An event we’ve been eagerly waiting for, the 2014 SES TT Zero electric race was billed as a battle for the #1 spot between the Mugen riders, John McGuinness and Bruce Anstey, and battle between everyone else for the third and final podium position. And that is exactly what the 2014 Isle of Man TT fans got.
First to leave Glencrutchery Road, and the first to return, John McGuinness took his 21st IOMTT race win while on the Mugen Shinden San. The first time that the Mugen team has won the electric solo race at the IOMTT, McGuinness’s lap also officially broke the outright record for an electric motorcycle at the Isle of Man TT, with a 117.366 mph lap.
To put that lap time in perspective, rally driver Mark Higgins managed only a 116.470 mph lap during the Subaru exhibition lap, which immediately followed the TT Zero race; that time also bests Ryan Farquhar’s best Lightweight TT flying lap of 116.840 mph from practice.
Nursing an injured hand, McGuinness retired from today’s Supersport Race 2 event, and admitted after the TT Zero race that today’s win will likely be his only for the TT fortnight. McGuinness is still on the ticket for Friday’s Senior TT, but is not optimistic about his result.
Looking very good this TT though was second-place finisher Bruce Anstey, who also set a record breaking 115+ mph lap, which unfortunately for him was 23 seconds behind his teammate’s, and thus won’t be going into the record books.
The real intrigue came from third place though, as the Buckeye Current team from Ohio State University, and the Saroléa effort, battled throughout the course for that final podium position.
With Robert Wilson’s sector times on the Saroléa SP7 not being registered on the live timing, there was some uncertainty in the winner’s circle, especially as it became evident that Rob Barber on the OSU bike (with a 93.580 mph lap) had finished 0.3 seconds ahead of Wilson.
It was an unfortunate bit of news for Wilson and Saroléa, but a great effort from the first-time team. For the students at Ohio State, this marks the second year in a row where they have found themselves on the TT Zero podium. Pretty impressive, indeed.
Photo: © 2014 Richard Mushet / Mushet Photo – All Rights Reserved
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