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Rutter and McGuinness return with Winfield at 2019 Classic TT

Team Winfield, one of the most successful Classic teams of recent years, will return to the TT Mountain Course in 2019, continuing with a superb, highly experienced two-man line up of John McGuinness and Michael Rutter for the Classic TT presented by Bennetts.

The team will split their efforts between the Bennetts Senior Classic TT, where reigning champion McGuinness will once again ride the rapid 500cc Paton, and the RST Superbike Classic TT Race, which will see this year’s SES TT Zero Race winner Rutter on board one of Roger Winfield’s FJ1200 Harris Yamaha’s.

With the exception of 2017 when he was forced out by injury, 23-time TT winner McGuinness has campaigned the Italian machine every year since the inaugural Classic TT of 2013, and with two wins already to his name in 2016 and 2018, he’ll be looking to make it three in total and give Winfield his fourth Classic TT victory after Josh Brookes also claimed the honours when he deputised for McGuinness in 2017.

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The Morecambe Missile overcame a stiff challenge from Dean Harrison three years ago when he set the current lap record of 113.342mph, whilst last year saw him have a more comfortable victory. After mixed weather conditions during practice week twelve months ago, a fastest lap of 110.676mph enabled to come home some 1m13s clear of the hard charging Jamie Coward.

There’s no doubt the combination of McGuinness’s skill and talent and Winfield’s engineering expertise is one to be feared, and there’ll come into this year’s event as one of the pre-race favourites once more. Indeed, if the duo can repeat the performances of the last three years, McGuinness and the Paton will take some beating.

Rutter, meanwhile, will line up in the four-lap Superbike Classic TT Race on board one of the team’s FJ1200 Harris Yamaha’s which will again be run in the striking and iconic, yellow, black and white colours of Yamaha America.

It will be the third time Rutter, twice a winner of the Junior Classic TT Race, has ridden for Winfield at the event having taken a superb second place finish behind Michael Dunlop on his debut with the team in 2016. On that occasion, he lapped at an impressive 125.586mph, which remains the third quickest lap in the class.

A seven-time winner at the Isle of Man TT courtesy of his latest success in this year’s TT Zero Race, Rutter was back with the team twelve months ago and an opening lap in excess of 123mph put him in second place behind Harrison, before he was unluckily forced to retire at Ballacrye on the second lap.

Previous years have seen Ryan Farquhar enjoy great success for the team, both at the Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT, and with both McGuinness and Rutter confirmed for their assault on the 2019 Classic TT presented by Bennetts, Team Winfield’s intentions are clear for all to see and they’re sure to have a strong presence on each of the respective leaderboards.

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