The Triumphs were shod with Pirelli rain tyres supplied by the Italian tyre manufacturer’s racing division. “The tyres gave us great traction, especially in the first two days, which many teams sat out due to slippery conditions after rain the week before,” said Cathcart.

“This allowed us to get in several setup runs which put us ahead of the Buell, Ducati, Norton, Honda and Harley bikes we were up against, and after the salt dried out in the Speed Week sunshine, we had great grip and good stability from the Pirellis, even with the violent pickup of the Turbo through the gears when it comes on full boost.”