Unsung Heroes of the Isle of Man TT 2023 

27 June 2023

In part three of our review of the Isle of Man TT 2023 from the view point of the spectator photographer we are going to take a quick look back at and updating one of last year’s reports, The Unsung Heros of the TT.

In that article we featured Michael "Jack" Russell who was, during the 2022 TT, attempting to be the first person to enter, race and finish all eight races - six solo and two sidecar races. 

Matt Stevenson was our second rider that we focused our lens on last year. Why did we take an interest in Matt? Because he stood out for three reasons, the state of his bike, how can we put this? It wasn’t the best presented bike in the paddock, the tie wraps holding the faring on didn’t even match. His haircut is errm interesting, but the main reason we approached him was his riding.

Having watched a lot of racing over the years he just looked good every time we saw him. Some riders just look right on a bike and Matt is one of those, putting on the style and enjoying the experience of being at the TT to the max.

Matt Stevenson at the IoM TT 2022

Matt Stevenson 

Fast forward one year and Matt had got a significant upgrade to his 2022 bike, now riding for the Dafabet team in the Supersport and Superstock class. The package also came with a great looking garage with an amazing shot of him jumping the mountain at Cadwell, which was obviously supplied by a top PistonClick photographer, RPW Photography!

Getting the overnight ferry, arriving early on the morning of the 1st June, we were looking forward to catching up with Jack and Matt and recording their journey at the 2023 TT from the view point of the spectator from the lovely IoM ditches and hedges.

Unfortunately, Matt had a big off during the Tuesday evening Superbike qualifying at Creg-ny-Baa on the first lap and that was the end of Matt’s TT23. Matt was good enough to tell us what happened.

“It was all going pretty well as I had hit last year’s speeds on the Dafabet Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 BN6 in 4 practice laps, and I was set for a 125.5ish from what l’m told on the big bike. But one tiny lapse of concentration and I missed my breaking marker and that was that. I became a passenger, eventually being airlifted to Noble’s Hospital in Douglas where my leg was pinned and my broken wrist re-set.

I now have no big plans this year except to get back to fitness as soon as possible and hopefully complete at Macau all being well! Then I will try it all again next year. Healing is going really well. This past week the leg’s come on wonders!”

You can’t keep a good man down, and Matt was back in the paddock in double quick time on a fetching mobility scooter which I raced him on my Grom. With its massive 9bhp it was no contest - Grom 1, granny shopper 0.

Josh Brookes was Matts team mate in the Dafabet Racing garage he would take the #7 Kawasaki ER-6f to a third place podium. Dominic Herbertson took Matt’s the ride for the Supersport race, bringing it home in 10th place in race two.

Michael "Jack" Russell - Russell Road Racing

To pick up from last year Michael "Jack" Russell entered all eight TT races, aiming to be the first individual ever in the history to do that. His goal was to start and finish all of them. For anyone who has even the slightest knowledge of the TT will know that this was ambitious.

It would also be a massive feat of endurance to do the full house starting with the Superbike, which is the equivalent of racing from London to Manchester flat out! Two Supersport, Superstock, Twins, two Sidecar races and finishing off with the Senior TT. That’s eight races in five days with Monday the 6th of June 2022 being the hardest both physically and mentally - the Supersport, Sidecar and Superstock in one day! 

Michael "Jack" Russell at the IoM TT 2022

Jack, his team and sidecar passenger Freddy Lelubez working with a tiny budget did achieve a piece of TT history in 2022. Starting all of the races, a gear shifter bolt shearing in the frame putting him out on lap 1 of the Senior didn’t give him the full house of start and finishes. Roll on 12 months and Jack is back with Vicky Cooke in the sidecar to take on the 10 races. This is his story.

“We came into this year’s TT knowing that we were entering 10 races with the possibility that we wouldn’t finish any!! I have been here before with 2 bikes in 3 classes and not finished any, so I was under no illusions. It’s such a demanding track on man, machine and mind. We came so close, yet so far!! An incredible effort by the team to get me to within 4 miles of finishing every race out the 10 race starts was just incredible. 

A £90 fuel pump failure, which you cannot ever predict for, was all it was that put me out 4 miles from the finish of the 2nd sidecar race. Had that finished I would have deafened myself and the spectators to finish the last lap of the Supersport Race. 

If someone had said before this year’s 10 race challenge I would be going home with 8 out the 10 I would have taken it every time, but in the same breath I am so disappointed we didn't get the 10 races. With our budget and our results on stock machinery against some very accomplished machinery and racers, I am very proud of our efforts.

Huge thanks to everyone that cheered me on. I will be attempting the challenge again but not sure if it will be next year, as depends on sponsors.

So for the first time ever, one competitor has finished every class! Not a massive backed team but a current RAF serviceman who had a crazy plan! 

10 race starts, 8 race finishes, 6 beautiful bronze ladies and 2 finisher’s medals! What an epic TT 2023 where I have become the only rider in TT history to start 10 Isle of Man races, and I have to say it’s been one of the hardest feats of endurance for myself, the team and machines.”

Jack Petrie Racing

#54 Kawasaki ER-6f Supertwin

#65 Yamaha YZF-R6 BN6 Supersport

Jack and Matt can probably remember the first time they got the pat on the shoulder and headed off down Bray Hill to take on the twisty, fast, bumpy 37.7 miles of road at their first TT. So, in keeping with the topic of this report, we finish off with a few words from Jack Petrie who was taking part in this historic race for the first time. This is his story.

“Being my first TT meant the prep had been all over winter, visiting the IoM for a couple of days at a time to drive laps with milky Quayle. The first speed controlled laps for the newcomers took me by surprise with just how fast the place was, even not at full racing speed. 

Practice week was pretty much trouble free. It was all about learning each lap (luckily we got a few thanks to the weather). We struggled on the supertwin which I knew was slightly underpowered but did not realise how much until the paddock dyno revealed 82bhp. 

The supersport was a different story as I knew we had a competitive bike. It was just about learning and stringing a lap together.

My first race was in supersport race one. I started 54th on the grid and came home p39, which to finish my TT was a massive sense of relief and achievement. The rest of the week went well, finishing all my 4 races. My personal highlight was doing a 117.9mph lap on the final lap of supersport 2 race which way exceeded any goals I had set myself before the event.

I will be back next year, and with the knowledge I’ve gained and some competitive bikes I think we can make some good progress.

In closing, I would like to thank RPW Photography for being my side kick, riding buddy and helping out with this report. The PistonClick team would like to thank Nicole and Jerry for the craic and top notch BBQ, Val for the morale boosting lunch and all of the racers, marshals, medical and back room staff that make the TT what it is - the greatest motorcycle event in the world.