Bruce Anstey takes emotional win in the Classic TT lightweight as McGuinness wins the Senior
Bruce battles cancer to take start-to-finish 250cc victory
After battling cancer for two years, Bruce Anstey made an emotional return to racing by winning Saturday’s Lightweight (250cc) Classic TT race on the Milenco Padgett’s Honda RS250. Amidst ecstatic celebrations, the 50-year-old claimed victory by over a minute from Padgett’s teammate, Davey Todd and 19-year-old James Hind, who finished third on a Denis Trollope Yamaha.
“I didn’t think I’d get the chance to do this again so to be back here now as a winner after such a brilliant, enjoyable race is amazing,” beamed Anstey.
The Windsor-based Kiwi has endured operations and gruelling chemotherapy during his cancer fight, and just a few months ago doctors warned him the outcome did not appear hopeful.
“My blood count was wrong and they were preparing me for the worst,” he explained.
But that was all forgotten on Saturday as the veteran, who hadn’t ridden a race bike since completing a parade lap at last year’s Classic, led his comeback race right from start.
After topping the timesheets during the weather-hit practice, he was 5.15 seconds ahead of Hind at Ballaugh on the opening lap. By Ramsey the gap had more than doubled and had grown to 17.622 seconds as Anstey reached the Grandstand with the fastest laps of the race, at 117.053mph from a standing start.
“I wanted to set a nice pace and see where everyone else was because I didn’t want to knacker myself,” Anstey explained. Delays earlier in the day forced the organisers to cut the race from four laps to three. The leaders pitted at the end of the opening lap for fuel and a rapid stop by Clive Padgett’s squad saw Anstey open a yawning 47.125 second gap over Davey Todd.
Anstey’s Milenco Padgett’s teammate, Davey Todd, had a grandstand view of the 12 times TT winner’s speed as the pair left the pits together.
“I tucked in behind Bruce to see what I could learn and his corner speed was incredible!” said Todd. “The 250 was perfect,” said Anstey as he gave the Padgett’s prepared Honda RS250 their fourth consecutive Lightweight Classic TT win and claimed his sixth victory at the event.
“I just wanted to come here and enjoy myself but it was always in the back of my mind that I could win. There wasn’t much practice or else I think the lap times might have been faster.”
Will his Classic success herald a return to the TT in 2020? “I have no plans at the moment,” said Anstey. “I’ve got to build my fitness and have lots of check-ups to make sure the cancer doesn’t return. I don’t know what I will be doing, but winning the Senior TT as a 51-year-old sounds good!”