Its seems like a life time ago now since we headed to the island for the TT races. Practice week on the Mar-train bike was a bit of a struggle at first, but by the tail end of the week we were getting it dialled in and starting to get a feel for things. Sometimes the TT course can be like that - if you don’t land yourself on some kind of a setting pretty quickly you can end up chasing your tail a little.
When race day came I was feeling confident that I could do the bike justice and repay Tim’s faith in me for bringing me on board in the first place. At ginger hall on the first lap I got P18 + 0 so I knew a top fifteen could be on the cards. At the bungalow it was P17 and we were beginning to settle into some sort of a rhythm. With an opening lap at over 122mph and our quickest on the bike so far, every thing was going good and the Suzuki was working perfect. But as I accelerated out of Ballacraine on lap two the gear linkage broke and that was it. I have to say I was more than disappointed at the time not to get the chequered flag and reward Tim and the boys with a replica, but at the TT you need a bit of luck and we just didn’t have it on the day.
If I can just finish by thanking Tim and Sonya and all the team at Mar-train Racing for supporting my efforts for the superstock race at this year’s TT. As I said, it’s a pity we didn’t get a finish for them but it now gives Tim an insight into the TT for the future.
Many thanks
John Burrows #16
Martrain Racing - John Burrows will ride the Mar-Train Superstock Machine at the TT
No other race circuit in the world can compete with the history the Isle of Man TT surrounds itself with, and this year Mar-Train Racing will be added to the history book. In 2010 we will see one of the largest teams in the Irish Superbike Paddock compete for the first time at the TT, with a rider that has proved himself between the hedges both at the North West 200 and the IOM TT.
This year will see John Burrows partner with Tim Martin’s Mar-Train Racing for the June event. John will be riding the new Mar-Train Suzuki K10 Superstock, along with his own BE Racing Superbike and Supersport machines, giving him a full stable of bikes for the event. With two top ten finishes in last year’s TT, John hopes that this partnership will give Tim the insight he needs for a full assault in 2011.
In speaking of the upcoming TT, John said ‘I have only meet Tim on a few occasions and we seem to hit it off on a personal level, so hopefully that can only lead to a successful relationship on and off the bike. I’m really looking forward to getting back to the island for another crack at it, especially with a new backer like Mar-Train. Another top ten finish would do nicely. Many thanks to Tim and the team for putting their faith in me, it really feels like Christmas has came all over again, as my wife Rachel gave birth to our first child Jack a week ago today and to get a boost from a leading Irish team all in one week is a dream come true.’
With the North West 200 only a few weeks before the event, Tim’s eyes will be firmly set on running the Superstock machine up to power for the island and that elusive top ten finish .
Belfast Telegraph - Paul Lindsay 26th Feb 2010
Dungannon road racer John Burrows certainly won’t forget February in a hurry.
His wife Rachel gave birth to their first child Jack just last week, which also coincided with the news that John would be riding a Superstock machine for Mar-Train Racing at this year’s Isle of Man TT.
Burrows is one of national road racing’s most experienced performers, and while the County Tyrone engineer doesn’t always command the same column inches as some riders, his professional approach and mature attitude was a big attraction for Temple businessman Tim Martin. Martin said: “I’m not sure if we are going to go for a full-on attack at the TT in 2011 — I could probably answer that question in June. “For now we want to learn all about the place, and going with John, we feel, is the correct choice. “Previously we couldn’t quite make the TT add up, but John is not only an experienced racer but a straight talker and a nice guy. “We have been talking to him since the Sunflower last year and now it all seems to have come together.”
Martin and his ISB team’s crew chief Paul Truesdale will spend practice week and Superstock race day with John’s team on the island learning the ropes, and he’s putting no pressure on the big man for results. Mar-Train’s Irish Superbike Championship Suzuki will need to be heavily modified to bring it back into line with FIM Superstock rules for the TT Races. This will mean Coleraine rider James Dickson — their ISB rider of choice for this season — will have to campaign the team’s spare machine at ISB rounds either side of the TT.
The Mar-Train machine will increase Burrows’ stable of bikes to five this year, although only his Superbike and Supersport machines will travel to Mona’s Isle alongside Mar-Train’s K9 GSX–R1000 Suzuki. “I’m looking forward to the TT with Mar-Train,” explained Burrows. “It’s not a ‘Cameron Donald job’ where I’m expected to go out and win. There will be no pressure on me and a top 15 is my target. “I’m very appreciative of the offer from Tim and, who knows, I may even end up riding the bike at the North West 200 as well for extra set-up time.” The Mar-Train team is currently in negotiations with a top local rider about riding their Supersport machine at the NW200 in May.
It’s rumoured to be Fermanagh rider Lee Johnston, who would be familiar with their ex-Raceways Yamaha, having campaigned a similar machine for the English team in last year’s British Championship.