IOM TT: Irish ace McCormack impresses on his TT debut.
June 6, 2010 by Darren Healy
Filed under Featured, Isle of Man TT, Road Racing
Republic of Ireland native Brian McCormack exceeded all expectations on his Isle of Man TT debut with an excellent performance in the Poketstars Superbike TT, despite being forced to run his Superstock Honda Fireblade.
The practice week leading up to Brian’s debut race on the Island hadn’t exactly gone smoothly. Fuel sensor problems on the Tuesday night practice session meant that the TAG Racing Honda CBR 1000RR Superbike was using more fuel than it should have, causing Brian to run out of petrol and get stuck half way around the Mountain course, cutting his practice and track time short. Wednesday’s practice saw things go from bad to worse when on his out lap he lost the front of his Fireblade at Waterworks. He initially saved it on his knee but ran out of road and was then hit by Scott Wilson with Paul Shoesmith hitting the bike. The accident completely wrote off the front end of the bike, with the forks and yolks beyond repair, leaving Brian no alternative but to use his Superstock bike for the remainder of his time on the Island.
After setting a personal best lap time of 116.4 on the last lap of Friday’s practice session, confidence was high going into Saturday’s opening race. With the TAG Racing Honda CBR1000RR Superbike still doing its headless horseman impression back in the paddock, McCormack lined up on the grid on the team’s Superstock bike.
The race itself had been delayed by mist around the course till 3.30pm but the delay didn’t seem to affect the Waterford man too much as on his opening lap he bettered his personal best with a lap of 116.5mph before getting his head down for the first flying lap of the day. On lap two in each individual sector he bettered all of his previous laps to set a new best time of 118.2mph before pitting to refuel in 50th place.
On lap three, McCormack had to pull over briefly at Quarter Bridge to adjust his brake lever but in all the excitement he adjusted it to five instead of one and upon restarting found himself flying into Union Mills with almost no brakes. After stopping again to adjust the lever he went on to set his slowest lap of the day at 110.4mph.
Lap four was again a flying lap before the final pit stop of the day and unfortunately the previous lap’s errors carried over marginally into this one as the sector times were all slightly slower than on lap two, but ‘Big Mac’ still did a lap of 118.029 mph to sit 45th.
On the final pit stop the team fitted a new rear tyre as well as refueling the TAG Racing machine and although the tyre change cost the Tramore native extra seconds the TAG Racing crew carried out their duties like a well oiled machine and had him flying out of the pits in no time, so much so that at the end of the lap he crossed the line with a lap of 111.028mph just behind his nearest rival in the newcomers category, fellow Irishman Stephen ‘Hong Kong’ Thompson who did a 112.345mph lap without changing the rear rubber.
Throughout lap six, McCormack was quicker in every sector than Thompson but his earlier mistakes were to prove costly as he finished in 40th place and third best newcomer even with a new best lap of 119.838mph with Thompson in 39th place who did a lap of 118.786mph. David Johnson finished 28th and highest placed newcomer.
Unfortunately McCormack’s dreams of bringing a TT replica back home to Waterford will have to wait for Monday’s Superstock race as replica’s were only given out to the first 39 riders home.
Following the race, McCormack said: “I can’t thank the team enough for the way they have worked so hard to keep me and the bikes going. The pit stops were slick today but unfortunately I made a schoolboy error on lap three that cost me big which was especially gutting after setting a personal best on the previous lap. I soon got my rhythm back again though and after Michael Dunlop, Amor and Donald passed me on the run into Union Mills I tagged along with them for a bit but their Superbikes had way too much for our stocker and they soon left me behind. I then caught a tow off Ian Lougher and following him was a joy as he is so smooth and precise everywhere. I am absolutely shattered but delighted after my first race around the Island and feel I can go better on Monday when the odds are more even in the Stock class. Again thanks so much to the team and crew and to all who are sending us messages; it means a lot to us all.”
Words by Aidan Lynam, Magnets Media (c)
Image by Derek Clegg.
