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***Malcolm*** · 14-05-2019, 07:03 PM

Michael Rutter TTZero 2018

[Image: McPintTTzero2016.jpg]

John McGuinness TTZero 2016

Now in its 10th year, the TT Zero Race - zero emission racing at the Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy returns to the schedule for 2019.

During that 10 year history the lap record has gone from Mark Miller’s 96.82mph on the Motoczysz bike in the first year of the Zero Race to the astounding 121.824 in 2018, an improvement of over twenty-five per cent.

The race has been dominated in recent years by Mugen with John McGuinness, Michael Rutter and Bruce Anstey all winning races for the Japanese based factory team.

Michael Rutter tops the overall leader board for the Class with four wins to his name – three with American based outfit MotoCzysz which included the prestigious first 100mph+ lap in 2012 and he also holds the outright lap record with a lap of 121.824 – the first 120mph+lap – which he set in winning last year’s race on the Mugen.

John McGuinness, who has missed the last two TT Race meetings through injury, will be looking to add to his two race wins this year as he returns as teammate to Rutter in the Bathams Mugen outfit. McGuinness, who set the lap record in the 2014 (117.36mph) and 2015 (119.27mph) meetings will be looking for his first win since 2015 to add to his overall TT record of 23 Race wins.

While a fierce contest is no doubt expected between the Mugen teammates, there is also expected to be a close race for the honour of being the first University team between Nottingham, Brunel and Bath.

Daley Matheson, riding for Nottingham University, is the undoubted favourite after splitting the two Mugen’s last year and clocking the race’s second fastest time in history – 119.294 - while Brunel University have South African racer Allan Venter and Bath have confirmed Welshman Matthew Rees to represent them.

Welsh riders Ian Lougher – a veteran with over thirty years of racing at the TT – and Alan Thomas are representing Japanese outfit Team Mirai with ILR/ Mark Coverdale and Race and Design Engineering respectively while Mike Norbury and Shaun Anderson are both competing for Irish outfit Duffy Motorsport. France’s Timothee Monet completes the line up for Avon France/ TMR France.

Qualifying for the 2019 SES TT Zero Race begins on Wednesday 29th May with the race scheduled for 12.45pm on Wednesday 5th June.

Images courtesy of Pacemaker Press Intl

harveymushman · 15-05-2019, 12:49 AM

Please god the over kellet missile doesnt win a TT Zero for the next 6 years to beat Joey - what a terrible thought that would mean Joeys record would be broken by 8 single laps or 296 miles on an E Bike ( think 1 senior = 226 miles or 6 laps) what non sense

I love the e bikes but using them to break one of the greatest records in motorsports is plain sad

warrior · 15-05-2019, 08:13 AM

I know what you mean, I've thought about it a lot myself, but you have to consider if the class had existed in Joeys time he too would have been out there, and no doubt riding a Mugen.

Smokin Haddock Racing · 15-05-2019, 09:21 PM

My opinion, but Joey raced when there were more categories and less competition. He is still my only biking hero, and the call from Mum to tell me what happened is still etched in my mind.

harveymushman · 16-05-2019, 09:24 PM

Think I got it wrong JM can beat Joey with a win this year in the E Zero and then 3 more Zeros - Yikes thats the record gone in 2022

1 lap events with less than 4/5 finishers and speeds the TT was racing at in 1983

JM said he never thought of Joeys record but did anyone believe that ? He also said when pushed that Joey won on all sorts of bikes - but i cant remember 1 lappers that were touring at speeds 35 years slower than the race record.

Not sure Mugen realise the bad feeling breaking that record will generate

bit of a rant i know but it is the greatest motorsport record left

AntG · 16-05-2019, 10:17 PM

If anyone is likely to beat that record anytime soon it will be done by another Dunlop.

Yamaham · 18-05-2019, 12:23 PM

My mate and me argue in the pub about this often. Yes, a lot of Joey's wins were on Ultra-lightweight and Lightweight machines, but at least they raced more than one lap, and although competition was a bit thinner back then, the field was still a lot bigger than the dozen or so that start a T.T. Zero. McPint, Rutter and Anstey have all added to their win tally, when all they had to do was beat their teammate. Usually 50% of finishers in the Zero get a podium!! McPint would be a lot closer to Joey's total, if he hadn't hit the kill switch with his bottom, a couple of year ago, or flattened the battery climbing the mountain a couple of years before that. That year he had a 20 second lead at the bungalow, yet Rutter beat him at the line. So for me, though the technology is very trick, it shouldn't count for a T.T win until there's a more competitive field. -Rant over. Though I agree with the above comment, in that a certain M. Dunlop will be beating 26 wins in a few years time.

Revvin rich · 18-05-2019, 08:27 PM

Its not my favourite race of the week but the technology is very good but if these take over tt week that will be the day I will stop going.

Smokin Haddock Racing · 18-05-2019, 08:56 PM

If the Bike technology doesn't move on them there won't be a TT to go to anyway. The ICE is on borrowed time, so the TT (along with all other motorsport) has to try the new technologies. Racetracks are already suffering because of tightening rules on noise pollution. That trend isn't going to change. Electric bikes will re-open opportunities for track time.

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