TT's greatest races: Senior TT (week 6)

Now six weeks into MCN’s search for the greatest TT races of the last 25 years and it’s time for the big one – the Senior TT. The blue riband race is the crescendo of the two week event and has historically produced some of the most poignant and spectacular races. Run over six laps it remains arguably the biggest challenge in motorcycle racing and it takes a very special breed of rider to win it. 

Our panel of experts have been assembled to help you decide and are made up of the greatest living TT racer John McGuinness, esteemed team boss Clive Padgett, 11 time winner Phillip McCallen, TT Businness Development Manager Paul Phillips, renowned TT photographer Stephen Davison along with the 2019 Senior TT winner Dean Harrison. 

Then it’s your turn to get involved as you’ll be able to vote on what you think is the greatest Senior TT of the last 25 years with the winning race revealed on 3 June and then featured in detail in MCN’s special TT supplement on 24 June.  

MCN readers who vote will be in the running to win two official Isle of Man TT black T-shirt 

It was the year that Michael Dunlop moved to Honda and kind of ‘arrived’. He’d won four races up until the Senior and it felt like the baton had been firmly passed from John McGuinness to Michael. It was almost like a foregone conclusion that Michael would win his fifth race and become unstoppable, but it turned out to be a story of a true champion in John McGuinness. He came back swinging in that race and in my opinion John was at his peak that day. He was riding super good, he was using all the road, hitting every apex and he managed the risk perfectly. It was a big and an emotional win for him because I think before that he was definitely doubting himself.  

The race had also been delayed and when John crossed the finish line the whole paddock went crazy. The light was different, the sun was lower and everyone had a certain glow. Normally after a race there is a real schedule that has to be followed with the podium and press conference etc, but it felt so nice we decided to just let John dictate the tempo of things because all the racing was over. He was clearly enjoying the moment, I guess in a way not knowing if it would ever happen again. 

It has to be Hutchy in 2010! We won by 42 seconds so it wasn’t a close race, but it was the culmination of an incredible week. No one goes to the TT expecting to win five races and when Hutchy crossed the line it was so emotional for us as a team and for everyone in racing. It felt like a lifetime achievement for everyone in the team and if we never achieved anything else it wouldn’t matter. Before that TT Hutchy had said he had a chance of winning anyone of the races, but not all five.  

You need a bit of luck at the TT and everything fell into place. The feeling when he was leading that race was unreal, but up until the moment he crossed the line all you’re thinking about is what could go wrong. That TT was a once in a lifetime experience. 

Hutchy was on the official Tyco BMW bike and Michael was on his own BMW, but it was Michael that did a 133.9mph lap and he won it fairly comfortably. Hutchy had won the Superstock and done a 133mph lap which is why he opted to run the stock engine in the Senior even though he had a full Superbike spec engine. 

But what made it such an interesting race was the fact that there was such needle between Hutchy and Dunlop all week.  

It was the year that Dunlop got disqualified from the Supersport race. I was in the 600 press conference and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife and it was even worse in the Senior press conference. 

Hutchy has always found it hard to beat Michael on a Superbike and that day was no different. For me the best man won on the day. 

Michael didn’t finish the first Superbike race and practice hadn’t gone well for him either so everyone was doubting Michael and doubting the Suzuki so to come away with the Senior win was incredible. And this was heightened by the fact that as a team they hadn’t won anything coming into that final race. 

Everyone deserves credit, Michael for his determination and to the Hawk Racing who are a small team, but did a brilliant job. 

At the end of the race Michael gave a great quote ‘making the impossible, possible’. Look Michael likes to shoot his mouth off, but he had very good reason to that day. I know how hard it is to win a TT and there is even more pressure when it comes to the Senior. You’re tired, the bike is tired and the team are tired and it takes a big push of energy to go out there and win a six lap race at the end of two weks of practice and racing. 

The 2014 TT had seen Michael Dunlop claim four TT wins for the second year in a row and Bruce Anstey relieve John McGuinness of the Mountain course outright lap record the Morecambe man had held since 2004. McGuinness enjoyed the consolation of a brace of Zero race wins on the Mugen electric bike,but there was speculation ahead of the 2015 Senior that the 43 year old’s best days were behind him in the major TT races. Only an exceptional performance on the TT Legends Honda could stop the rot. 

With the Senior red flagged after two laps following Jamie Hamilton’s crash, McGuinness blasted into the lead of the restart with a 131mph standing start lap to lead Ian Hutchinson by 1.4 seconds. Digging deep, the Honda star set a new lap record at 132.701mph to establish a race winning lead he controlled to the chequered flag, finishing 14 seconds ahead of James Hillier with Hutchy slipping to third.   

His famous victory saw McGuinness claim his 23rd TT win, equal Mike Hailwood’s record of seven Senior wins and regain the outright lap record but without another win since, was it the TT legend’s last hurrah on the Mountain course?  

These hugely popular “Gold Bikes” T-Shirts feature the Isle of Man TT established date, 1907 – 2020 with the traditional course map on the reverse. 2020 dates official Isle of Man T-shirts could become very exclusive, so are a must for all TT fans from around the World. 

See the full range of Official Isle of Man TT Merchandise visit https://www.isleofmanttmerchandise.com – orders are processed with an immediate effect and World Wide Delivery is available.