By Twenty-five times Oliver’s Mount race winner Joey Thompson (Talk of The Town Team York Suzuki) goes into Classic TT contests with growing momentum post top six finishes x2 at Armoy and taking third in the Barry Sheene Classic feature race at Scarborough.
“It’s been good, riding the Suzuki and we ran our own bike at the TT which was good, just here to enjoy it, think my last Classic TT was in 2019 when I rode for the Wilcock Consulting team, who are not racing here anymore.
But it is a good event here, cannot wait to get going and have a run around the Isle of Man with no pressure, that is what it is all about the Classic TT.”
Detailing how his TT 2025 mission unfolded, ‘Joey Yorkshire’ stated:
“Still am at a barrier on the 600 doing 122.9, every single year on the 600 I have done 122.9, apart from me Wilson Craig Racing year, virtually every-year I have been here. So, that is quite frustrating I would rather have had a 123-mph lap and finished twentieth but was not the case.
Big bike, we struggled throughout the whole time until the second Superstock race and we found something with the bike, really helped with the turning. I struggle on the big bike, being so short, I have only got short arms and short legs as well through the high speed, really have too over work-myself, after about a lap I am knackered, it takes so much out of me.”
“But we found something with the bike, cannot remember exactly what it was think we lifted the whole bike up off the ground to bring the centre of the gravity up which in theory is the wrong thing to make it turn.
Obviously for a bike to turn well you want it low to the ground with downforce but anyway whatever we did we either lowered it or lifted it up, made it a million times better but then the race got cancelled after that so we never got to try it.
We did the Superstock race then the following race on the big bike was the senior I was really looking forward to it and it got-cancelled but to be honest the conditions were terrible. We did that sighting lap and everyone came in and everyone was saying the same thing, you could not race it was too dangerous.”
Targeting at minimum a top ten finish in next week’s Formula 1 Classic TT, Thompson who is undecided about tackling the Steve Henshaw Gold Cup next month, said he is hoping to remain with Kevin Pearson’s Team York Suzuki set-up in 2026.
“I think I am going to run for the Team York Suzuki on the big bike and the classic bike not too sure what else I am going to do.
I have not decided yet, quite like the look of doing a full season in the F900r BMW Cup in BSB, really fancy doing that and just doing the TT.
But I am not sure yet there’s a-few things on the cards but everything is so much money.
If you have your own bike, it is so much money, if you want to ride for another team it’s so much money so, I am not sure, think am just going to stay where I am and maybe do that BMW cup.”
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
