Bruce Antsey will replace John McGuinness to pilot the number one plate Mugen Shinden Roku in the TT Zero Challenge class at the 2017 Isle of Man TT races. McGuinness has been ruled out of the Isle of Man TT after sustaining injuries including a badly broken right leg in a crash during practice at the North West 200. The one lap TT Zero event will take place on 4 June 2017. McGuinness holds the current record at the electric race event with a speed of 119.279 mph (191.96 kmph). Expectations are high this year that the first 120 mph lap of the Mountain Course will be achieved by an electric machine.
A statement from Mugen expressed concern for McGuinness's injuries, and wished him a full and speedy recovery. "After deep consideration the decision taken was that Bruce Antsey, with his depth of experience and knowledge of, not only the TT course, but also Mugen Shinden, was the natural choice to turn to," the statement said.
Antsey won the race for the first time in 2016, after finishing as the runner-up in 2014 and 2015 and takes over from 23-time TT winner McGuinness. Forty-eight-year-old Antsey was not initially retained by the Japanese team this year, after Guy Martin was chosen following his deal with the Honda Racing Team. Antsey has raced in the Isle of Man TT races from 1996 and has won 11 times, with over 30 podium finishes to his name. He has also competed with Team Mugen in the TT Zero Challenge since 2014, with second place finishes in both 2014 and 2015, before taking victory in 2016.
