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Classic TT's rogue bikes. Why did they do it? asks Mike Nicks

Claims that cheating has been going on at the Classic TT have been circulating in the paddock for at least a couple of years. In an article that I wrote for Classic Bike magazine in 2014, David Kay, the patriarch of the Black Eagle Racing MV team said: “People are running oversize engines. It’s unfair on the people who are trying to play the game and not win at all costs.” One Kawasaki ZXR owner that I talked to last year claimed that rival teams were running 830cc engines.

But if this were so in the past, you have to wonder why the practice continued into this year. A member of the technical team at the Classic TT last week told me that for the first time, the first three bikes in the races were being checked. You only have to read the race regulations on the Classic TT website to see that confirmed.

So why were two high-performing teams - Silicone Engineering and Greenall Racing - playing with big-bore motors this year? With two great riders on board - Dean Harrison and James Hillier - they were always going to be contenders for podium positions, and thus subject to post-race technical checks. Mistral Racing removed its ZXR from the inspection process, so you have to believe that they also had a rogue motor, or were not happy with the scrutineering process.

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Three Kawasaki teams running outlaw engines, when the chances of being discovered were so high - especially given the blazing 175mph potential of these bikes on the Sulby Straight. It’s just bizarre.

It must be frustrating for the Kawasaki crews, because Michael Dunlop and the 1216cc Team Classic Suzuki XR69 have established a grip on the Superbike race. The Classic TT rules mandate a 1300cc limit for pre-1986 bikes - the XR69 falls into that category - and 750cc for pre-1992 machines, which includes ZXRs.

If they want to beat the XR69 that Steve Wheatman’s crew put under Michael Dunlop, they’d better build a better XR69 - and tempt Ian Hutchinson, the one TT megastar who thus far has declined to enter the Classic TT, into riding it.
Whatever the motives of the offending ZXR teams, it seems that Classic TT chief Paul Phillips is sending a clear signal that rule violation or cheating, whatever you want to call it, will not be tolerated in the future.

On social media you’ll find accusations that the Classic TT is a bit of a cowboy show where anything goes. That’s incorrect and stupid - as is much comment that appears in the Twittersphere. The Classic TT has never pretended to be a pure representation of exactly what was ridden in classic times. Neither is most mainland classic racing.

Anyone who wants to build a bike for the Classic TT can read the regs. If they have queries about the eligibility of what they propose to do, they can discuss it with the Classic TT team. This year’s ZXR debacle won’t overshadow what is a great event.

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