TT 2015: Lintin takes first win with Lightweight Victory

Ivan Lintin enjoyed maiden race winning glory around the Mountain Course as he headed off James Hillier by a little under four seconds to take the three lap Bennetts.co.uk Lightweight TT in a race record speed. 

Ivan Lintin enjoyed maiden race winning glory around the Mountain Course as he headed off James Hillier by a little under four seconds to take the three lap Bennetts.co.uk Lightweight TT in a race record speed. But the Lincolnshire rider missed out on the lap record by a split seconds as Hillier had the edge with a speed of 120.845mph.

Riding the RC Express Kawasaki, Lintin was on the charge from the start, taking the lead, from Hillier on the first lap dash into Ramsey and then taking a two seconds lead over Ryan Farquhar as they both pitted while Jamie Hamilton running in third decided to power on.

That saw him lead the first few miles of the second lap though by Ballaugh Bridge Lintin had taken him, running a second clear, while Hillier was closing down on Hamiliton and taking him to go second on the charge up and over Snaefell. Linton was riding strongly and by the end of the lap had a four seconds advantage over Hillier on the Quattro Plant Kawasaki with Lee Johnston well in contention, third on the Manx Gas Kawasaki.

Johnston however was in trouble and pulled in at Ballacraine on the last lap. Lintin was flying, and he had to be as Hillier, the race winner of two years earlier, was making small inroads onto the leader while Michael Rutter aboard the raucous Paton was running well in third place ahead of James Cowton and Hamilton.

Linton upped the pace through Sulby, extending his lead to five seconds at Ramsey, where Hillier missed a gear, not that it cost him anything as he hit back strongly, pegging a second back on the final charge over the Mountain.

Lintin took the victory and said: “It’s a dream – I can hardly believe it. The team said to me before the race lets make the dream happen, so I pushed on and did that. The race went well – I was getting boards, so knew where I was. I knuckled down and got the win.” Hillier was 3.873secs down as he took second and he reflected on his lap record: “It didn’t feel that fast, though I rode the wheels of it and really pushed on and I am happy with the record.”

Third place belonged to Rutter who reflected: “I didn’t expect this and do a 119.697mph last lap was really good – I only saw the bike on Saturday and with more laps there is a lot more to come from it. It is light and pulls up the Mountain well.”

James Cowton finished fourth, ahead of Hamilton and Dan Cooper.

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