Pirelli rider Gary Johnson takes first TT victory

June 10, 2011

Pirelli rider Gary Johnson today took his first ever TT win this week as Guy Martin took third at the Isle of Man event.  Pirelli earned two spots on the Supersport podium, once again demonstrating the Italian tire brand’s great passion for this unique event.

Johnson controlled the Monster Energy Supersport 600 race from the start to win by 8 seconds and was immediately swamped by well-wishers, including the legendary Giacomo Agostini.

“That was a brilliant race;” said Johnson, “I tried to stay a foot from the hedges like I always do and straight-line it. I made a break from the start and looked at the pit boards to keep the gap steady. The Pirellis worked so well on this Supersport bike from the first to last lap, were consistent all the way through and I don’t think I was too hard on them either. I just tried to stay smooth. What an awesome feeling!”

A clearly frustrated Guy Martin was aggravated at having to slow for a red flag as he logged his twelfth podium at the TT and made it two out of three on the ‘box’ running the Supersport spec Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tires.

Manx hero Conor Cummins continued his impressive comeback as he finished sixth in a quality packed field. Ben Wylie finished seventh on his YZF-R6 and James Hillier ninth as he continues a fantastic week on his trio of Bournemouth Kawasaki’s.

“What a fantastic first win for Gary, he’s shown terrific speed all week and this is so deserved for Gary, Phil Reed and the whole team,” said Pirelli UK’s Racing Manager Jason Griffiths. “With Guy also on the podium this has been a great race for us and the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tires remained consistently strong through all four laps.”

Pirelli Shod Electric Bike Nudges 100MPH Mark at TT

Pirelli BSB star Michael Rutter took his Segway MotoCzysz machine to an Electric bike record 99.6mph lap, just missing out on a £10,000 award for the first triple figure lap, at the Isle of Man TT today. His team-mate Mark Miller made it a Pirelli 1-2 in this innovative race event.

Michael, who choose a Pirelli Diablo Superbike ‘slick’ rear and Pirelli Diablo SuperCorsa treaded front tire, remarked, “99.6 mph, that’s the story of my life! I tried to conserve battery life and stay smooth, it’s a totally different way of riding but I really enjoyed it. We only saw the bike on Wednesday, so I think if we had more time there would be more to come set-up wise.”

The machine also hit an impressive 149.5mph on the Sulby Speed Trap at the hands of Rutter, who is more used to his 200mph Riders Bathams Ducati which he runs on Pirelli tires in both the TT and British Superbike Championship.

Pirelli tires were chosen by the majority of the grid as their steel belt construction is renowned for their low rolling resistance, essential in this power sapping electric race.

"Michael is a wily old fox and I know he will be gutted to have missed the 100mph, but he looked like he really enjoyed it and logged another TT win,” Jason Griffiths, Pirelli’s UK Racing Manager, added. “This new technology is so interesting to bike manufacturers and indeed our engineers are also intrigued back at the factory.”