The Isle of Man TT 2022

Unsung Heroes

23rd June 2022

In our last report we looked at the Isle of Man race week mainly focusing on today's stars of road racing. However, this is PistonClick and we like to capture all of the racing not just the thin veneer of the podium. In this report we would like to mention a few of the unsung heroes of the TT.

The racers that don’t have the massive corporate backing of the headline sponsors. 

One of those racers is Michael "Jack" Russell. He first came to my notice while chatting to Phil Spencer, the team principal of the True Heroes Racing Team, who we are following this year. We tracked Jack down (eventually) and had a chat to about his experience of this year's TT.

Why did Jack stand out for us? Well there aren't many firsts left in the 115 year history of the TT and to achieve one is something to celebrate. On the run up to this year's TT a few changes were made to the running order and the number of riders that were allowed to compete, so when Jack got hold of the new regulations it dawned on him that he could take part in all of the classes!

No only is that ambitious but would also be a massive feat of endurance to do the full house starting with the Superbike, two Supersport, Superstock, Twins, two Sidecar races and finishing off with the Senior TT. That’s eight races in five days with Monday the 6th of June being the hardest both physically and mentally  - the Supersport, Sidecar and Superstock in one day!

Jack, his team and sidecar passenger Freddy Lelubez, were on a very limited budget of just £5.5k but with a lot of ringing around and favours called in they got the right bikes together for the attempt. However, they had little to no time to set up the bikes before venturing off down Bray Hill, so the practice week was going to be very important to the team.

For example, the Pipewerx Exhausts BMW S1000RR he was to ride in the Superbike races was set up for an 18 stone rider so required a bit of tweaking and late nights in the pits to fix a few problems especially after the fuel pump failed.

Jack fully admitted lady luck was on his side. The rider can give his all but the bikes can and do fail. A lot of the top riders with huge budgets had bikes coast to the side of the road, but Jack started all of his races and finished them all, with just the final Senior being a DNF. A gear shifter bolt shearing in the frame putting him out on lap 1.

Michael Russell

The second rider we would like to feature is Matt Stevenson for no other reason than his riding style and attitude. On our first day we were at Ballaugh bridge watching the Superbike practice when the red flag went out after the incident with Mark Purslow.

As is standard practice at the TT for a red flag, the riders pull into the next safe place, and this is where were first saw Matt at this year's TT. The thing that stood out for us, besides his shocking hair cut, was his bike. It was fully functional but parked next to Glen Irwin's factory Fireblade. It looked, how can I put this politely, very used!

We saw Matt at the following day's practice at Cronk Y Voddy a sweeping right hander. He was still running the 50 plate at this time so all of the "top" riders had gone through, but he looked the part, putting on the style as he wheeled past us.

My shooting partner and I both turned round as he went past and nodded. There are many ways to get round the TT. Matt was fast and doing it with style and panache, firmly putting him in our "one to watch" category. 

And watch out for him we did, although it was not hard spotting him! At the Creg Ny Baa pub we saw him head down flat out from Kates cottage. He was just a little too flat out, just skimming the barriers after some heavy braking. The crowd were enthusiastically cheering him on as he waved, and acknowledging that wasn’t his finest motorcycling moment, he then nailed it on the run into Douglas to more cheering. Great stuff!

It was also at the Crag that Matt had to take avoiding action after a spectator's helmet rolled onto the track, as if it wasn’t dangerous enough taking part in the TT!

It should be no surprise that Matt was quick. He won the Senior Manx GP back in 2018 on a Yamaha R6, and after setting some good times in practice, he was moved up the start list to 35 on his Ken Rodney Construction Yamaha YZF-R6 in the Supersport races.

Matt posted some good times this year, his best being 15th in the opening Superbike race. He was in 18th place in the final Senior until his fuel cap came off and he had to retire.

That concludes our look at the unsung heroes of the TT. I can't wait to see what Matt and Jack can do next year. If you are looking for a reasonably priced sponsorship deal, Matt will put your name on his helmet for a good price. Check out his Facebook page for more details. Matt Stevenson Racing #164

Matt Stevenson