SPLITLATH Motorsport rider Mark Miller finished 23rd in this evening’s PokerStars Senior TT, while Hudson Kennaugh was unfortunately forced to retire while looking good for a top 20 finish.

After two delays earlier in the day due to rain on the Mountain course, the grand finale to almost two weeks of fast and furious motorcycle action on the island eventually got underway at 5.15pm.

Riding a pair of stock Aprilia RSV4 machines in a six-lap race dominated by Superbikes, America’s Miller and South African Kennaugh both got off to a flying start, with Miller crossing the line at the end of Lap One in 34th spot, while Kennaugh had launched himself up to 31st.

A lap later they were sitting together on the timesheets with Hudson 30th and Mark 31st, and by the end of the third lap they had both reached the mid 20s.

But disaster struck for Kennaugh at the end of Lap Four. Having moved even further up the order, the team believed he was on course for a top 20 as he continued to move higher and higher, but as he pulled in for his second pit stop the team realised the belly pan had started to fill with water.

Further investigation revealed a holed radiator, and he was forced to retire. Still on track, Miller continued to push and eventually took the chequered flag 23rd.

Team Manager John Dimbylow said:

“It was a great shame for Hudson, but also a real disappointment for the team who have worked tirelessly for the last two weeks. We came out here straight from Thruxton and they haven’t had a day off.

“Hudson was absolutely flying in that race, and we were all starting to believe he was going to get into the top 20, so it was even harder for everyone when he eventually had to retire.

“However it was a great race for Mark. He’s been a great rider to have with us, and in 23rd he just missed the top 20 too. We’ve enjoyed working with him, and it makes us very proud that our two little road bikes were able to get right into the mix with all those Superbikes out there.

“This has been Splitlath Motorsport’s first TT, and it has been a learning curve for us, but we’ve loved every minute of it. We certainly plan to come back again next year. We’ve learnt a lot and will do a lot of things differently next time, but this has been a fantastic experience.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the team for all of their incredibly hard work. They’ve worked tirelessly and are a mega bunch, and they deserve all of the praise I can heap on them for what they’ve achieved over the last two weeks.”

The race was won by John McGuinness who wrapped-up his 17th TT victory, ahead of Guy Martin and Bruce Anstey