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SEELEY SEEKING TO ADD TO HIS 10 NORTH WEST WINS

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Author Topic: SEELEY SEEKING TO ADD TO HIS 10 NORTH WEST WINS  (Read 259 times)
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Mago
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« on: May 12, 2014, 08:40:36 am »

Last year’s double winner Alastair Seeley will be aiming to continue his winning ways at the 2014 Vauxhall International North West 200 this week.

“I have had a win at the North West every year since 2008 and I would like to keep that going.” the Carrickfergus rider says.

The self styled ‘Wee Wizard’, who is currently lying third in the British Supersport championship, will have six chances this year to add to his tally of 10 wins on the 8.9 mile Triangle course. Seeley will ride his British Supersport Mar-Train Yamaha R6 in both Supersport races alongside ZX10 Kawasakis in the Superstock and Superbike events.

“We will have a new engine and gearbox in the R6 which have been specially built for the long straights on the North West course.” Seeley explained.

“The engine will give us more horsepower than the British championship bike and the gearbox has a lower first gear for York hairpin and then wider ratios for the long fast sections.”

The Saintfield-based Mar-Train squad have swapped to Kawasaki power for the big bike

events after running a Yamaha superbike in 2013 for Stuart Easton.

The 34 year old explained that it was a “no brainer” to go for ZX10s.

“I won the Thursday Superstock race last year on a Kawasaki and if we were going for a stocker version this year I thought it made sense to stick with the ZX10 for the Superbike class as well.” he said.

Seeley has won four Superstock races at the seaside venue and he is confident that he has the best bikes to take him to the top step of the podium again this year.

“At the North West it’s all about having a fast motor and good brakes.” he explained.

“I don’t think that you need a lot of fancy gizmos like special swing arms or electronics for road races but the proof of the pudding will be in the Superbike races next Saturday. Frank Wrathall has built the ZX10 engines and both bikes felt good in testing. We are still working on getting the best Metzeler rear tyre for the superbike but I will get that sorted during practice on Tuesday and the final piece of the jigsaw will be in place.”

Almost all of Seeley’s rivals have cited him as the man to beat at this year’s North West but the diminutive Co Antrim racer is unfazed by the speculation.

“I haven’t thought about having a target on my back to be honest.” he smiled.

“I will be taking the same approach as always. I’ve found that the more that I can relax and enjoy the week the better things go. If I get wound up and try too hard I find that things don’t happen as well for me.”

Seeley says he would like to get on the podium of all of his six races but there is an obvious relief that there can be no speculation around him equalling Phillip McCallen’s 1992 feat of taking five North West wins in a single day.

“I am not riding a Supertwin so I will only have four races on the Saturday.” he says.

“The whole 5-in-a-day thing just added pressure before. The field is very, very strong this year and I think those clean sweeps like Phillip’s at the NW in 1992 and Hutchy’s at the TT in 2010 don’t happen every day. They are freakish really.”

Seeley acknowledges the threat from all of the big names such as John McGuinness, Michael and William Dunlop, Michael Rutter, Gary Johnson, Conor Cummins, Bruce Anstey and Guy Martin but he singles out Milwaukee Yamaha duo Josh Brookes and Ian Hutchinson as the men most likely to spoil his North West party.

“I have been team mates with Josh and he is very, very talented.” he acknowledges.

“He has World Supersport pedigree and he is coming off a high after winning the second race at the Oulton BSB meeting. Hutchy is a great 600 rider as well and you have to remember what he did in Macau last year. He is very hungry to win.”

Nevertheless, the Wee Wizard is determined to close the gap on arch NW rival, Michael Rutter (Bathams BMW), whose 13 Triangle wins are just two shy of Robert Dunlop’s all-time record of 15.

“I still see Michael as a big threat.” Seeley admits.

“Perhaps less so in the Supersport races but he has the speed and experience to win the Superstock and Superbike races.”

“If I can stay in good shape and continue to get good machinery to ride there is no reason why I can’t still be racing at the North West when I am Rutter’s age.” Seeley says of the 42 year old veteran.

Does that mean that he is targeting Robert Dunlop’s record?

“Robert was a legend, he was Mr North West.” Seeley says.

“It would be a great honour to win the new Robert Dunlop trophy as the Man of the Meeting at this year’s North West. I remember sitting on the hedge waving my programme as Robert

raced the JPS Norton around here with the flames spitting out of the exhaust.” he recalls.

“He used to say that as long as he could get it stood up and fired out of the corners he could win. I always liked that.”

“But 10 is still a long way away from 15 and I’ve had a few good battles with other Dunlops at the North West as last couple of years!” Seeley laughs.

“At the end of the day it is all about getting into the right place at the right time on that last lap. “ Seeley reflects.

“You can think that it is all going great at Metropole, that you are in a good place to win, and then you lose it all on the run from Black Hill to Juniper. We will just have to wait and see what happens.”
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