Isle of Man TT Superstock and Sidecar - 6 June 2024

Superstock Race 1

#8 Davey Todd claimed his maiden IoM TT victory in the highly competitive TT Superstock class on the Milwaukee BMW Motorrad after #10 Peter Hickman put the pressure on late in the race. It is starting to be a feature of Hickman’s TT racing that he starts slow then builds during the race to finish well.

If he could hit the ground running from the start line would the results go differently? This is debatable, the riders react to the times posted and relayed to them by pit boards around the track by their rivals as they race and adjust accordingly.

Michael Dunlop is a prime example of a racer who will manage a race from the front, stretching the lead or backing off when needed. However, even MD’s skills around the Mountain course could do nothing about Todd and his race to the chequered flag over the 3 laps. MD was third on the MD Racing Honda Firebade CBR1000RR-R, 17 seconds behind Hickman in what was a two-horse race at the front. 

Further down the field Dean Harrison came in fourth on another Fireblade, with James Hillier, Jamie Coward, John McGuinness and Conor Cummins all on Honda Fireblades. Dom Herbertson was ninth on a BMW M1000 RR and Mike Browne tenth, mixing it up with a Aprilia RSV4 1100.

It was just 2.2 seconds that separated Todd and Hickman in the afternoon Superstock race, which due to the weather, was to be the only Stock race at TT24. The weather has played havoc with the schedule this year so the second race had to be cancelled in favour of the Supersport and Supertwin. This should give MD a good shot at a few more wins to add to his 2024 TT victory tally.

Sidecars Race 2

The Sidecar Race 2 was red flagged on lap one after an incident at Waterworks. #11 driver Todd Ellis and passenger Emmanuelle Clement the FIM World Champions in their first time at the TT were reported as OK. The race was then restarted for the teams to race for the full two laps.

#1 Ben Birchall and Kevin Rousseau also had an incident which resulted in them rebuilding their sidecar after a big crash at the Mountain Box during Friday’s qualifying session. They didn’t make the first race, which was won by the Crowe brothers.

After the retirement of Ben’s brother and passenger Tom Birchall last year, being replaced by Kevin Rousseau, the team were a bit of an unknown entity coming into the two lap race 2. After posting a 118.639mph lap to come in second they look like a force to be reckoned with, but it was #3 Ryan and Callum Crowe who took the win again. Two starts, two wins for the brothers is an epic achievement.

60 year old Dave Molyneux, the Isle of Man TT legend with 17 all time wins, came in third on his own designed and built #5 Kelproperties DMR Kawasaki. He was partnered with the youngest passenger this year, 20 year old Jake Roberts. Moly has been building sidecars for years, and Dave Molyneux Racing (DMR) sidecars are well regarded, but it’s his enthusiasm for the sport that shines through. TT sidecar racing would not be where it is without his input over the years. 

Moly has been racing at the TT since 1985. He has watched the Crowe brothers grow up and knows them well, having raced against their farther Nick Crowe back in the day. It was quite evident in Parc Fermé, the winners enclosure, that this was a special moment for all concerned. In this case a picture does paint a thousand words. 

Unsung Heros

Michael Russell and Vicky Cooke recorded a second DNF in the sidecars, as another mechanical failure brought their race to an early halt at Quarter Bridge with an electronic fault. Michael faired better later in the day taking the Pipewerx Exhausts BMW M1000RR K66 to a 29th in the Superstock race. We have seen so many problems this week in all of the teams, as we do every year. The TT takes a toll on riders, teams and machines, but hopefully that’s the last of the problems for the team, Per Ardua ad Astra.

Matt Stevenson Dafabet Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR ZXT02N finished mid table at 24th to pick up another bronze replica in the RL360 Superstock TT Race 1.

Craig Szczypek is competing in his third IoM TT. Like a lot of the privateers he started slowly and has built on his experience to get where he is today. In his first year it was just the Supertwin race he had to focus on, adding a Supersport bike for his second visit. This, the third year, the “big bike” has joined the stable with Craig stating “Its flipping (he didn’t use that word) fast”. 

The team is a family affair and they have supported him from the days of Club racing to the biggest road race event in the world. Craig and the team are pleased with how they are progressing with sector times falling every time he takes to the track. This is especially good news when you consider the finiancal restraints the team are under.

Without sponsorship they wouldn’t be able to run the three bikes, so they are happy to run the Manor Flooring and Oxman Carpentry on the fairing of their bikes. Craig picked up another well deserved finisher’s medal in the Superstock race for him and the team - it takes a team to finish a race at the TT.

Isle of Man TT Superstock Race 2 - 6 June 2024

Isle of Man TT Sidecar Race 2 - 6 June 2024

Isle of Man TT 2024 PistonClick reports published so far.