Rutter family gets TT corner named after them!

Glen Helen 1 is now called Rutters’. And there’s a Rutter Legacy Lap this year too!

TT racing commonly runs in the family.

Today’s ‘Big Three’ solo competitors are all second generation TT riders, following in the tyre tracks of their fast fathers.

Dave Hickman, father to lap record holder (and 13-time TT winner) Peter, was a bit of a doer back in the day, having won a Manx Grand Prix back in the 1970s. Dean Harrison’s dad Conrad won a sidecar TT in 2014, the same week his lad took the first of his three solo victories, while Michael Dunlop’s old man also needs little introduction. Robert Dunlop was the brother of the legendary Joey, the Isle of Man TT’s most successful rider of all-time, and a five-time champ in his own right.

But another famous father and son duo is being honoured at TT 2024, with a corner named after Michael and Tony Rutter, another fast family with an unbelievable 170 starts and 55 years combined experience on the island.

Tony is a Ducati legend, who took four of his seven TT wins on the Italian V-twins. His 26-year Isle of Man career started in 1965 and ended in 1991. As well as being a Don around the Mountain course, Tony was pretty unstoppable in the Formula Two World Championship in the early Eighties too, taking four consecutive titles between 1981 and 1984. He died in March 2020, following a short illness.

Since debuting as a 22-year-old in 1994, son Michael (pictured) has also tasted victory seven times at the TT, He’s been an ever present at the TT since retiring from short circuit British championship racing in 2007, and he’s still racing among the seeded riders at the age of 52. The popular West Midlander is one of the elder statesmen of the event and along with his father will be honoured at this year’s event.

Together they will have a corner named after them. Rutters’ is the new name for the bend formerly called Glen Helen 1, a very challenging corner almost 10 miles into the course. Wednesday June 5 will also see ‘The Rutter Legacy Lap’ where Tony will be honoured by Michael riding one of his father’s Ducati racers.

Other TT winners, including Phillip McCallen, Ian Simpson and John McGuinness will tag along on some of Michael’s old bikes, with McGuinness having the honour of parading the stunning Honda RC213V-S which was campaigned by Rutter’s own Bathams Racing team in recent years. It really is a very popular bike with a totally distinctive sound from its MotoGP-derived V4 engine.

Michael was surprised to hear his family name is to be given to a corner but is very excited. He said:

“It’s a real shock to have this honour bestowed upon the family but, for me, it’s more of an honour and tribute to my Dad as I see him having achieved more than me in his racing career.”

“Sadly, we lost him during the pandemic and as a result he didn’t get the tribute or send-off he deserved. Having this corner named Rutters’ goes a good way to compensating for that and I know he’ll be looking down smiling, especially as Glen Helen 1 is such a brilliant corner. Dad never said a lot, but I know he’d have loved it – he’ll be looking down smiling for sure.”

Rutters’ is one of the many corners named after riders on the 37.73-mile TT course. Rutter and Rutter are in good company. Other legends to have a section in their honour include Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood, John McGuinness, Joey Dunlop and Dave Molyneux.