TT 2017: Faulty fuel filler confirmed for Hillier in Superbike race

The JG Speedfit Kawasaki team have issued a statement following yesterday’s RST Superbike TT race after a faulty fuel filler saw James Hillier lose vital time in the first round of pit stops.

Hillier lost 16 seconds to rival Ian Hutchinson in the pits while fighting for the lead in yesterday’s race after his fuel filler seemed to take longer to dispense fuel than others. A switch of filler for the second stop saw the team dramatically reduce their pit stop time.

With Hillier missing out on the podium by just two seconds, a visibly frustrated team boss Pete Extance submitted a protest to race stewards, who following testing the filler involved, confirmed that it was faulty. However, it was deemed that it would not be possible to alter the race result to award Hillier with any of the time lost.

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The team’s statement read: “It has been confirmed by the Isle of Man TT organisation that a fuel filler used by JG Speedfit Kawasaki for James Hillier during the first pit stop of the TT Superbike Race on Sunday 4^th June was sub-standard and very slow.

“However, we are unable to recoup the 16 seconds lost and the result will stand as fourth place. The team, while upset, will accept the stewards’ decision and would like to thank officials for their help with this matter and for agreeing there was an issue. “ 

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