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2019 Classic TT: Harrison, Anstey lead opening practices

After the frustrations of Saturday’s truncated session, the 2019 Classic TT Races presented by Bennetts roared into life this evening shortly after the scheduled 6.20pm start.

The headlines were made by two established TT stars. Dean Harrison, who picked up where he left off in June when he won the Dunlop Senior TT, with the fastest lap of the evening on his Silicone Engineering Classic Superbike and Bruce Anstey, who put a two-year absence with illness behind him with the fastest lap in the Dunlop Lightweight Classic TT class.

The Superbikes and Lightweight machines were first out on the TT Mountain Course. Harrison, who has won the last two RST Classic TT Superbike Races, was first away on the Silicone Engineering Kawasaki with Michael Rutter alongside him on the Team Winfield Yamaha. The first pair were followed ten seconds later by James Hillier on the Oxford Products Ducati and Jamie Coward on the Prez Racing Kawasaki.

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Rain had been reported earlier in the evening, but the cautionary lack of adhesion flags didn’t seem to dampen spirits or lap speeds. Harrison’s standing start opening lap of the meeting (123.42mph) topped the board on the night before the Bradford rider came in at the end of his opening lap, pointing at a loose exhaust. Harrison switched machines and headed straight out on his Lightweight bike – the Laylaw Racing Yamaha - and promptly clocked a lap of 114.28mph, which was second only to Anstey, before coming in with a quickshifter issue.

After the session Harrison talked about the challenge of switching from his BSB Superbike: “I’ve come straight from Cadwell and BSB to the Classic TT. The ZXR isn’t such a big jump but riding the 250 is chalk and cheese. I’ve not got much experience of the two-stroke but you’ve got to respect the little thing because it will bite you.”

Lichtenstein-based rider Horst Saiger clocked an average speed of 118mph on his opening lap and then improved this to 122.87mph – the second fastest on the night - while Derek Shiels and Jamie Coward both posted 118mph+ opening laps with Coward improving to 120.70 which put him third on the overall Superbike leaderboard.

Early retirements on the opening lap included Paul Jordan on the Mistral Racing Kawasaki, who stopped at Ballacrye and Lee Johnston on his Lightweight Binch Racing Yamaha at Douglas Road Corner, while Gary Johnson (Team York Suzuki) retired on his second lap of the Superbike session at Quarterbridge.

Anstey put a two year TT Mountain Course absence behind him and blasted to an opening lap of 110.84 on the Padgetts Yamaha, while Daniel Sayle on the John Chapman Racing Honda showed that he had recovered from injuries sustained at last year’s Classic TT with an opening lap of 109.90mph.

Ten-time TT Race winner Ian Lougher also showed his hand with an opening lap of 109.37mph which he improved to 112mph on his second lap, while Harrison’s opening lap of 114.28mph put him at the top of the Lightweight leaderboard. But Bruce Anstey was not to be overshadowed on his come back and promptly set 116.28mph on his second lap.

After the lap Bruce Anstey said: “It was great to get out and on the second lap things clicked and it felt like normal and as though I’d never been away.”

After the New Zealander’s lap, an elated Milenco by Padgetts Motorcycles team boss Clive Padgett said: “I’m just over the moon. We said to Bruce before the lap if you’re not feeling it we’ll pick you up at Ballacraine. He’s loving life – it’s incredible. He was smiling from the off and all the fans are so pleased to see him back and we’ve had so many great comments.”

The Junior and Senior machines were away shortly after ten past seven with Team Winfield rider John McGuinness on the twin-cylinder Paton and Ripley Land Racing’s Michael Rutter on the single-cylinder Matchless jostling for position alongside each other on the start line.

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However, shortly after the second session began, the session was red flagged following an incident at the Black Hut. The rider concerned was taken by airmed to Nobles Hospital with a reported leg injury and riders were brought back to the Grandstand in course direction under the direction of Travelling Marshals.

With the lost time and light fading at the Grandstand, the second session for Senior and Junior machines and the scheduled Newcomers session was cancelled.

Roads are due to close tomorrow at 18.00 with the Lightweight and Superbike Classic TT machines due out at 18.20 and Senior and Junior bikes at 19.15.

Monday Superbike times - conditions dry

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1 2 Dean Harrison Kawasaki/Silicone Engineering 1 18:20.532 123.420
2 1 Horst Saiger Kawasaki/Greenall Racing 2 18:25.455 122.871
3 8 Jamie Coward Kawasaki/Kraus / PreZ Racing 2 18:45.344 120.699
4 15 Derek Sheils Kawasaki/Greenall Racing 1 19:07.345 118.385
5 16 Philip Crowe Suzuki xr69/Team Classic Suzuki 2 19:08.305 118.286
6 19 Joey Thompson Kawasaki/Wilcock Consulting Kawasaki 2 19:14.995 117.601
7 4 Michael Rutter Yamaha/Team Winfield 1 19:18.418 117.253
8 10 Conor Cummins Yamaha/Milenco by Padgett's Motorcycles 2 19:23.975 116.693
9 7 Gary Johnson Suzuki/Team York Suzuki 1 19:30.501 116.043
10 20 Julian Trummer Kawasaki/TC Racing / DP Coldplaning 2 19:35.170 115.582
11 14 Davey Todd Yamaha/Milenco by Padgett's Motorcycles 2 19:44.377 114.683
12 58 Paul Potchy Williams Kawasaki/Slipscreens Ltd 2 19:47.173 114.413
13 25 Forest Dunn Kawasaki/Alasdair Cowan Racing 1 19:52.301 113.921
14 11 Michael Sweeney Kawasaki/Mistral Racing 1 19:55.369 113.629
15 43 Allan Brodie Suzuki/Paint Doctor UK/Geoff Martin 1 19:58.190 113.361
16 13 Sam West Suzuki/Team York Suzuki 1 20:01.331 113.065
17 12 Craig Neve Kawasaki/Robert Burns Ltd. / Alasdair Cowan Racing 2 20:02.064 112.996
18 23 Brian McCormack Suzuki/Thompson Plastering, Roadhouse Macau, 1 20:07.570 112.480
19 46 Andrew Farrell Kawasaki/Steadplan Primus Racing 1 20:08.528 112.391
20 48 Darren Cooper Yamaha/Cumbria Radiators 2 20:13.636 111.918
21 5 James Hillier Ducati/Oxford Racing Ducati / Louigi Moto 1 20:20.576 111.282
22 32 David Madsen-Mygdal Honda/Mygdal Racing 2 20:20.762 111.265
23 37 Richard Wilson Norton/Wiz Norton Racing 1 20:32.948 110.165
24 55 Mark Herbertson Kawasaki/Gilbert Brown and Son Transport Ltd 1 20:55.273 108.206
25 64 Stephen Smith Suzuki/SNT Race Engineering 1 21:01.567 107.666
26 60 Dave Moffitt Suzuki/DTS Racing 1 21:13.620 106.647
27 51 Mark Parrett Kawasaki/MPR / Richard Taylor 1 21:16.650 106.394
28 31 David Hewson Kawasaki/Obsession Engineering Ltd. 1 21:30.551 105.248
29 65 Alec Whitwell Suzuki/Funky Monk Racing 1 21:38.419 104.610
30 79 Lancelot Unissart Kawasaki/Honey Racing Team 1 21:39.662 104.510
31 61 Eric Wilson Kawasaki/Obsession Engineering LTD 1 22:06.297 102.411
32 17 Danny Webb Suzuki/Team Classic Suzuki 1 22:31.053 100.535
33 24 Ryan Kneen Kawasaki/Team Herheim Racing 1 22:31.185 100.525
34 74 Steve Moody Honda/BRIDGE THE GAP 1 22:57.087 98.634
35 35 Josh Daley Yamaha/Pete Beale Yamaha 1 23:25.959 96.609
36 29 John Barton Ducati/Alf's Motorcycles 1 01:04:52.318 34.896
37 33 Dennis Booth Suzuki/Geoff Martin Racing 1 01:08:05.154 33.249

Monday Lightweight times - conditions dry

1 5 Bruce Anstey Honda/Milenco by Padgett's Motorcycles 2 19:28.139 116.277
2 2 Dean Harrison Yamaha/Laylaw Racing 1 19:48.554 114.280
3 3 Ian Lougher Yamaha/Laylaw Racing 2 20:06.438 112.586
4 18 Charles Rhys Hardisty Yamaha/Kaymac / Willson and Widling 2 20:20.042 111.331
5 10 Daniel Sayle Honda/John Chapman Racing 1 20:35.957 109.897
6 7 Gary Vines Yamaha/Binch Racing 1 21:03.060 107.539
7 19 John Barton Ducati/Wemoto.com 1 21:11.224 106.848
8 23 Dominic Herbertson Honda/John Chapman Racing 1 21:14.035 106.612
9 25 Carsten Svendsen Yamaha/Skulptur Stoberiet 1 21:30.144 105.281
10 38 Tom Snow Yamaha/FCL Racing 1 21:50.055 103.681
11 39 Samuel Grief Honda/GSS Ltd / Team 98 1 21:59.485 102.940
12 12 Phil Harvey Yamaha/LayLaw Racing 1 22:02.007 102.744
13 42 James Ford Honda/Rainford Models / Speedycom 1 22:15.793 101.683
14 29 Steven Howard Yamaha/Howard Racing 1 22:23.498 101.100
15 47 Andrew Cowie Kawasaki/Regaby Racing 1 23:26.553 96.568
16 49 Christopher Dowling Yamaha/HS Racing 1 23:30.158 96.321
17 50 Andrew Davies Spondon/Allspeed Exhausts / PJME.co.uk / Bushtec 1 23:30.679 96.286
18 31 Hefyn Owen Ducati/Sean White 1 23:40.274 95.635
19 43 Will Loder Yamaha/CKS Precision 1 23:54.764 94.669
20 30 Adrian Morris Yamaha/Adrian Morris Racing 1 24:01.383 94.234
21 56 Lee Jennings Ducati/Hammer and Tongs Performance, Warrington 1 24:18.946 93.100
22 59 Tony Russell Yamaha/Genesis Plastics 1 24:34.046 92.146
23 35 Richard Lambourne Yamaha 250/Stu Jones Motorcycles 1 24:38.819 91.849
24 8 Jamie Coward Yamaha/Binch Racing 1 56:12.046 40.281
25 11 Ryan Kneen Honda/John Chapman Racing 1 59:15.581 38.201

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