5 MINUTES WITH IAN HUTCHINSON

Still the only rider to win five Isle of Man TT races in a week, Ian Hutchinson is one of the world’s toughest motorcycle racers, overcoming horrific injuries to make an emotional return to the top step at the 2015 event. 
The Isle of Man TT this year was amazing. The last five years haven’t been easy at all, but I was always confident that I was still capable of challenging for podiums and victories and to walk away with three wins from TT2015 proves it!

I think the biggest factor in the success was the team and the bike. Last year I struggled a little but then Paul Bird offered me the ride on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R for Macau. After riding there, I knew the bike was capable of wins. So it was important to remain with them for 2015, concentrate on building back up and enjoy my riding again.

The preparation was awesome too. I rode over 300 practice laps in Spain, before riding the first three BSB rounds. It meant we arrived at the North West 200 in one of the strongest positions I’ve been in.

Everyone says this at the TT, but you can never really do too much practice. We worked really well during practice week though, getting about seven laps in. I was pretty confident we might have the pace to challenge for the podium, so to walk away with podiums and the Superstock victory was absolutely fantastic.

The rest of the year is looking good as well, I’ll be back in BSB as a warm up to the Ulster Grand Prix, which is a track I really enjoy. It’s the fastest race in the world and although it’s on closed roads it almost feels like a giant short circuit track. I’m hopeful of picking up where we left off at the TT, I’m ready to go!