Market Rasen racer Phil Crowe looks to extend upward curve

Phil Crowe is bidding to join the exclusive 130mph club at the Isle of Man TT as he looks to continue his impressive development. Picture: Sid Diggins EMN-190402-120855002

The Market Rasen racer narrowly missed out on the exclusive club last year and will remain with BMW power for his sixth year at the TT where his pace has been impressive around the 37.7-mile mountain course in the Superbike and Superstock classes.

He has progressed each year at the TT and surpassed his expectations last year with some excellent results.

Crowe was an impressive ninth in the superbike race and recorded a personal best lap of 129.957mph which was just a fraction away from his target.

He was on course to surpass that result in the final race of the week, the PokerStars Senior TT, and was running in a strong seventh place when he was unfortunate to crash at Whitegates on the final lap of six, just a few miles from the finish line.

Crowe intends to rectify this in 2019 and feels he is capable of recording the milestone 130mph lap and secure a top-10 finish to the Superbike, Superstock and Senior TT.

Crowe is also considering a return to the North West 200 races, in Northern Ireland, in May, and is planning to once again contest the Ulster Grand Prix.

Last November the Lincolnshire rider made his debut at the Macau GP where he was running well through the first five laps and up to a commendable 16th place, battling within a group of riders challenging for 13th place.

But it all went wrong when the rider just ahead crashed right in his path.

With Crowe unable to avoid the collision, he was thrown out of the circuit, over two barriers and onto the water’s edge where he was lucky to walk away with nothing but severe bruising.

Undeterred, Crowe intends to return to Macau this year for another shot at the fast and technical public roads course and this time secure a strong result.

To compliment his road racing exploits, Crowe intends to contest the Thundersport GP1 Championship on the track, plus selected rounds of the National Superstock 1000 Championship which runs as a support class to the British Superbikes.

He could also contest the first round of the Spanish Championship, in Jerez, in April.