With weather conditions causing havoc at the TT 2017 Isle of Man, it’s been a testing time for the organisers, none more so than for Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson and after Wednesday evening’s unique practice session – when riders could race at full speed to Ramsey and then be escorted over the Mountain – the decision has now been made to put the six-lap Superbike race back to Sunday at 2pm.
The first two sessions on Saturday and Monday were cancelled and although Tuesday’s went ahead as scheduled, Wednesday saw the riders able to complete just one and a half laps before the weather curtailed proceedings. And now that Thursday evening has also been lost, Thompson has scheduled practice for Friday evening and all day Saturday with racing finally getting underway on Sunday following a meeting with riders and teams.
“It’s certainly been a difficult week with the weather disruptions and with three complete sessions having been lost, the only sensible decision is to move the Superbike and Sidecar races back,” said Thompson, speaking to bikesportnews.com.
“From Friday onwards, the weather looks far more favourable so the competitors should get a good session under their belts during the evening. We then plan to run a full day of practice on Saturday with the Superbikes, Superstock and Supersports out first followed by the sidecars.”
“It’ll then be the Supersport and Lightweights before the sidecars get another turn and, finally, another period for the big bikes should they need it. We’ll then run the Superbike race on Sunday with a lap of practice for the sidecars.”
The weather improvements mean it will be a busy few days for everyone with Monday also seeing a schedule change. The four-lap Supersport race will take place as planned in the morning with the first sidecar race taking that in the afternoon. That means the Superstock race will be held on Tuesday before, hopefully, the schedule gets back on track on Wednesday.
“We can’t control the weather and we’ve tried our best to get the riders out on track at every opportunity. Wednesday evening wasn’t ideal but the riders were appreciative of the track time they had and running at full speed to Ramsey. We encountered something similar with the weather in 2014 and everyone understands the situation. It’s unfortunate but with the weather looking good for the next few days, both solo and sidecar competitors should have got plenty of laps completed prior to their first race.”
Revised Schedule – Saturday 3rd June – Tuesday 6th June
Saturday 3rd June
10.40 – 12.00 - Superbike/Superstock/Supersport/Newcomers (all Classes except Lightweight) Qualifying
12.05 – 13.05 - Sidecar Qualifying
14.10 – 15.30 - Supersport/Lightweight/Newcomers (all classes) practice session
15.40 – 16.30 - Sidecar practice session
16.35 - 1 lap for Superbike/Superstock/Supersport practice
17.00 - 1 lap for TT Zero practice
Sunday 4th June
14.00 - Superbike Race (6 laps)
16.25 - Sidecar 1 lap practice
16.40 - 1 lap for TT Zero practice
Monday 5th June
10.45 - Supersport Race (4 laps)
12.45 - 1 lap Superstock practice
14.15 - Sidecar Race (3 laps)
15.50 - 1 lap Superbike/Superstock/Lightweight practice
16.05 - 1 lap TT Zero practice
Tuesday 6th June
12.15 - Superstock Race (4 laps)
14.15 - 2 x laps Sidecar practice
15.40 - 1 x lap Lightweight practice
15.55 - 1 x lap TT Zero
