the ride was a chance to raise money for good causes, with £83,000 being generated for Childline and…

Merseyside Police have recovered and returned two bikes belonging to German tourists, who were visiting Liverpool en route to the annual Isle of Man TT races. The bikes – a Honda Africa Twin and Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX – were taken in the early hours of Tuesday, May 28, leaving the Germans with no choice but to head to the island without them. However, thanks to the efforts of local officers and a call from a concerned member of the public, the bikes were found on the same day and subsequently returned to their rightful owners. “It is great to be able to reunite two victims of crime with their beloved motorcycles over on the Isle of Man so they can enjoy the rest of the TT Festival,” said Sergeant Craig…

Leathers that were worn by John McGuinness during his last victory on the island have been returned, after they were stolen from a display in the paddock. The red and white Honda Racing Alpinestars suit, which was worn by McGuinness in the 2015 Senior, had been display in the TT Fan Park. Following uproar on social media, and efforts from the Isle of Man Constabulary, the suit was found left in a bus stop. OMG… it's the NMM The National Motorcycle Museum have announced an upcoming bike night in collaboration with the OMG Grilla Yamaha Racing British Superbike team. The NMM's Big Annual Bike Meet will take place on Thursday, July 25 from 5pm-9.30pm, giving visitors the chance to peruse the museum's 850-strong collection, as well as meeting BSB heroes.…

WHAT'S NEW IN TECH? More and more authorities – both nationally and internationally – are starting to employ noise cameras to catch riders with bikes considered to be too loud. While that might sound fair enough if it applied only to blatantly illegal exhausts, there are already situations where a stock bike, straight from the showroom, might exceed local noise limits without the rider even being aware of it. We've already seen noise cameras come into use in several European countries and tests conducted in the UK. Austria has been at the forefront, going as far as restricting certain bikes from specific roads in the Alps, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that Austrian brand KTM appear to be developing a solution to the problem. While new bikes…

What happens when you take a humble 1995 BMW R80R, pluck it from retirement and inject 800 hours of unbounded engineering mastery into it? The result is what Formula One engineer Ben Norton has dubbed the R100X – a machine which became a poster child of this year's Bike Shed Moto Show, in London. “Bike building is stress relief for me,” Norton told MCN. “It's all about getting back to working with my hands.” The engineer says his off-road routes growing up in Zimbabwe inspired the creation of the R100X: “I've always loved watching the Dakar. BMW has such a rich history in desert racing, and I wanted to create a modern take on those old bikes.” Starting with the motor, Norton added a 1000cc kit, upping the capacity from…

When it comes to great Japanese bikes, it's normally project leaders or engineers who get much of the credit. But Yamaha's Shun Miyazawa is different. The former customiser was the driving force behind the all-new MT family from 2013, the propagator of their ‘Dark Side of Japan’ culture, the catalyst for the ‘Yard Built’ projects, and the power behind the ‘Faster Sons’ concept of sports heritage machines, most recently encapsulated by the XSR900GP. Miyazawa is now the Division Manager, Powered Two-Wheeler, Yamaha Motor Europe. Not bad for a wannabe filmmaker who gained inspiration from the California custom scene. After getting his first bike at 18 then studying film in Tokyo, Miyazawa continued his studies with a year at the University of California in Irvine, which opened his eyes – and…

Adventure bikes are sold heavily on the multi-terrain dream of escape and exploration, but the reality is the vast majority of them, especially those at the upper end of excess (in terms of physical size, capacity, spec and cost) will never be challenged by anything more than an immaculate gravel drive. I did a little straw poll with readers a while back about what they considered to be a ‘long day in the saddle’ – and the result came back at about 8-10 hours of riding and around 300 miles. So, with those figures resonating in my brain, I devised two very different 300-mile+ routes to hit on separate days to get a real sense of how daylong punishment feels. The first loop was a 10-hour 313.2-mile lap from Stamford…

£3500-£5500 (2002-2003) The 5PW was the third and last of the ‘older-generation’ of R1s and many view it as one of the best ever made. This generation featured a fuel-injection system that is almost a hybrid between carbs and injectors. Beautiful to ride with a lovely throttle response and gutsy motor, the chassis is sublime with bags of agility but more stability than earlier bikes. BUYER BEWARE ● All pre-2004 R1s have the same design of gearbox, which is known for weak second and third. Check all is well by accelerating hard and seeing if it hops out of gear. ● A ‘tea bag’ fuel filter is located within the tank and can get blocked with debris, robbing the bike of power. If it feels lethargic, look here. ● Early…

£2000-£4500 (2000-2003) Always remarkable value, the first generation of RSV-R (which is the top-spec model, it was only named ‘Factory’ with the second gen) comes with OZ Racing lightweight wheels, Öhlins suspension and a great V-twin engine that is reliable and fairly cheap to run. Bigger and less focused than a Ducati, the RSV-R is a touch top-heavy but sounds and goes fantastically well. BUYER BEWARE ● Update the battery to one with a high CCA rating. The stock Aprilia unit has a 90CCA, but one with 230CCA helps protect the sprag clutch. Also ensure the starter solenoid is a 150amp unit (early bikes run a weaker 50amp one). ● Listen for a squeaking or rattle on start-up that suggests the sprag clutch is damaged. Not cheap, it costs more…

Bringing you the stories behind the superbike headlines Alvaro Bautista is the current king of World Superbikes. He's the 125cc Grand Prix World Champion turned double World Superbike title winner, with 61 WSBK wins and 96 podiums backing up the pole position and three rostrums he achieved in MotoGP. So successful has he been, with 43 wins from 72 races over the past two seasons (almost 60%), that organisers have placed a couple of icebergs into the path of his voyage in the form of weight limits and lower fuel allowances. MCN caught up with the Aruba Ducati star ahead of round four at Misano this weekend. Five winners from nine races – are the weight limits working? “The great show we've had isn't due to the weight. There's other…

Todd is No.1 after Senior win Next big thing… Todd set more 132, 133 and 134mph laps than his rivals and sits joint top of the 135mph club alongside Hickman and Dunlop. He's also become the record holder for the fastest split from Bungalow to Cronk ny Mona. Five years on from making his TT debut, and just nine years since switching from motocross to road racing, Davey Todd is a two-time TT race winner. Fast from the off, the 28-year-old turned his stellar practice week into results, securing his maiden TT win on Thursday after going head-to-head with Peter Hickman to win the opening Superstock race by just 2.207s. Then, two days later he secured road racing's biggest prize by winning the prestigious Senior TT. “To get my first…

Dean Harrison ended the official Honda team's podium drought by bagging four podiums from the five races he entered. Although unable to take a win for his new team, he showed exactly why Honda employed him, bringing them back into the sharp end despite them being on the back foot due to late arrival of their new-for-2024 Supersport and Superbike machinery. The message that ‘Honda are back’ is clear and in what looks like a formidable partnership, Harrison and the team will already be setting out plans for the top step in 2025. “It's been a good week, three thirds and a second,” said Harrison, who now has five Senior TT podiums. “There is more to come from the big bike because I don't think we've really found a good…

Bringing you the latest news from the 2024 Isle of Man TT TOP STORY It's taken 24 years to surpass his uncle's tally, but Michael Dunlop is now the greatest TT rider having won four races at this year's event to secure wins 26, 27, 28 and 29. In what is an unprecedented achievement, Dunlop – aged just 35 – moves three ahead of the legendary Joey Dunlop. With four wins from seven starts, TT 2024 belonged to Dunlop with the Ulsterman seemingly in the form of his life, especially after seeing the pressure visibly lift from his shoulders as he first matched, and then surpassed, his uncles’ win tally. This is how he did it… SUPERSPORT 1 WIN 26 In the first race of the week, Dunlop got the…

WELCOME What a week. The chances of Michael Dunlop becoming the greatest TT racer of all time during TT 2024 was always going to be a statistical likelihood, but his four-wins-in-a-week result meant he didn't just trickle over the line, he stormed past his Uncle Joey's longstanding record – and then some. And, barring a slipping clutch and a wardrobe malfunction in the visor change department, he could have potentially been on 30 or even 31 wins in total. We could have even seen a recordbreaking six wins in one single TT week. But the ‘what ifs’ are largely ‘so whats’ now that the racing is over. He is the undisputed King of the Mountain, the most successful rider ever to feel the tap on his shoulder and head off…

The Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) have revealed their ‘Powered Light Vehicle Manifesto’ encouraging politicians from all political parties to actively support biking. Launched on May 30, the 11-page document follows the announcement of a General Election for July 4. “The objective of the manifesto document is to set out all the things that we need a new government to consider,” MCIA chief Tony Campbell said. “It's to bring the new government up to speed on the progress the industry's made… and it's to gain support from local parliamentary candidates before the election to pledge their support.” MCN last spoke with the industry boss back in mid-May following reports that we could see an official cut off for new petrol powered motorcycles by 2040. At the time, he stated: “Whilst we…

Norton's full motorcycle lineup is now available to Scottish customers as the Solihull brand recently announced a sales partnership with Revolutions of Perth. With this most recent addition to the brand's network, the company are now celebrating their first sales partner to open in Scotland. Chris Bexon, Head of Sales at Norton Motorcycles, said: “Providing Scottish customers with the opportunity to test and purchase our range of premium motorcycles has been an aim of ours for some time, so we are really looking forward to working closely with Revolutions to accomplish that goal.”…

KTM have teased what appears to be a new semi-automatic largecapacity V-twin at the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo, in Austria. Ridden by French enduro legend Johnny Aubert, the demo bike is being called the KTM AMT which has been revealed as standing for ‘Automatic Manual Transmission’. It uses no clutch lever and was teased on the brand's social media pages – with the firm confirming a new gearbox is in development. Although it looks to be based on a 1290 Super Adventure R, KTM would not confirm the capacity – stating it's an LC8 made from a hybrid selection of parts. ‘The bike was teased at the Erzbergrodeo’ More information will arrive in September, but from the pictures we can see that it uses manually adjustable WP suspension. There's also a…

June 16 VMCC Banbury Run The annual Banbury Run from the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, is taking place this weekend, with camping, an autojumble and more. www.banbury-run.co.uk June 16 Father's Day Show and Jumble With classics of all kinds, autojumble and a chance to visit Castle Howard it's a great day out for the whole family. classicshows.org June 15-16 Father's Day Motorfest Featuring stunt show, street food, monster truck and plenty more, you've got a whole weekend at Kings Farm in Chelmsford (CM1 3PJ). www.motorshowevents.com June 14-16 British Superbikes Round four heads to Scotland's fast and furious Knockhill this weekend. Tickets are £55 for the weekend, or start from £12 for an day action-packed day. www.britishsuperbike.com…

What's happening? Get yourself over the Channel to France, because believe us, that's where you want to be this weekend. Taking place at four locations along the south west coastline, you can take in skating, surfing, screenings, concerts, exhibitions, food, test rides – you name it! Plus, with rideouts, you can explore the countryside, too. The essentials The festival takes place at numerous venues around the Basque country, near Biarritz in France from June 12 to June 16. There is an onsite ticket office, and tickets are €90 for a five-day pass, or €70 for a three-day. For the weekend, it's €45, and if you want to nip in for the day it's €25. Or you can pay €15 to visit an individual Wheels and Waves experience on its own.…

DUCATI DESERTX RALLY KTM 890 ADVENTURE R YAMAHA TÉNÉRÉ 700 EXTREME…

‘The backbone of business’ The first of the new family of street-focused, fun, affordable and, above all, characterful MTs, the success of Yamaha's allnew Crossplane triple heralded the arrival of the even more successful MT-07 CP2 twin, the subsequent retro XSR versions which came after that, and not to mention the Tracers, Ténérés, Nikens and more. “At the end of the day, what really enabled Yamaha to change gear was the MT-09,” Miyazawa recalls. “We were convinced this could be the ‘X Factor’ for Yamaha – the start of a new vision. But without that bike, what happened after, the XSRs and so on, many of them couldn't have happened. The MT-09 really worked as a kind of catalyser for the brand.” He's not wrong. That first MT-09 proved an…

‘You're biting your nails for the best part of the fortnight’ TAS Racing celebrate their 25th anniversary this season. Run by father and son duo Hector and Philip Neill, over the years the Northern Irish outfit have enjoyed the highest of highs, and endured the lowest of lows. Race wins and titles have come across multiple championships, with some of the sport's biggest names. And to this day, they are a key feature of both the Bennetts British Superbike Championship and the International Road Racing scene, picking up a victory at the North West 200 along with five podiums and two wins at the TT. Ho it all began TAS Racing were launched in 2000, but their roots can be traced back to the 70s and 80s when Hector worked…

ALWAYS BE READY To get good, and stay good, at hard braking you need to practise your skill every couple of weeks, even if it's only for 20 minutes or so. We recommend putting it in your diary – see it as an investment in your safety that's just as valuable as a new airbag jacket. Obviously you need to find a deserted road to practise on. Get a feel for finesse If you push your bike in a car park and pull the lever just hard enough to feel the pads dragging on the discs, that's five percent braking – learn that feel, because it's where we start and finish our braking. Brace! Brace! Brace! When you're practising hard braking, take some time to feel what's happening to your…

1500 miles ON TEST Evotech Performance Headlight Guard £89.99 Headlights have come a long way since they all had Lucas written on them and were made of glass. With that development, they have also become rather expensive, and a stone rocketing off a car tyre like a speeding bullet on the motorway, or roosted from the bike in front on a stoney trail, can do a fair bit of damage. With that in mind, I'm a big fan of fitting a guard on adventure bikes. And they don't come better in terms of build quality, precision, and aesthetic charm than the output from Lincolnshire firm, Evotech. This guard, new for the BMW R1300GS, is constructed from premium stainless steel, punched with hexagonal holes and formed to perfectly align with the…

EXPERT GUIDE TO The 1990s and early 2000s were a golden era for sportsbikes. They were exciting, great-looking and had performance figures that were much more accessible for road riders than some of the powerladen machines that came later (and saw the popularity of the class tumble). And there were very few fussy electronics! This week we have turned our attention to some classy ‘analogue’ sportsbikes that can be had for relatively little cash in the used market yet still deliver on fun and performance. YOUR EXPERT Jon Urry is MCN used bike guru. Although he is starting to warm to fuel injection, he still loves a carburettor and gets turned-on by a flat-slide……

£4000-£5500 (2002-2003) The 2002/03 FireBlade (which most simply call the 954 due to its capacity) delivers just about the perfect balance of performance and handling. Beautifully built, the 954 motor has bags of grunt. Designed more with road riding than lap times in mind, the Blade is a great buy. And a practical one – how many other sportsbikes have a flip-up pillion with underseat storage? BUYER BEWARE ● Get the front in the air and feel for any roughness from the headstock bearings, which will probably be past their best by now. ● The exhaust valve is under the engine, check it is opening and shutting freely as it may (probably will…) be seized solid, robbing the bike of low-end power. ● Avoid any machines with an old alarm…

It's been two months since the World Superbike Championship last raced. Following seven weekends of no racing, an interval new owner Liberty Media will surely look to close up next year, racing resumes in earnest this weekend with round four at Misano in Italy. It's been so long one would be forgiven for thinking this was the start of the campaign, and much has happened in the interim. Since Assen, Bimota have announced its return to the championship next year, the Italian factory having been under Kawasaki ownership since 2019. Magny-Cours’ place on the calendar has been confirmed as the home of the French Round up to and including 2027, while The Netherlands’ Assen remains until 2031. The current schedule has also been shaken up, with the confirmation of the…

A hybrid motorcycle has lapped the TT for the first time, with eleven-time winner, Phillip McCallen taking a Kawasaki Ninja Z 7 Hybrid around the Mountain Course. Describing his experience on the bike – which is on sale this summer – McCallen said: “There were a lot of people around the course who were seeing a hybrid for the first time, and I hope it was as much fun for them as it was for me riding such an amazing bike in an equally amazing location.” TT special's sound as a (two) pound The Westminster Collection are offering racing fans the chance to bag an Isle of Man commemorative £2 coin for just £2 (plus p&p). Just 7500 will enter circulation, making the coin a sought-after piece. Also available is…

THIS WEEK ‘It's a marginal reduction, but a welcome one’ Motorcycle industry experts have expressed their delight at the declining number of road deaths among bikers, with the latest government figures suggesting a drop of 12% between 2022 and 2023. The figure represents the largest decrease of the four main road user types (car occupants, pedestrians, motorcyclists, and pedal cyclists) with fatalities dropping from 350 to 306 between the two years. “It's nice to see the figures going down across the board,” Nicholas Lyes, Director of Policy and Standards at road safety organisation IAM RoadSmart, said. “I wouldn't say the overall figure is anything to celebrate, because it's a very marginal reduction… but any reduction is welcome.” “It's much more pleasing to see fewer fatalities on the roads when it…

Spanish off-road brand Rieju have presented their first electric offering, the E-Tango. The new bike is available in two flavours, one 28mph road-legal version that can be ridden on a CBT at 16, and an off-road only model packing a more powerful motor. Both have 200mm of suspension travel, and weigh just 78kg in road-legal trim, and 73kg for the dirt only model. UK pricing is TBA, although retailers are accepting pre-orders now with a £500 deposit. New season means new CRFs Honda's off-road range including the CRF450R, CRF450RX, CRF250R and CRF250RX is set to receive major updates. At the heart is a 70% new twin-spar aluminium frame, new 49mm Showa forks, and a new rear shock/linkage. The motor gets altered injection, a revised crank and other internals. Air induction…

BMW showcased a bespoke R12-based creation to thousands of custom enthusiasts at this year's Bike Shed Moto Show in London. Roughly 16,000 attendees visited the Tobacco Dock venue between May 24-26, where Ducati also revealed their two latest Scrambler concepts to the world. Dubbed ‘Street Ride’, the one-off machine is the first custom R12 globally and is the handiwork of West Sussex-based Pier City Custom (PCC) – a bike builder specialising in BMW modification, which has previously constructed special builds for the Bavarian brand. Using a standard 1270cc roadster as the base, PCC set to work transforming the stock machine, fitting a bespoke G&G exhaust system and custom Öhlins rear shock as well as removing the airbox in favour of an exposed pod-style filter. A custom build wouldn't be complete…

THE FACTS ‘Get a quote and you could win this Yamaha’ Fancy a new bike for 2024? We're giving you the chance to win a brand-new Yamaha MT-09, a model which benefits form a raft of updates for this year. To be in with a chance of winning, you simply have to tick the box when getting an insurance quote with us. It really is that simple. No questions, no payment, no tricks – get an insurance quote, tick the box, and cross all your fingers and toes (not while riding) that you're the lucky winner. It's one of the best nakeds you can buy MCN's Carl Stevens rode the new MT-09 at its world launch earlier in the year, and to whet your appetite, this is what he had…

JUST BREWIT Ride Out to Britain's best biking cafés THE DETAILS Tuesday-Friday 10.30am-4pm, Saturday-Sunday 10am-5pm Find out more / www.un1t7.com Burry Rd, Llanelli, SA15 2DS The pandemic changed a lot of things for everyone, and Dan Stickland was no exception. Not only did he get his bike licence, but he also expanded the high-end valeting business he'd be running for 15 years and made the place into the perfect spot to grab a cuppa and have a chat while you are at it. Bikes are now the focus of the operation, with plenty of parking, intriguing parts and posters stuck on the walls, plus local produce and coffee to make your mouth water. “The food is quite new,” explains Dan. “Our chef, Dani is very experienced. His food is top, but he…

FIRST RIDE BMW have upgraded their roadtargeted middleweight adventure bike for 2024. It boils down to a new engine and a smattering of other updates, so have the German firm gone far enough to keep the F800GS on top? During a mid-term upgrade in 2020 the F750GS gained a TFT dash and angleresponsive electronics, so all that BMW could really do for 2024 was arm it with the bigger-capacity F900 engine. The latest F900GS is now more off-road focused, but it can prove quite a handful when things get gnarly. So, has the understated F800GS now found its natural place in the middleweight GS model range? 1 The 800 that's actually 895 The F800GS runs the same 895cc as the F900GS, but it is in a lower state of tune…

WINNING ON TRACK While the Superbike crown has eluded them so far, TAS Racing have celebrated championship glory in both the Supersport and Superstock classes. In fact, their first foray into BSB came in the 600 class with Tom Sykes and Adrian Coates onboard the GSX-R600 in 2004. Sykes finished second overall in 2006, but the team went one better the following year when Michael Laverty and teammate Ian Lowry completed a one-two in the championship. “The situation was actually okay because you don't get any negativity or bitter rivalry with Michael, he's such a professional. I couldn't have done what he did in that situation because there was a lot of pressure on Michael because he was already an established rider who had raced at a higher level, whilst…

As soon as I saw the Triumph Scrambler 400 X I wanted a go. It looked somehow more grown up than its simultaneously launched stablemate, the Speed 400, and I thought a lightweight single would be more fun on the dirt, too. The Scrambler's road handling impressed me, though, and it got me thinking about the 17in front wheel and road tyres on the Speed and how I might be missing out on a better road experience. The FOMO got even stronger when I read in the Scrambler's manual that it is “designed for on-road and light off-road use” – unpaved, dirt or gravel roads but specifically not jumps or obstacles. I didn't expect the Scrambler to be a motocrosser, but Triumph's own modesty about its capability made me wonder…

£2999-£5500 (1998-2001) The TL1000R failed to have much sales or track success, but that doesn't stop Suzuki's V-twin superbike from being a much-loved model. Suzuki make the TL-R too lardy to really be effective on track and then hampered it further with a lousy rear damping system. But, again like the Kawasaki, a good TL-R is a beautiful bike to ride and own with bags of soul. BUYER BEWARE ● Always take the time to inspect a TL's frame as it is prone to cracks around the mounting points for the suspension system. ● When on a test ride, listen for the engine making a knocking sound that indicates the crank bearing is on its way out – it is a common fault on high-mileage TLs. ● Although the controversial…

5.45am: Thompson rings his weather man for a report and relays this to his team. 6.30am: Arrive in race control. 7am: Operational group meeting to discuss issues from previous day and issues that could prevent racing starting on time. 8am: Silver command meeting to discuss non-racing elements with all the emergency services, Nobles Hospital, emergency control room, civil defence, emergency planning etc. 8.30-9am: Firefighting any issues that have arisen – crossing the Ts and dotting the Is. 9-10am: Ensuring circuit is clear ahead of roads closing, spillages resolved, abandoned cars removed. 10-10.30am: Ensuring each marshal point is fully staffed. ‘Zero zero’ marshals who are willing and able to marshal at any point moved into position. 10.45: Race starts. Job done. Now the team sits back, watches the race and waits…

The world's leading suspension and tyre companies were out in force at this year's event, illustrating the level of prestige associated with competing at, and winning, the TT. Each and every one of the four major suspension and two tyre manufacturers have top level riders on their books. Here is how the stats break down after the seven solo races at this year's IoM TT. Suspension Wins Öhlins 5 (Dunlop and Hickman), K-tech 2 (Todd), Maxton 0, Bitubo 0 Podiums Öhlins 10 (Dunlop and Hickman), K-tech 5 (Todd), Maxton 6 (Harrison, Herbertson and Browne), Bitubo 0) Top 5s Öhlins 13, K-tech 5, Maxton 12, Bitubo 5 (Hillier and Cowton) Tyres Wins Dunlop 5, Metzeler 2 Podium Dunlop 10, Metzeler 11 Top 5s Dunlop 12, Metzeler 23…

Josh Brookes proved his Superbike pedigree to secure only his secondever TT podium with a brilliant second position in the Senior. Despite posting his fastest ever laps in practice, his race week hadn't gone to plan with a broken chain in the Superbike race and a best result of sixth in the opening Supersport race. But onboard the full-blown FHO BMW Superbike, which posted an incredible 206mph through the speed trap, Brookes stepped up in the Senior. Although unable to challenge Todd for the win, he took the scalp of factory Honda man Dean Harrison to secure the runner-up spot, setting his first 134mph lap in the process. He said: “I knew this class was going to be my best chance, which is why I was really down after the…

After winning the opening Sidecar race, brothers Ryan and Callum Crowe stormed to race two glory, posting a 120mph lap in the process. In what is only their fourth TT the Manxmen were untouchable, gaining a key advantage through the opening splits, which they gradually extended to win ahead of Ben Birchall and Kevin Rousseau. Speaking after the race Ryan said: “We've tried 100% every year we've done the TT, but this year we put extra effort in, put our hands deep in our pockets to get equal machinery. They say money can't buy you your dream, but it clearly does play a part.” Their dream TT 2024 was topped off when close friends and TT legends Dave Molyneux and passenger Jake Roberts joined them on the podium in third…