Last year marked a return to the big time for Ian Hutchinson, and with success at all of the international road races, you’d have been hard-pushed to find a more popular set of results. The well-documented battle with his leg injuries was finally over.
Nowhere was the Bingley Bullet more on form than at the Isle of Man TT Races, where he ended the fortnight with three wins, a second and a third from his five races. Little wonder that he picked up the Joey Dunlop Championship Trophy for the best rider of the week.
That moved Hutchy’s tally of wins around the Mountain Course to 11, and with 20 podiums in total, that’s a record that sees him right in amongst the greats of the sport. Indeed, he himself can rightly be described as a road racing great, and the ominous news for his rivals is that he’s not planning on slowing down – his early season form suggests 2016 could see a repeat performance.
“It’s fair to say I’m probably arriving at the TT in better shape both physically and mentally than I have done before. In terms of bike time, it’s been a great pre-season and opening couple of races in the British championship,” the 36-year-old told bikesportnews.com.
Last year saw Hutchy ride for the Paul Bird Motorsport team in the 1000cc classes, but this year he has joined forces with Hector and Philip Neill’s Tyco BMW team, a move that was mooted in years before but one that is already reaping the rewards.
“The Tyco BMW Superstock is a bike I love riding, as I’ve shown this year in the British championship,” he said. “Most of the time I’ve arrived at the TT with very little track time on the Superbike, but last year I rode my bike before I went, which proved worthwhile. It’s been the same this year with the BMW, and with the time I’ve had on the Tyco machines I feel comfortable. I’m definitely in a good position.”
As the only rider ever to have won five races in a week, Hutchy’s in a unique position to describe how it was done and how it can be done again – if, indeed, it can. When we asked him about the possibility about a repeat performance in 2016, he was keeping his feet on the ground.
“There’s no doubt I’ve got good enough bikes to win all five races and I know I have the ability to do it,” he said. “But, as we all know, anything can happen in racing and it’s incredibly tough to win one let alone five. Winning at the TT isn’t just about the rider, nor is it just about the bike. Everything needs to come together on the day – you, the bike, the team, the weather, everything. All I know is that I’ll be going to the TT as prepared as I’ve ever been and will be giving it my best shot.”
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