TT 2018: South African rider AJ Venter to race Suzuki for Burrows Engineering

South African competitor AJ Venter will ride a Suzuki GSX-R1000 at the Isle of Man TT for Northern Ireland's Burrows Engineering Racing team.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th May 2018, 17:15 BST
Updated 19th Jun 2018, 10:25 BST
AJ Venter prepares to set off on the Burrows Engineering Suzuki during practice for the Isle of Man TT on Tuesday.AJ Venter prepares to set off on the Burrows Engineering Suzuki during practice for the Isle of Man TT on Tuesday.
AJ Venter prepares to set off on the Burrows Engineering Suzuki during practice for the Isle of Man TT on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old, who missed the event last year, made his debut on the Mountain Course in 2014. He will compete in the RST Superbike, RL360 Superstock and Pokerstars Senior TT races.

Venter only arrived on the Isle of Man on Tuesday after missing the first practice session for the Superbike and Superstock machines on Monday, but he was quickly into his stride, lapping at 115.563mph after completing two laps.

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He joins newcomer Davey Todd in the team solely for the TT. The young prospect has been making eye-catching progress as he continues to learn the Mountain Course, with Davey topping the newcomer times on Tuesday with an impressive speed of 121.972mph.

South African rider AJ Venter in action on the Mountain Mile on the Burrows Engineering Racing Suzuki.South African rider AJ Venter in action on the Mountain Mile on the Burrows Engineering Racing Suzuki.
South African rider AJ Venter in action on the Mountain Mile on the Burrows Engineering Racing Suzuki.

Team boss John Burrows said: “AJ will ride for us in the Superbike, Superstock and Senior races. He only arrived on the Isle of Man on Tuesday and he basically sat on the bike for the first time and went off down Bray Hill.

“He has been here a few times before and has lapped around the 122mph or 123mph mark, so his knowledge of the course is good, although this is actually only his fourth time at the TT.

“I certainly would like to try and help AJ build on what he has achieved in the past and try and pass some of my knowledge on to him. He is a real nice guy and I’ve known him for several years also, so I’m looking forward to working with him.

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“There is no pressure in terms of a result and we just want to do a good job for him as a team and help him improve.”

Reflecting on North Yorkshire rider Todd’s progress so far during TT practice, Burrows said the promising rookie was approaching the event with the right mindset.

“Davey has come here and done so much homework, including more than 120 laps in a car, and he has been watching on-board footage on DVD. There are so many ways for newcomers to learn the course now compared to how it was in the past.

“He has approached it very sensibly and he’s not out there racing the course. I have passed on as much advice as I can and Davey has been really impressive so far.

“If you try and rush things then you won’t progress steadily, but Davey is going about it in the right way.”

Related topics:Davey ToddNorthern Ireland