Right, despite all the crazy poo that is going on in our world at present, who is up for a few predictions?

(24-05-2017, 11:25 PM)DBD 34 Wrote: Right, despite all the crazy poo that is going on in our world at present, who is up for a few predictions?

Hutchy will win everything he's in unless Micky D has a s1000R in his van as backup, Hillier would be a reasonable eachway bet -
possibly Dean Harrison/Hickman podiums.

At the moment Mcpint broken, Conrod slightly broken, Fiireblades broken, GSXR1000s not quite finished, Guy not qualified/too slow, Nortons will be unreliable but will get a trophy for being the loudest/shinest/most media nonsense.

Bruce Ansteys sleeping habits will get marginally more airtime than 'the helicopter can't keep up' and both will exceed the total amount of racing shown on the classic festival coverage.

mugen will win the mugen parade lap (sorry TT zero interest) but nobody will be there to see it.

KMR will win the lightweight by filling the entire grid and riding round side by side so nobody can get past

(25-05-2017, 12:41 AM)badlyoverdrawnboy Wrote: Bruce Ansteys sleeping habits will get marginally more airtime than 'the helicopter can't keep up' and both will exceed the total amount of racing shown on the classic festival coverage.

What would Steve Parish contribute to the coverage if he didn't wheel out his go-to TT regulation banter?

Race wise -
Hutchy for the 1000's
MD for the 600's
KMR for the supertwins (I reckon Lee Johnson fancies this one).
Mugen for the Mugen race
Birchalls for the chairs

Might be the year Hicky steps up and pressures Hutchy/MD.  That said I still don't see anyone who is prepared to risk as much as the two main men.

Fingers crossed for some decent weather and some safe racing.


Sam

New machinery may reduce the dominance of MD in the 1000s and Hutchy in the 600s, but not to the point that they are not competitive. I can see podiums for Hicky, Hiller & Harrison, maybe even a win for one.

John Holden had changed his passenger as he thinks this will improve his chances, but the Birchalls are still the team to beat in the slideys. Moly & Sayle are dark horses for me - will be good if machinery is reliable.

In terms of riders the lightweight might offer the biggest field of potential winners - Jessopp, Johnston, Brookes, Lintin, Cooper & Rutter for starters.

Mugen's competition is improving but I suspect not enough yet to mean anything other than either Bruce (probably) or Guy (possibly) winning that one.

Badlydrawnboy is that the same Norton that did a 130 lap last year beat Ansty on the exotic padgets Honda top 10 finish in the 6 lap super bike race??

Assuming no breakdowns/ machine issues or further injury's
Never rule Moly out.
The Zero 'race' is a Mugen technology exercise now, but as they are running good speeds, its an interesting watch.
Ivan Linten for the Lightweight ( although they are not exactly lightweight)
Hutchy and M Dunlop are the obvious choices for the top step for the remaining races, with Hillier, Anstey,Hickman filling the rest of the podium.
Guy Martin? who knows, its going to go one way or the other, I cant see him being mid field.
It will be interesting to see how quick Brookes gets back up to speed.

(25-05-2017, 10:38 AM)Chrisp955 Wrote: Badlydrawnboy is that the same Norton that did a 130 lap last year beat Ansty on the exotic padgets Honda top 10 finish in the 6 lap super bike race??

Yeh its not that hard when you aren't running to superbike regs and the rest of the field are, I'm sure if you allowed any of the other manufacturers to bring non homologated bikes they would all be running 135mph+, a WSB Aprillia with illegal ecu and stuff would probably be faster in the same hands, until Norton enter a legal superbike their results shouldn't count, its unfair to the other racers and is just a glorified marketing exercise aided and abetted by organisers, the thought of 'Norton' winning a TT is too big a story for them to resist , any knowledgeable fan will understand but the media fodder who yearn for a great british victory just don't know what they are talking about, presumably you would congratulate Suzuki for getting 10th place in the supersport with a gsxr750?

Anyway I've made my prediction and as far as I'm concerned the noise of the apprillia livens things up a bit but as long as they are illlegal in the superbike class any result they achieve is irrelevant and will be ignorred

See your point for the Superbike race, but I am fairly sure the the Senior is an open class, always used to be anyway.
Unless rules have changed you could run Moto GP bikes in Senior if you had one lying around in the garage.

You can run pritty much what you like in the Senior Honda run Aran Slights WSB bike for joey once. Last year senior Dave Johnson was running in 8th before he slipped of. And the Aprilia motors aren't WSB they are factory motors tuned by Norton and don't forget you can run BSB speck bikes in the super bike race they are far from super stock.
Norton a small team on a small budget and as with most things peaple just love to knock them instead of saying you no what there working hard and doing bloody well.

(25-05-2017, 12:41 AM)badlyoverdrawnboy Wrote: Hutchy will win everything he's in unless Micky D has a s1000R in his van as backup, Hillier would be a reasonable eachway bet -
possibly Dean Harrison/Hickman podiums.

At the moment Mcpint broken, Conrod slightly broken, Fiireblades broken, GSXR1000s not quite finished, Guy not qualified/too slow, Nortons will be unreliable but will get a trophy for being the loudest/shinest/most media nonsense.

Bruce Ansteys sleeping habits will get marginally more airtime than 'the helicopter can't keep up' and both will exceed the total amount of racing shown on the classic festival coverage.

mugen will win the mugen parade lap (sorry TT zero interest) but nobody will be there to see it.

KMR will win the lightweight by filling the entire grid and riding round side by side so nobody can get past

I have lots of interest in the Zero TT-  [img=15x15]data:image/png;base64,R0lGODlhDwAPANUAAAAAAP///wDywwDuvwDsvgDqvADktwDitgDgtADcsQDarwDYrgDWrADSqQDOpgDKogDIoQDGnwDEngC+mQC8lwC4lAC0kQCyjwCujACqiQCohwCmhQCggQCcfQCafACWeQCOcgCKbwCGbACCaQB+ZQB8ZAB4YP///wAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAACcALAAAAAAPAA8AAAZ6wJNQCCgWh8hTcQJpKAxHJEBzoTQVh4IAMAR0NkWJY1EcbIkeAKYCeAASBwCBCwB9OBkLJeJgJBAGUAAhRoWFCUUiAAEBi4yOAA1FI5CMjY8QRSWVj48TdCSLjpcAF1xKJqGjRRsap6iqRh4dr0QAJSMiISBRSUqFSUEAOw==[/img]
 
I wonder will they break the 120lap-  
 
Has any team tried using a turbo or turbine fans as a dynamo to try and generate more charge for the batteries?  Was thinking they could have the fairing of an early 600gsx and use it?
 
I love the new technology-   soon they will be building hybrids that could do 6laps without stopping-  and that would be interesting and tiring-
 

Both the superbike and senior are now run under the same regs which are homologated production superbikes with specified ecus and engine part restrictions, the Aprillia//Norton is allowed to run under the 'anything at the organisers discretion" exemption and is therefore not restricted like the rest of the field. I am not saying they are cheating just that the bike doesn't comply with the rules which the others have to. My understanding is the engine has been considerably worked on and was kicking out huge power, fair enough Norton don't produce road bikes which they can homologate but they should be limited to running a superbike spec engine/ecu and as the engine is an Aprillia which is homologated and for which there is a control ecu available  then it is easy to control and make a more  level playing field.

Coming from a 'Norton' family I object to the hijacking of this famous brands history, there is NO  relationship, DNA or or even tenuous connection with the real Norton, the new operation its just badge engineering. I've watched the tribulations with launching the American derived bikes, the quality issues, the customer service issues, the treatment of the suppliers and the amount of well respected engineering staff who have walked in short order (its all well documented elsewhere) The laughable Micky D return with the rotary bikes, I was told by one of the mechanics early in practice week that they had no parts and knew they could hardly do a lap. The first Apprillia which was an awful thing, far worse than an RSVR would have been, which eventually left Cam Donald thoroughly disheartened and they were given a TT award for engineering excellence or something!!!.

Yes they like to portray themselves as a gallant band fighting the odds but theres no shortage of cash to spend on massive headquarters and no shortage of public funds been injected, hopefully it won't all go up in smoke like some of its owners former companies which went into administration

Well, I reckon you got that about right badlyoverdrawnboy.
I am NO Norton fan, (Triumphs and Scotts for me), but I abhor the use of the Norton name for this machine, be it good or bad.
However, I DO wish the team well for the TT. Love to see Josh Brookes take it round at a competitive pace, continuing the promise shown last year.

The Nortons of Bracebridge Street and Plumstead were well gone by the time Gardener bought the Norton name. In my opinion the modern Commando gives more then a nod to the Dominator and Burt Hopwood. Yes Gardeners a business man but he is making Nortons in the UK.  Norton racing budget wouldn't put bog paper in Honda R  and D building. The Aprilia motor mite put out bag fulls of power but we all no thats not the full story Norton make there own frames in house. As for the ecu I don't no you got me on that one.  Maybe they just carnt get it to work on the Norton we have heard the trouble Honda are having with there's.. For me if a bike goes round that corse with a Norton badge on it put together if not completely built in this country. I wish them the best of luck all day long. And I for one will be standing in a filed somwhere next week shouting my bull locks out for them.