By All racers strive for the perfect lap on the Mountain Course and it’s no different for Jackson Racing’s Paul Jordan.
At TT 2024, he came close to unlocking ‘130 Mph’ Club membership, which he feels is attainable next year.
“My ideal was 130.8, so if can put all my sectors together, I know I can do it, it’s just stringing it all together.”
Reflecting thus far on what’s been a productive first season with Jackson Racing, the Magherafelt rider stated:
“Been fantastic, it was something new I needed to do with my racing career itself, things in the past few years, it’s been good, but I feel in the Jackson team it’s just been a different environment.
I’ve been fortunate enough obviously with Lee been injured had his mechanics on-board, so I didn’t have to build a relationship with anybody, already had a relationship with them, the season itself been incredible.
I didn’t really set the target that I set out to do at the TT and achieve that, but I think my results all year round and even at the Northwest, finishing top five in the Superbike race has shown I can still ride a big-bike, you know I’m not obviously classed a big-bike rider.”
Although not victorious, largely impeded by backmarkers, one of Jordan’s top performances this year was in a history-making second Super Twins race at Armoy, when he Jamie Coward, Michael Browne, Paul Jordan registered the first 100 Mph Twin laps at the ‘Race of Legends’.
Speaking about this achievement, he said:
“To do a 100-mph lap around Armoy is quite impressive on a Super Twin.”
Keen to add top-rate Manx GP results to his road racing CV, Jordan said that during first qualifying, he followed Jamie Coward, John McGuinness MBE, tried to learn from them, gain nuggets of Classic racing knowledge.
Second quickest on the Junior Classics qualifying leader-board, the Davies Motorsport TX 500 Yamaha that he is riding, is the same one that he took to Senior Classic honours at Armoy in 2022. This bikes’ heritage additionally features Senior Classic MGP spoils from the same year, thanks to Jordan’s good-friend, Lee Johnston.
“So literally on the tank it’s says PJ but underneath the sticker it says Lee J, that bike that I rode was the year when Lee won the 500.
Have rode the bike before but it’s a different kettle of fish around a course of this size, I know Armoy pretty-well, and it’s a short track as such so you can get plenty of laps in to try and get used to things, were as here going down Bray Hill for the first time is a bit different!”
Macau Grand Prix bound in November alongside Jackson Racing team-mate Julian Trummer; the 2019 Ulster Grand Prix Super Twins race winner is also looking at winter racing in the New Zealand Suzuki International series.
“Fingers crossed we can get the backing for it.”
Photo credit: Nick Wheeler
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
