John McGuinness - Photo Credit: Pacemaker
The PokerStars Senior TT was cancelled for the first time in the 105-year history of the Isle of Man TT as persistent rain rendered the course unsafe for racing. The 6 lap race was originally scheduled for Friday but wet conditions saw it put back by 24 hours. The weather failed to cooperate on Saturday either as race direction continued to delay the race, at one stage reducing the distance to four laps, but at 5:15pm, the decision was finally taken to call it off.
| 2012 Isle of Man TT | ||
|---|---|---|
| BikerPetition.co.uk Lightweight | ||
| 1 |  Ryan Farquhar |
59:27.57 |
| 2 | James Hillier |
+29.00 |
| 3 | Michael Rutter |
+34.04 |
| 4 |  Cameron Donald |
+1:04.94 |
| 5 | Russ Mountford |
+1:14.47 |
| 6 | William Dunlop |
+1:16.68 |
| TT Championship Standings | ||
| 1 (C) | John McGuinness |
74 Pts |
| 2 |  Bruce Anstey |
67 Pts |
| 3 | Cameron Donald |
66 Pts |
That confirmed John McGuinness as TT Champion and winner of the Joey Dunlop Trophy and the Honda TT Legends rider felt the decision was the only sensible one.
“I think it was the right decision to cancel the race today. I'd love to be here tomorrow waiting for the sun to shine so we can race, but that’s not an option and for me, the track just wasn't quite right. Racing my favourite bike here, starting at the front and possibly winning races is the best thing in the world, but I'm also really nervous about riding the big bikes in patchy and damp conditions. It's disappointing for everybody but tomorrow's another day and we're already looking forward to next year.”
One race did beat the weather though with Ryan Farquhar claiming victory in the BikerPetition.co.uk Lightweight race. The Northern Irishman proved the fastest man on the SuperTwin-spec machines after easing away from James Hillier through the pit stop phase. It was a sweet success for the KMR Kawasaki rider who had gone seven years without a win on the mountain course.
Michael Rutter clocked the fastest lap of the race on the final lap but he couldn't catch Hillier for third while Cameron Donald held off Russ Mountford and William Dunlop for fourth. Ivan Lintin took a fine seventh ahead of Ian Lougher and Ollie Linsdell with Newcomers Champion Jamie Hamilton rounding out the top ten.
The Senior TT cancellation confirmed Dan Cooper as runner-up in the Newcomers Championship and the Centurion Racing rider was thrilled with the achievement.
“It’s a shame the fortnight has ended like this as I was really looking forward to getting back out on the Honda Fireblade again but rider safety has to be paramount. In a way, I’m glad the race was called off as it wouldn’t have been easy going out to race after all the delays and also knowing there were damp patches on the course so the organisers made the right decision. I’ve had a good week, scoring some good results and bettering both my lap times and performances from last year so I’m really happy with how it’s all gone and finishing second in the Privateers Championship and picking up the Joe Craig Trophy (awarded to the best British performer on a British machine) has been the icing on the cake. I’d like to thank the team for all their work during the fortnight, everyone’s pulled together and done a great job so we’ll start getting ready for next year now!”
