Following a frustrating practice week on the Isle of Man, the Valmoto MV Agusta team is leaving the island with a positive top ten finish. Rider Gary Johnson clinched ninth place in today’s four-lap Supersport TT aboard the Metzeler-shod MV Agusta F3 675 with a best lap time of 123.751mph.

Although the team suffered a difficult start to the week, with Johnson being forced to retire on the final lap of the first Supersport race on Monday with technical issues, the Lincolnshire rider rode the bike as hard as he could today to score a positive finish for the team’s maiden TT campaign. It was just rewards for the hard work and dedication of the team, which is spearheaded by Jack Valentine.

Valmoto MV Agusta technicians will now analyse the valuable data obtained from the two Supersport races and begin engine development work ahead of the Ulster GP in August.

Team Owner Jack Valentine said:

“I’m very happy with the result – the bike ran faultlessly all race, Gary did a fantastic job of bringing the bike home in ninth place, and we’ve got a lot of data to build on ahead of the Ulster GP in a few months’ time, with the main focus being engine development.

“We’ve been particularly touched by the positive comments made by fans and media, who are so pleased to see both Valmoto and MV Agusta back racing on the Isle of Man. Of course we are aiming to come back with MV Agusta to the island next year for the TT – hopefully bringing a Superbike too – and will be working hard to secure budget over the coming months to make sure this is a reality. Gary is a very capable rider, and we look forward to improving the package for 2014.”


Gary Johnson said:

“I’ve been really pleased with the bike all week – the team have done a great job in a limited amount of time – the chassis package is faultless and all that's lacking is a bit more punch from the motor in order to run up the front with the likes of Michael Dunlop and John McGuinness. However, I’m confident the team will find this and then the MV Agusta F3 675 will be a force to be reckoned with at next year’s TT! ”

Supersport race one result

1. Michael Dunlop 01:12:20.162
2. Bruce Anstey 01:12:30.520
3. William Dunlop 01:12:43.602
4. John McGuinness 01:12:50.749
5. James Hillier 01:13:13.320
6. Guy Martin 01:13:17.846
7. Cameron Donald 01:13:36.985
8. Dean Harrison 01:13:47.386
9. Dan Stewart 01:14:46.332
10. Daniel Cooper 01:15:14.098
DNF. Gary Johnson


Supersport race two result

1. Michael Dunlop 01:11:52.091
2. Bruce Anstey 01:11:54.404
3. John McGuinness 01:12:35.882
4. William Dunlop 01:12:36.849
5. Cameron Donald 01:12:46.450
6. James Hillier 01:13:11.759
7. Dean Harrison 01:13:34.079
8. Guy Martin 01:14:07.563
9. Gary Johnson 01:14:08.326
10. Conor Cummins 01:14:40.951

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