After a bad start to Rob’s TT. The next 4 races would exceed everyone’s expectations including Rob’s.
Superstock Race:
The weather wasn’t brilliant as it was cloudy but very hot and humid, also damp under the trees. Rob set of 65th on the road and quickly set a fast pace doing an 118mph average first lap aboard his Dave Cottrell Suzuki GSXR 1000. But he was struggling with his visor steaming up due to the humid conditions so was having to mess with his visor throughout the race, opening for slow sections and closing it for fast sections. Not letting that hinder him, he pushed on at good pace to finish the race in 27th doing a 118.896mph average lap on his last lap achieving a Bronze replica for finished within 110% of the winners pace.
Junior Supersport Race 1:
This race was 2 hours after the Superstock race. The weather had improved ahead of the race but Rob was worried about tiredness as he had never done 8 laps of the TT course in one day. Rob set of on his Robinsons of Rochdale Triumph Daytona 675 and again set a fantastic pace lapping at over 115 mph in his first lap. Rob seemed really relaxed and maybe this was helping him do these fantastic laps. He eventually finished 26th lapping at over 116mph average in his final lap again achieving a Bronze replica.
Junior Supersport Race 2:
Again Rob would be racing the Robinsons of Rochdale Triumph Daytona 675. The weather was good but a little windy at the start line. Rob seemed confident that he could better his previous race 1 time. He set off, and immediately his sector times to Ramsey where really good. But unfortunately Rob faced and strong head wind on the climb up the mountain and as the Triumph is only a standard road bike rob suffer more than other with speed and lost a lot of time. He still rode well to finish 29th with a fastest lap on the last lap again of 115.2 mph still achieving another Bronze replica.
Rob was really please so far as he had been in the top 30 in all the races so far. Considering his start numbers of 59 and 65 this was a good result and Rob was at best hoping for only 1 replica and already had 3.
Senior TT Race:
This was the big race at the end of the week and was the one everyone wanted so Rob was going to be up against it even more so with a start number of 62 with only 3 riders setting off behind him, which meant Rob would hit a lot of traffic if he set a fast pace. Rob still seemed relax and unfazed by the challenge. Rob did in deed set a blistering pace catching the first rider only 5 miles into the first lap and passing a further 2 on the same lap even though he had traffic he still managed a first lap average of over 119mph. Every lap was more of the same with Rob dealing with traffic and setting very fast times. He was also suffering with fuel shortages on the pit laps and having to half throttle the bike the last mile. Even so his pit stops which where performed by his dad Phil Barber, Ross and Stuart McNulty where excellent and helped him move up the score board. And by lap 4 Rob was 23rd. Rob then put the hammer down and brought the Dave Cottrell Suzuki home in 20th lapping at 120.6mph average on the last lap Again achieving a Bronze replica.
Top 20 was an awesome achievement and even the organisers commented. To get 20th from 62nd in only his first year on a 1000cc was remarkable. Rob also now joins a very elite group of riders that have broken the 120mph average barrier. And he will tell you that is every TT riders aim.
Rob would like to thank Robinsons of Rochdale, Dave Cottrell of Cross Lane MOT Centre, KAIS Performance, MTC Exhausts, Speedcom, Stuart & Ross McNulty, his Dad (Phil Barber), and his Fiancé Anna Berry. All these people are very special to Rob and without all these people Rob would never have been able to achieve this remarkable result.
