BMW announced today that it will send a factory backed team to compete in the Isle of Man’s Superbike and Senior TT’s. This announcement ends over 30 years of the Bavarian brand’s absence at the Isle of Man. For Austrian-based KTM, this will be their first time running at the Isle of Man TT. The KTM RC8 R will be entered in the Superstock, Superbike, and Senior TT’s. More after the jump.
Late last month it was announced that the eGrandPrix who ran the 2009 TTXGP clean emission race at Isle Of Man TT would be replaced by TT Zero. TT Zero would be run without the involvement of eGrandPrix and instead the responsibilities would be split among the IOM Department of Tourism And Leisure and the ACU. Speculation followed about the FIM’s role in the TTXGP’s departure and the reasons for TT Zero coming into existence.
The Isle Of Man issued a statement in response to speculation on why TTXGP was replaced by TT Zero at the Isle Of Man TT for 2010. We are waiting for a response from TTXGP which we will add to this post. Please check back for updates. Click the break to see the full statement from the Isle Of Man.
Update: A response from TTXGP is posted at the end of this blog post.
The 2009 Isle of Man TT was to be the return of Norton motorcycles to the island and its Mountain Course. It has been 16 years since the British manufacturer raced the city streets of the Isle, and we eagerly awaited their return to the TT, and the showing of their rotary motor powered NRV 588 race bike. We, like many others, were disappointed then to see the Norton only shuffle around on a parade lap, and not tearing down the asphalt in the quest for absolute speed.
In case you missed it this morning, the first running of the TTXGP, a zero-emission TT held on the Isle of Man, occurred today with Team Agni being the victor. Team Agni has dominated the whole week, setting the fastest times in both practice sessions. Their bike, piloted by Rob “Rocket” Barber, is a modified Suzuki GSXR frame, with Agni’s proprietary electrical motor in place of the standard internal combustion engine. Report and results below.
The Dainese Superbike race of the Isle of Man TT is in the bag after being rained out this weekend, and with it a new record lap on the Mountain Course. Spoiler to follow if you dare make the jump.
With the TTXGP only a handful of days away, and with many of the competitors already crating and shipping their race bikes to the Isle of Man, we are starting to see more press releases and updates. This one from Brammo, we are admittedly a little late to, but its important none-the-less.
At the IOM TTXGP, Brammo will be fielding, not one, but two Enertia TTR’s in the event. So far this would seem to be the only team that is fielding a 2-bike team. Cocky or Confident, time will be the judge. Brammo has also released specs and deminsions on its Enertia TTR, you can find them after the jump.
In what will be his first visit to the Isle of Man, six-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi will do an exhibition lap at the start of this year’s IoM TT. Rossi will ride a 2009 Yamaha R1 alongside multi-time motorcycle GP racing world champion, Giacomo Agostini. Don’t expect any hot laps though. The pair will be parading around the course behind a safety car, and followed by a crew of as many as eight race marshals. A team of PR reps will be on hand to freak out in case Rossi crashes on the , and unable to compete in the following weekend’s GP race in Barcelona.