TT 2016: Ivan Lintin favourite for Lightweight honours

Lintin achieved his maiden win around the Mountain Course last year and following a brace of wins in the class at the North West 200, the Bardney rider will take all the beating in the Lightweight race, which has been increased to four laps this year and moved to a new Wednesday slot from Friday’s Senior race day.

A confident Lintin said: “I’m really looking forward to defending my title. It’s going to be an even bigger race of attrition because the little twins are quite delicate things.

“Nursing them around for 150 miles at lap record pace could prove difficult, but I don’t mind because the twins are quite easy to ride: it’s the polar opposite to riding a big bike around there,” he added.

“The most tiring thing on a twin is concentrating and staying tucked in because it’s all about momentum and corning speed. On a big bike it’s physically demanding because of the 190mph speed and because you’re doing six laps.”

With 2010 inaugural winner Ryan Farquhar ruled out through injury, Lintin’s biggest rivals include former winner James Hillier on the Quattro Plant Muc-Off Kawasaki, class newcomer Peter Hickman on John Burrows’ Cookstown B.E. Racing Kawasaki and Michael Rutter, who is riding one of Farquhar’s SGS KMR Kawasaki machines along with Danny Webb and Canadian rider Darren James.

Martin Jessopp, who sets off at number one, plus Dan Cooper and Gary Johnson are also among the main contenders.

Lintin is also keen to improve on the bigger capacity machines and says his goal is a 130mph lap in the Senior race on Friday.

“My ideal goal would be to get to the magical 130mph lap,” he said.

“But if everyone else is doing that pace, I may only get 15th or 20th.”