Ivan Lintin overcame a 30s penalty to take an excellent 12th place finish in Monday afternoon’s Superstock race at the Isle of Man TT, the Devitt RC Express Racing rider also setting his best ever lap of the Mountain Course at 127.617mph.

It was another perfect day on the island with sun blessed fans enjoying some superb racing and with an opening lap of 126.716mph, Ivan slotted into 14th place but quickening his pace second time around on the Kawasaki ZX-10R to 127.373mph, he moved up the order to 12th.

However, whilst coming into the pits for the solitary refuelling stop, Ivan broke the 60kmh speed limit, albeit by just 0.083kmh, and he was hit by a thirty second penalty. It dropped him down the order slightly but, enjoying a good dice on the roads with Steve Mercer, a brilliant final lap of 127.617mph elevated him back up to 12th at the chequered flag. Had it not been for the penalty, he would have finished in ninth place.

It made up for the disappointment of being forced to retire from the morning’s Supersport race whilst again running inside the top 15. An opening lap of 121.726mph saw him slot into 14th place but on the second lap, the bike started to lose power and rather than run the risk of a major failure, Ivan and the team opted to retire at half race distance.

Team-mate Alan Bonner was also out of luck in the Superstock race, his only outing of the day. The Eire rider had high hopes of joining Lintin in challenging for a top 12 finish but he only got as far as Ballagarey on the opening lap, just three miles into the race, when he had to retire with an oil leak.

Ivan Lintin: “We fitted a new engine for the Supersport race and the bike was going well initially but on the second lap, it started to rattle a bit at Ballacraine and although it wasn’t terminal, it wasn’t wise to carry on so we decided it was better to be safe than sorry and retire. I really enjoyed the Superstock race and although it would have been nice to have finished ninth, 12th place is still a good result for both the Devitt RC Express Racing team and myself.”

“We had to slow down for yellow flags at the end of the Cronk y Voddy straight so to do a personal best lap under those conditions was very pleasing. I had a great battle on the roads with Steve Mercer and whilst he was faster through the twisty stuff, I was quicker over the Mountain so we ended up helping each other along – he led me through Glen Helen and I led him over the Mountain so we worked together quite well!”

Alan Bonner: “The race started well and the bike felt good in the first couple of miles but when I was going up the Ballahutchin, my foot slipped off the foot peg and then it did it again when I changed from fifth to sixth gear. I looked down and could see oil so I pulled off the course straightaway. It’s hugely disappointing and luck’s just not been with me this fortnight so I think I need to go down to Fairy Bridge to try and get some luck on board for the Senior on Friday.”

Ben Constable, Team Co-owner: “We’re obviously a bit disappointed with the outcome of the 600cc race as we’d fitted a new engine and first impressions were that it was giving us that bit extra we needed. However, there was an issue with it on the second lap and Ivan did the right thing by retiring at the pits. We had a second bite of the cherry today though with the Superstock race and we’re mega pleased with Ivan’s ride.”

“He’s posted his personal best lap of the course and although the limiter had been set to 57kmh, for some reason we got caught out and got hit with a penalty. It’s a real shame for Ivan as he would have finished in a brilliant ninth place but for that although 12th is still a good result. Unfortunately, Alan was out of luck today and he had to retire with an oil leak before his race had even started. On the miles he did do, he felt happy with the bike and was feeling loads better so he’ll be keen to make up for it in the Senior.”

The team are back in action on Wednesday with Ivan contesting the second Supersport and Lightweight races, the latter which the team has won for the last two years with Lintin and Dean Harrison.

Photo - Ivan during the Superstock race.  Courtesy of Stephen Davison – Pacemaker Press International.