CROWES CONTINUE SIDECAR SUCCESS WITH THEIR 4TH CONSECUTIVE TT WIN
Ryan and Callum Crowe claimed their second win of the week at the Isle of Man TT Races on Friday afternoon, and their fourth in a row, with victory in the second 3wheeling.media Sidecar TT Race.
Leading from start to finish, the Manx pairing won by 1 minute 8.903 seconds, with Ben Birchall/Patrick Rosney and Lee Crawford/Scott Hardie repeating their podium positions from Monday in second and third respectively.
With perfect conditions, the race that had been shortened from three laps to two, got underway at 4:30 pm. The Crowes led through Glen Helen on the opening lap on their Opul/Kelproperties LCR Honda. Their advantage over Birchall/Rosney (Hager/Wyckham Blackwell LCR Honda) at that point was 9.5 seconds.
With perfect conditions, the race, cut from three laps to two, got underway at 4.30pm and the Crowes led through Glen Helen on the opening lap on their Opul/Kelproperties LCR Honda, their advantage over Birchall/Rosney (Hager/Wyckham Blackwell LCR Honda) on this occasion 9.5s.
They were two seconds ahead of Crawford/Hardie (Team ARC/SJH Bodyworks LCR Kawasaki), with Blackstock/Lawrence only three-tenths of a second further back on the Dave Holden Racing LCR Yamaha. Ellis/Clement (Brookland Sand & Aggregates CES Yamaha) were three seconds further adrift in fifth, as newcomers Clarke/Johnson (Eddy’s Moto CES Yamaha) completed the early top six.
Newcomer drivers George Holden and Steve Kershaw, with Mark Wilkes and Rhys Gibbons in the chair respectively, slotted into seventh and eighth, but Gary and Daryl Gibson were already out, having stopped at Ballacraine.
The Crowes, who were clocked at 161.472 mph through the Sulby speed trap, were not taking it easy at the head of the field. They set a new best sector time from Glen Helen to Ballaugh and, rounding Ramsey Hairpin for the first time, their advantage over Birchall/Rosney had increased to almost 23 seconds. Blackstock/Lawrence were now in third, though only by two-tenths of a second from Crawford/Hardie.
As the lap progressed, the Crowes continued to extend their advantage and, with an opening lap of 119.950 mph - the quickest ever standing start lap - they led Birchall/Rosney (116.128 mph) by a dominant 37.2 seconds. Crawford/Hardie (115.472 mph) had regained third from Blackstock/Lawrence (115.211 mph), the difference between third and fourth now 2.6 seconds.
Holden/Wilkes (111.408 mph) remained in seventh ahead of Kershaw/Gibbons (109.988 mph), Lambert/Haynes (108.900 mph), and the Ramsdens (108.739 mph).
The Crowes’ grip on the race win was tightening all the time, and as they approached the jump at Ballaugh Bridge for the second and final time, their lead was almost 50 seconds over Birchall/Rosney. Further back, third place was firmly in the hands of Crawford/Hardie as Blackstock/Lawrence retired at Lambfell.
With a comfortable lead, there was no need for the Crowes to push any harder—although their second lap still exceeded 120 mph, clocking in at 120.168 mph—and they swept to a second win of the week and fourth TT victory in total, 1 minute 8 seconds ahead of Birchall/Rosney, who set their fastest lap of the fortnight with a second lap of 116.896 mph.
Crawford/Hardie (115.272 mph) secured their second third-place finish of the week, while Ellis/Clement (115.065 mph) and newcomers Clarke/Johnson (114.884 mph) took fourth and fifth respectively, both setting personal best laps of the Mountain Course.
Kershaw/Gibbons (110.927 mph) made up for the disappointment of their first-race retirement to finish seventh, with Lambert/Haynes (109.609 mph), Ramsden/Ramsden (109.734 mph), and the Belgian pairing Van der Donckt/Van der Donckt rounding out the top ten with their fastest ever lap at 109.500 mph.
