It’s been a highly successful Isle of Man TT 2017 meeting for the Team Penz13.com BMW Motorrad Motorsport: During last week’s Superstock TT Manxman Dan Kneen powered home to third in the race, taking his first ever Isle of Man TT podium – as did the Rico Penzkofer managed team from Saxony in Germany.

Kneen managed to hold off fellow BMW rider Michael Rutter by only fractions to fourth and went to the legendary return lane and the podiums enclosure for the first time. The Manxman had mixed it up on front of the race for the entire 4 laps and even had to overcome some technical issues on the last two laps, forcing him to switch off the electronics and riding the legendary Mountain Course without any aids.

Kneen came home on the podium after 01:10,42,708 hours behind fellow BMW riders Ian Hutchinson and Peter Hickman. This third place came only a couple of days after he equaled his best TT finish till then by taking a fifth in the Superbike TT, but this time on the big bike, prior it had been on the Supersport machine in TT 2010.

Kneen rounded the Isle of Man TT fortnight off with a strong 12th place finish in Friday’s Senior TT, taking another Silver Replica. The race was initially red flagged and then re-started over four laps, after Ian Hutchinson had crashed in the Mountains but was ok. Kneen fought hard again and did the 4 lap stint in 01:12:21,678 hours.

Teammate Alessandro “Alex” Polita did another two strong races in the Superstock TT and the Senior TT, coming home in 35th and 36th places, earning him two Bronze replicas.

During the Superstock race, Polita was happy to find his speed again on the Mountain Course and did those four laps in 01:16:34,564 hours. In the shortened 4 lapper Senior TT he improved himself by almost half a minute, doing them in 01:16:06,232 hours.

Teammate Danny Webb was forced out of 2017 TT racing after a crash in Superbike practice at Laurel Bank had sidelined him with 4 broken vertebrae’s. The former Grand Prix star though was back in paddock to cheer his team mates on during Senior TT.

Dan Kneen:

All in all it was just a mega TT 2017. We had some issues, but above all we got our first podium. It was not only my first TT podium, it was also the first one of the Penz13.com BMW Motorrad Motorsport team and this made us all smile more than ever before. We had worked hard to gain such success but it takes some time to sink in. I simply held the momentum going after the 5th in Superbike TT, which was my best result on the big bikes till then, and then, in Superstock, we upped the game. The last two laps I had to switch off the electronics and rode this bike in pure, which for sure not helped, but in the end I was so committed to take that podium spot. Senior was a bit of a mixture of fortunes with having to start twice and not every day is the same. Still I am happy with 12th as it is a more than strong result here at home at my island.

Alessandro Polita:

I am happy with how the TT unfolded in the end for me. It was a tough beginning and it is not helpful if you got so less practice time as we did this year around. It took me until the Superstock race to really remember where to go in some places around here. The Stock race already was very good and I knew the way again. In Senior I did everything to push for another fast lap and in the end I improved over 4 laps by almost half a minute. I got two Bronze replicas this year, which makes me proud and happy.

Rico Penzkofer:

Its hard to summarize this year’s TT in only a few words. Of course it started on the wrong foot with the unfortunate and in the end innocent crash of Danny Webb. But even though he got some injuries, which will take some time, it was good to see him in such positive spirits and in the end back in the paddock with his team. Dan, well, he caused on of the best days in my life so far by earning our first TT podium together. I raced here myself a couple of years and I would not even had dreamed of the podium. We stayed on with this team and improved ourselves year after year, getting riders we believed on they would be capable of doing this. And now Dan did this. He started with his best big bike result in fifth in the Superbike TT and followed up with a podium. Also his 12th in Senior is more than strong and we are happy wraparound. Alex started a bit frustrated at himself but we told him to remain calm, go out there, enjoy and have fun – and he did and the times did show up and improved. He is a hard worker – as all three our riders are – and I believe we can soon celebrate even further success together. 

Thank you everyone!