Ian Hutchinson honoured with coveted Torrens Trophy

The Yorkshire rider was presented with the accolade at the Pall Mall clubhouse in London in recognition of his incredible return to the Isle of Man TT podium, five years on from a horror crash at Silverstone that almost cost him his career.

Against the odds, Hutchy refused to throw in the towel as he battled back to the pinnacle of road racing, winning three races in 2015 to join Steve Hislop, Phillip McCallen and Michael Dunlop on 11 TT victories.

The 36-year-old won both Supersport races on the Team Traction Control Yamaha and scaled the top step in the Superstock race on the Paul Bird Kawasaki to complete a remarkable comeback.

The coveted Torrens Trophy recognises an individual or organisation considered to have made an outstanding contribution to motorcycling in Britain and was first awarded in 1978 in memory of Arthur Bourne, a motorcycling journalist and Vice Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club who wrote a column under the name Torrens.

It has only been awarded nine times in its history and only when the club feels that the achievement justifies it.

Hutchinson, who has joined Ulster’s Tyco BMW team for 2016 and will again race a Yamaha R6 for Keith Flint’s TTC outfit, said: “I am very proud to win the Torrens Trophy and be recognised by the Royal Automobile Club. It has been a fantastic year for me and I would like to extend a huge thanks to the team at Paul Bird Motorsport and Team Traction Control Yamaha and to my family for all the support through my days in hospital and recovery.”

Last year was a memorable season for British motorcycling, with Danny Kent becoming the country’s first Grand Prix World Champion since Barry Sheene in 1977 after winning the Moto3 title, while Ulsterman Jonathan Rea secured the World Superbike Championship after dominating the series for Kawasaki.

Tai Woffindon won the gruelling 2015 World Speedway Championships for the second time and then there was Hutchinson, whose dramatic treble at the TT will go down as one of the all-time comebacks in motorcycle road racing.

With such a strong crop of potential worthy recipients, the Club’s Torrens Trophy Nominations Committee – consisting of Royal Automobile Club member Ben Cussons, Torrens Nomination Committee Chairman and ex-bike racer Barrie Baxter, well-respected motorcycle journalist Mat Oxley, former racer and commentator Steve Parrish and Arthur Bourne’s son Richard Bourne, faced a tough decision before selecting Hutchinson for the honour.

Torrens Committee Chairman Baxter said: “Motorcycle racing can be a very punishing discipline, and Ian Hutchinson’s inspirational journey is a testament to that. From nearly losing his leg and having to endure over 30 gruelling operations to returning to the pinnacle of a sport which dealt him a cruel blow and win multiple TT’s must be one of the sport’s most courageous stories.”

News of the recognition for Hutchinson has been greeted with huge support from the industry and fellow racers, with those paying tribute to the Yorkshire racer including former motorcycle commentator Murray Walker.

“I first went to the TT in 1925 and have been lucky enough to know most of the greats of our sport but none of them has earned my admiration and respect more than Ian Hutchinson,” he said.

“Uniquely to win five races in one TT year [in 2010] was amazing but even this was topped by Ian’s awesome courage and determination to race again after his subsequent appalling leg injuries.

“And now he has emphasised his skill and bravery by winning another three TTs in one week, plus a dominant victory at Macau: truly brilliant.

“All done with quiet modesty and, as a truly worthy winner of the Torrens Trophy, Ian joins the legends of our great sport. I warmly congratulate him, salute his personality and achievements and look forward to following the development of his great career.”

Racing legend John Surtees CBE grew up reading the Torrens column and also hailed Hutchinson’s magnificent achievement in 2015.

“I would like to congratulate Ian Hutchinson on receiving this award. I am particularly impressed that having first tasted success on the Isle of Man he should fight back from such adversity following that accident by returning to winning form in the 2015 TT,” said Surtees.

“May I add my congratulations to this wonderful personal achievement.”