Sidecar
Race A - Monday 4th June 2007
McGuinness’ total of 12 wins was matched just
a few hours later when Dave Molyneux came from behind
to take the opening F2 Sidecar race, making it a doubly
successful day for the HM Plant Honda team.
Partnered for the first time by Rick Long, who equalled
the late Wolfgang Kalauch’s passenger record of
7 TT wins, the duo overcame all their problems in practice
to overhaul long time race leaders John Holden and Andrew
Winkle on the final lap, winning at an average speed
of 111.668mph. The Manx pairing of Nick Crowe and Dan
Sayle led in the early stages, but after catching and
passing Molyneux on the road, they were soon reported
as touring at Quarry Bends and retired just a mile up
the road at Sulby Crossroads. Another pre-race favourite
Klaus Klaffenbock and Christian Parzer only got as far
as Ballacraine. Holden and Winkle then seized the lead
and they led the field by just under 9 seconds at the
end of the opening lap, with Molyneux overtaking Steve
Norbury and Scott Parnell for second.
However, Moly had now got the bit between his teeth
and as he got more and more dialled in with both the
circuit and his machine, he began to eat into Holden’s
lead and going into the final lap it was less than two
seconds. Norbury was holding on to a safe third ahead
of Allan Schofield/Peter Founds and Simon Neary/Stuart
Bond, while Conrad Harrison/Kerry Williams and Nigel
Connole/Jamie Winn were flying through the field from
their start numbers of 24 and 25 respectively. At the
head of the field, though, Molyneux and Long were in
the ascendancy and with the fastest lap of the race,
112.736mph, they were able to not only reel in Holden
and Winkle, but also to pull away and they completed
the three laps exactly six and a half seconds clear.
Norbury and Parnell held on for third, the Yorkshire
driver’s seventh successive podium and 10th in
total, with Neary getting the better of Schofield for
fifth. Connole came home in sixth ahead of Harrison
with the top 10 completed by Tony Elmer/Darren Marshall,
Glyn Jones/Chris Lake and Andy Laidlow/Patrick.
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