Australian racer Rennie Scaysbrook and Matthew Rees will be part of the Wilson Craig Racing team at the 2023 Isle of Man TT Races. The two riders will form a two-man team and bring their experience and talents to the 2023 season.
Progress in the 1000cc classes
Scaysbrook, who made his TT debut last year, will move up to the 1000cc classes and ride a Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade in the RST Superbike, RL360 Superstock and Milwaukee Senior TT races. Rees will also contest the 1000cc classes in addition to competing in the Monster Energy Supersport and Supertwin races for the team.
Scaysbrook’s impressive TT debut.
Scaysbrook, the 2019 winner and holder of the overall record at the famed Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, competed in his first TT with the PRF Racing team last year. Despite problems during qualifying week, he impressed with an average lap time of more than 117 mph (188.3 km/h). Although he couldn’t quite match that speed in the two shortened Supersport races, he finished both races successfully with solid finishes and a best lap of 116.048 mph (186.7 km/h).
A team with great history
Scaysbrook will now add 1000cc racing to his schedule and ride for the team, whose former riders include Guy Martin, Cameron Donald and William Dunlop. The team and bikes are instantly recognizable in their traditional red and silver colors and are now in the hands of former racer Darren Gilpin. With Scaysbrook and Rees on board, hopes are high for strong performances in all races.
Statements from Scaysbrook and Gilpin
Rennie Scaysbrook is looking forward to the challenge: “I’m really looking forward to getting back to the Island. What started out as an idea to be a journalist-turned-racer at Pikes Peak and the TT has certainly escalated, and it’s fair to say I’ve got the TT bug now! Last year was good for me and I’m pleased with how I rode and how I prepared myself, but there were issues with the bike throughout the two weeks so I feel like I’ve got some unfinished business.
That being said, moving up from Supersport to Superbike means I’ll pretty much be learning the Course again – new braking markers, new riding style, jumps in places that weren’t jumps on the 600, all that sort of stuff. But it’s exciting, and it’s pretty amazing to already be riding with a team with such a good history, and I have to say a big thanks to Davo [Johnson] for putting in a good word for me with the team!”
Darren Gilpin, owner of the Wilson Craig Racing team, was also positive about the new team members, “Rennie’s story is great. He’s clearly a really talented racer given his success at Pikes Peak and how well he did in his debut year despite the issues he had, and so I’m excited to see how we can help him progress this year.
In Matthew, we’ve got a young but experienced guy who I think we’ve yet to see the best of. I know he’s had his fair share of bike issues, particularly on the 1000cc bikes, over the years, which means we’ve not seen his true potential. We’ll be putting a great set of bikes together for him, pre-season testing has been good so far, so we’re excited to get going.”
