Bathams Racing

Bathams Racing TT24 Round Up 2024

The 2024 Isle of Man TT races proved to be a prime example of the highs and lows of motorcycle racing.  For Michael Rutter – celebrating the 30th anniversary since he made his debut at the TT – race week yielded results which far exceeded expectations after a difficult practice week, which saw a large number of technical issues on his superbike restrict meaningful practice laps. A 7th position in the first supertwin race – which also included the fastest pitstop of TT24 for him – was followed up by a 13th position in the delayed second supertwin race, which was red-flagged. Rutter was making strong progress through the field on lap 2 when the race was stopped, with the result being declared at the end of lap 1.   A 9th position in the 6-lap Superbike race and also the 4-lap Senior TT was a fantastic result for Rutter and the team given the strength and depth of talent in the class, not to mention the lack of practice for Rutter. In contrast, following his practice week crash, Craig Neve had a mountain to climb in order to be fit enough to race. Following various treatments, medications and sessions with physiotherapists and osteopaths, Neve eventually took part in the shortened two lap Supersport race, finishing in 15th position. However, after reviewing his condition following the race, team owner Rutter made the difficult decision to withdraw Neve from the Senior TT. It goes without saying that the whole team was disappointed for Craig, especially after showing so much pace during practice week. However, considering how difficult the two lap supersport race was for Neve, and knowing the effort and strength needed to complete a four-lap race on a superbike, the decision to withdraw and come back next year fully fit, was the correct one. Bathams Racing would like to express its gratitude to all the physiotherapists and medical staff who helped Craig, the organisers for working so hard against a backdrop of unhelpful weather patterns, all the marshals, and of course all the fans for their continued support.  Neve: “There’s not much I can really say, except that I’m gutted to have not been able to race and turn my practice pace into results. I really did my very best to get fit after my accident, but in the end, I just needed more time, which of course you don’t get at any race meeting.  Obviously, I have to say a huge thank you to my sponsors for understanding, and my team for having everything ready for me just in case I could race. Now I’m just going to go and get myself back to 100% fitness ready for the ManxGP in August” Rutter: “Wow! What a TT! It had everything. Bad weather, technical issues, Craigs accident, even a parade lap for my dad and me which we needed to get six bikes ready for, plus various events to mark my 30thanniversary. Yet somehow, I’ve come away with three top 10 results. It’ll certainly be a TT I won’t forget for lots of reasons. It’s a massive shame that Craig had his crash and ultimately couldn’t race anywhere near his ability. I’m sure if he hasn’t already done so, he’ll put the disappointment behind him and already be looking forward to the ManxGP in August and TT25.  If nothing else, I’m living proof to Craig that it’s possible to race at the TT for a really long time if you want to. So, in the grand scheme of things, he’s only just getting going, and this year will be a distant memory to him very soon. Next up we’ve got four rounds of the BMW F900 cup before we’re back on the island for the ManxGP, so it’s going to be a busy time for everyone over the next few months. I’ve got to say a massive thank you to all our sponsors, especially Bathams Ales, and also the TT organisers for being so generous with their tributes to my dad including the parade lap and naming a corner on the course “Rutters’”. It’s a huge honour for me, and I’m sure dad would be blown away by the gestures”.

  March 2024

Following on from our previous announcement about teaming up with the “Smith Twins” in the BMW F900 Cup, Bathams Racing are delighted to further announce their continuation into the 2024 race season with Lincolnshire rider Craig Neve after a successful 2023 campaign together. 

Neve will compete at the Northwest 200, the Isle of Man TT and selected rounds of the British Supersport Championship for Bathams Racing.

Neve joined Bathams Racing for the 2023 road race season and enjoyed his best results in his road racing career to date. 

He claimed a best result of 7th  position in the Superstock race on board his Honda Fireblade at the Northwest 200 – his first top ten result in an international race. 

Then at the Isle of Man TT races, he set a personal best lap time of 130.8MPH in the Senior race, which as well as being the first time he went faster than the famous 130mph milestone, also made him the 16th fastest person ever to lap the TT course. He also secured a best result of 8th  position in the supersport race to claim his first top 10 result at the Isle of Man.

Neve will be sticking with his Honda Fireblades in the Superbike and Superstock categories, and his Triumph Daytona in the Supersport category. Both bikes were new to him last year, so he and the team will have the benefit of some hard earned set up data from 2023. 

Furthermore, Neve has had some surgery during the winter to remove a quantity of surgical plates and pins from his shoulder which were inserted following an injury which pre-dated the 2023 Northwest 200 and Isle of Man TT.

Following the progress Craig made last year, and with the benefit of some continuity with the bikes, Bathams Racing is very excited at the prospects for the season ahead with him.

An announcement on Michael Rutters plans for 2024 will follow.

Neve: “Joining Bathams Racing last year was fantastic for me. Having Rutter as your team mate was priceless when it came to working through what were brand new bikes at the time to get to a set up which helped me get into the “130mph club”. I’ve already had him on the bike this winter testing in Spain to try some more ideas out, and his feedback and input has been brilliant. 

Last year was difficult at times with the new bike, but it ended on a real high with a couple of 130mph laps, and my first top ten finish at the TT, so sticking with Bathams Racing is a no brainer for me. A massive thanks to them, Bathams Ales and Zeeco for having me back. I’m absolutely buzzing and can’t wait to get going.

I’m gonna do the first couple of rounds of the British Supersport championship, then get to Ireland and the Isle of Man to hopefully pick up where we left off last year”. 

Rutter: “When we expanded the team last year with Craig, we wanted to bring an up and coming rider into the team and help develop them, and that’s exactly what happened. Last year we achieved everything on our dream scenario that we hoped we would with Craig, so it really was an easy decision to carry on that commitment with Craig, as we feel there’s more to come from him and the bikes. 

He’s had me out testing some ideas that he’s had for his bikes which was really interesting, and I think we’ve found something that’ll help him a lot this year on the bike. So, we just need to get to Ireland for the Northwest 200 and get racing again.

I must say a huge thanks to our sponsors who share our desire to compete at a high level, and develop young riders, so thanks to Bathams Ales, Keltruck, EBC Group, Level, NicWood Logistics, AJN Steelstock and Worcester Presses for continuing with this project

15/06/2022

Bathams Racing completes TT22

Following a productive practice week and solid race in the RST Superbike race, Bathams Racing enjoyed limited success in the Superstock race and a non-finish in the Senior TT to round off its return to racing at the Isle of Man TT. 

Michael Rutter finished the RL360 Superstock race in 13th place just 20 seconds away from a top ten finish on the BMW M1000RR and with a best lap of 126.3MPH in the three lap race. 

Then in the postponed Milwaukee Senior TT, Rutter chose to retire from the race at the halfway point after a small issue with the bike developed which on its own wasn’t terminal, but which combined with the windy conditions Rutter felt best to retire from the race. 

Having completed its road racing program for 2022, Bathams Racing will now start preparing for the rest of the race season and will make an announcement soon regarding its plans. 

Finally, everyone at Bathams Racing would like to pay tribute to the organisers, medical staff, volunteers and marshals who all make the TT races possible and offer their condolences to all the family and friends of our fellow competitors who lost their lives. Rutter:- “On one hand it’s been great to be back at the TT. I’ve been coming here for so long that I think this has been the longest time i’ve been away from the place. The bikes ran really well throughout the fornight except for the superbike which developed a small fault during the Senior TT which combined with the weather conditions I felt the right thing to do was to retire from the race.  

It took me a while to get my brain up to speed, and my results weren’t quite what i had hoped for, but we weren’t far off, and importantly I still really enjoyed racing on the island again. There’s nowhere else like it. I must also say a big thank you to the team and sponsors who came and helped out. It was a tough schedule for everyone between the Northwest 200 and TT, but we got the job done! 

We’ll have a well earned rest now, take some time to reflect on the Northwest 200 and TT, then announce what our plans are for the reminder of the season.” 

06/06/2022  

Bathams Racing Returns to the TT

After a two-year absence, racing at the Isle of Man finally returned with the six lap Superbike TT which would mark Michael Rutters 73rd TT race start.

Rutter lined up for the Superbike race in the iconic start position of number 3 on the road on his superstock Spec BMW M1000RR.

The six lap race passed without incident for Rutter who recorded his fastest laps of the TT fortnight just a few weeks after turning 50 years old. Rutter recorded an 11th place finish, just 0.5 second away from a top ten result after 226 miles of racing on the worlds toughest race course.

Rutter: “Wow! its so good to be back racing at the TT. I’d be lying if i said that getting up to speed has been easy, because it hasnt. we’ve been working our way through the practice sessions making changes to the bike and adapting the M1000RR to the TT’s unique challenge, but it is true that after the first practice session my brain was fried. i didn’t have any problem remembering which the way the course went; it was more just getting my eyes and brain up to the sheer speed of riding.

the race was brilliant, and seeing so many people out on the side of the course was fantastic.. its so good to be back!!

 

Next is the Superstock race, which I’m really looking forward to now, so hopefully the weather will hold, and we’ll gave another good race”

The next race in the schedule for Rutter is the four lap Superstock race on Monday 6th June

03/05/2022 

With road racing back on the calendar, Bathams Racing will be competing at the International Northwest 200 and Isle of man TT races with Michael Rutter on the BMW M1000RR.

14 time Northwest 200 race winner Rutter will compete in the Superbike and Superstock 1000 classes, to start his 84th race at the famous “Triangle” course on the Northern Irish north coast. hoping to add to his 34 podiums.

Then its off to the Isle of Man 28 years after Rutter made his TT debut where this year, he will start his 73rd TT race with the iconic start number 3 in the superbike, superstock 1000 and senior TT races.

Plans for the rest of the race season will be announced after the TT.

Rutter: “Like a lot of people, I’m so happy that road racing is back on the agenda for 2022. it seems like a lifetime since we’ve been able to race on the roads, and like everyone else i can’t wait to get back out there. Road racing has always been a big part of Bathams Racing, and the whole team have really missed it, so we’ve decided to initially focus all our time and efforts on the Northwest 200 and Isle of Man TT races for 2022. 

im 50 years old now, so really should know better, but my love for road racing is the same today as it ever was , so giving it a miss after the two year break never entered my mind. The only thought i had was getting back out there again. The challenge of the roads is unique, especially the TT, so we’ve hit pause on competing in the British Championship so the team can focus 100% on me at the Northwest 200 and TT. 

I must also pay tribute to our sponsors who have come on board for 2022 and of course the long time sponsors who are supporting our plans for the season. Massive thank you to Bathams Prize winning ales who have supported me since 2009, Keltruck for the amazing Scania truck, Dunlop tyres, Syntol lubricatnts, K-tech suspension, Fortis, B&C Express, EBC Group, TDR Haulage, Teng Tools, Nic Woods logistics, Rev Comps, Levfel, Aquamatic, Worcester Presses, Proframe, Hiz Jewellery, Shoei helmets and Alpinestars lesthers”. 

 27/06/2021 

It was a story of the highs and lows of racing for Bathams Racing’s visit to Knockhill for the second round of the National Superstock 1000 Championship.

Round 2 was a double header for the championship, and on “home” soil for Taylor Mackenzie being north of the border as he looked to build on the early success from round 1 at Oulton Park.

Following a good qualifying session to claim a front row start for the race, Mackenzie eventually took the lead after losing a couple of places at the start and dominated the final stages to take his second victory of the season by 2.8 seconds.

In the second race, Mackenzie crashed while leading and pushing to build a gap to register his first DNF of the season. While disappointing, there are still reasons to be cheerful – Mackenzie is only 6 points behind the championship lead despite the crash, the Bathams BMW M1000RR lapped at close to lap record pace on only it’s second outing and the team continue to learn more about the bikes systems.

Mackenzie – Race 1: P1/Race 2: DNF – Championship P2 “Not gonna lie, the crash in race 2 was obviously not the plan, I was pushing really hard to gap the pack and just got caught out. Otherwise it was pretty much the perfect weekend, front row start, fastest lap and the win in race one and Pole Position for race 2. The racing was mega, and there’s no major damage to the bike or me, so we’ll be back at Brands Hatch for round three for more of the racing but less of the crashing!!”

Rutter – DNS: “I was watching the race on a big screen in the garage and Taylor was riding perfectly until he made a tiny mistake. I was gutted for him as the penalty didn’t fit his crime.

26/06/2021 Victory for Bathams Racing !!

Taylor Mackenzie produced a dominant and controlled ride at the first round of the National Superstock 1000 Championship to give the team its first victory in 22 months and the BMW M1000RR its debut win in the UK.

The combination of a challenging season in 2020 due to injuries sustained to Bathams Racing rider Richard Cooper, and a delayed start to the 2021 season means that victory has been a long time coming for the team. A huge amount of work to learn the new BMW M1000RR during the Winter/Spring season with continued support from all the teams sponsors, suppliers and technical partners means that Bathams Racing is back to winning ways.

Mackenzie made a good start from second position on the grid, and quickly established himself in a break away pack of riders. By the end of the 14 lap race, the breakaway of four riders became spread out, and Mackenzie finished the race with a 2.8 second lead over second position to take victory following a series of consistently fast laps during the final laps of the race – The first time he has won at Oulton Park on a Superstock bike.

The team will continue developing the BMW M1000RR between now and Round 2 at Knockhill, but before that, a bottle of Bathams Beer never tasted better!!

Mackenzie – Race P1/ Championship P1 “What a day!! Obviously I’m really chuffed to have won the race, that goes without saying, but I’m also really happy with how well the bike is going considering how new and how different it is to the last one. It’s probably got a lot to do with Michael doing loads development testing on it – He should probably give himself a pay rise. Also, the whole weekend ran really smoothly, everything just worked. I always look forward to racing at Knockhill, but I’d go tomorrow if I could!”

Rutter – DNS: “I take full credit for the result, and will be giving myself a large pay rise for assessing all those electronic settings on the M1000RR since we took delivery of it, and all weekend!! 

Seriously though, this is great for everyone on the team who has worked so hard on the bike all winter, and our suppliers and sponsors who have helped. You never really know where you are until you get to the first race, and while it is a dream result for us, it is only one race, so we’ll enjoy this evening and get back to work tomorrow. We’ve got a lot of useful data from the race, and feedback from Taylor to go through to hopefully make the bike better for Knockhill”. 

25/06/2021 Front Row start for Mackenzie

Taylor Mackenzie qualified in second position for the first round of the National Superstock 1000 Championship after a hectic qualifying session.

Returning to Bathams Racing, Mackenzie picked up where he left off when he rode for the team in 2019 by setting consistently competitive lap times that resulted in a front row starting position.

Meanwhile, Rutter continued to focus on testing and developing electronic solutions on the teams new BMW M1000RR with a number of positive results to continue the teams ongoing learning of the new bike. Having completed the testing program, Rutter has elected to withdraw from tomorrows race, preferring to spectate with a bottle of Bathams Beer.

Rutter: “Today has been really productive. Taking part in the ten lap “Last Chance Qualifier Race” was really useful on top of all the other practice and qualifying sessions. My work is done for the weekend, and so I think I’ve deserved a day off”

Mackenzie – P2 1:36.361sec “Today was great, the bike felt mega, Michaels efforts with all his work today has been a help too, so big thanks to him and I’m sure he’ll have a nice day off tomorrow. Otherwise, I can’t wait to get into tomorrows race.”