Paul Jordan and the Jackson Racing powered by Prosper2 team opened their account at this year’s Isle of Man TT Races with a strong tenth place finish in Sunday’s six lap RST Superbike race, the Northern Irishman also posting his maiden 130mph lap around the Mountain Course.
The race action had due to get underway on Saturday with the RL360 Superstock race, but inclement weather caused it to be cancelled and so it was the Superbike class that opened proceedings, Paul having recorded the tenth fastest lap in qualifying at 129.833mph.
With good conditions on Sunday all round the world famous 37 and ¾-mile Mountain Course, an opening lap of 129.506mph saw the Northern Ireland rider slot into 11th place, just over a second behind tenth placed David Johnson.
Coming into the pits at the end of the second lap, a slower lap of 127.929mph on the CBR1000RR Honda Fireblade dropped Paul back to 12th but a good pit stop by the team and a good third lap brought him back up to 11th at half race distance.
Despite being apart on the road, Paul practically matched the lap time of new tenth placed rider Conor Cummins on the fourth lap, and another good pit stop by the team helped him turn an 11 second deficit into a 19 second advantage going into the sixth and final lap.
The only flying lap of the race, Paul upped his pace and posted a lap of 130.656mph to consolidate his position, finishing tenth in the Superbike TT for the second consecutive year. The final lap was not only Paul’s personal best lap of the Mountain Course – bettering his previous best by more than six seconds – but also saw him lap at 130mph for the first time to become the 31st rider to join the exclusive ‘130mph Club’.
Paul Jordan: “Obviously I’m over the moon to get the monkey off my back and record my first 130mph lap and to finish inside the top ten of a Superbike TT was really good given the company I was in. The whole of qualifying week went well, and I was there or thereabouts in both the Supersport and Sportbike classes so I’m looking forward to getting stuck into those two races. Fingers crossed we’ll be able to get some more good results there for the whole team and everyone who’s behind me.”
Alan Jackson, Team Manager: “It was a good opening to race week for Paul and the whole team and to get the 130mph lap is a weight off his shoulders as he’s been after it for some time! He got stronger as the race wore on and it bodes well for the rest of race week. Tenth in a Superbike race at the TT is a result to be proud of so it sets him up nicely for the other races. We had a positive practice week, and Paul performed well on all bikes so let’s see what the rest of race week brings.”
The next races are due to take place on Tuesday, and it’s set to be a busy day with three three-lap races scheduled, the Monster Energy Supersport, Carole Nash Sportbike and RL360 Superstock races.
Picture by Tim Keeton (Impact Images Photography)
Excellent fourth place finish for Jordan in Supersport TT
Paul Jordan narrowly missed out on a podium finish in Tuesday's Supersport race at the Isle of Man TT, taking an impressive fourth place for Jackson Racing powered by Prosper2. Delayed by four hours due to poor weather, the shortened three-lap race saw Jordan run inside the top three for much of the contest before eventually finishing fourth against a world-class field.
