Rico Penzkofer Returns to the Isle of Man TT

This year’s Isle of Man TT Races fueled by Monster Energy will feature stars such as Ian Hutchinson, Simon Andrews or Luis Carreira, but will also mark the return of Germany’s Rico Penzkofer, who aims for a top ten position at the 2011 event.

Germany has an excellent record on the Mountain Course with Georg Meier and Werner Haas having taken victories in the solo category and Walter Schneider, Fritz Hillebrand, Max Deubel, Klaus Enders, SiggiSchauzu, Georg Auerbacher, Heinz Luthringhauser and Rolf Steinhausen dominating the sidecar class in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

“However, that success has dried up in recent years and Helmut Dahne was the last German to finish on the rostrum when he took 2nd in the 1986 Production B TT whilst the late Klaus Klein in 1982 and 1984 and Peter Rubatto in 1985 both finished 4th. Rubatto’s 7th in the 1987 World Formula One Race was the last time a German rider took a top ten finish but Penzkofer has a great chance of replicating that in 2011,” a statement from the IOMTT reads.

For 2011, Penzkofer, who finished 5th at the 2009 Macau Grand Prix and is also a former World Endurance race winner, will return with the same SK Support team and will continue riding a BMW machine in the Superbike and Senior races. He’ll once again be Yamaha-mounted for the two Supersport races.

“Germany has a strong TT tradition and while they have not had much success recently, it’s great to see Rico coming through the ranks. I’m sure that he’ll add to his country’s illustrious TT history if he achieves the results that his talent deserves,” stated Paul Phillips, TT and Motorsport Development Manager.