News
News 17th June 2008 - Mats Nilsson – TT Iceman Trophy winner 2008
The Isle of Man TT races were special this year for a lot of reasons. My good
friend Cameron Donald (first ever Iceman Trophy recipient – UGP 2005) broke his International duck by winning 2 races and finishing runner up in the close run Senior TT. Bruce Anstey set the record straight by winning what could be classed as a re-run of the first 600 Supersport race, doing it in style. Great performances were also achieved by a host of other riders too many to mention but one which stood out for me was the relatively little known Swedish rider Mats Nilsson.
Now Mats came to our attention after his epic battle with Derek Brien in the 2007 Junior MGP, finishing a close second with a stunning lap speed of 116.36mph on a very ordinary 600 machine. Mats also posted a lap of 117.76 mph in one of the practice sessions as well.
At this years TT races Mats finished 8th place in the Relentless Supersport Junior TT (Race 1) with a best lap speed of 119.88 mph.
In the second Supersport race Mats finished 12th, but for a timed penalty and other instances of bad luck, would surely have finished in the top ten once more.
Bearing in mind that this was Mats 1st ever TT his performances rightly merited the award of the 2008 TT Iceman Trophy and this years prize fund of £670.00.
I caught up with Mats after the presentation and we chatted about a few things and I was amazed to find out that Mats had only took up racing a few years ago, winning the Scandinavian Championships at his first attempt! In fact he told me he had only ever raced in competition about 15 times prior to his TT debut!
He told me the first ever time he arrived at the Isle of Man with his car and trailer containing his race bike and bits and bobs and he came to a stop at the bottom of Bray Hill and asked a woman passer by “Where is this great TT race track…I am here to race”….the woman smiled and said “You are sitting on the track right now”….Mats was hooked! Just like Joakim, his very good friend, he fell in love with the whole place and it didn’t take him long to make his mark with his first ever lap around the island on a bog standard R6 of 105 mph…the subsequent laps thereafter went from 112 mph to 115mph…unreal stuff when considering his lack of course knowledge and the normal expectations from a standard R6.
On a personal level I am extremely pleased Mats was this years trophy winner because he was a personal friend of Joakim, and as a fellow countryman of Joakim, it was a very emotional Mats who accepted this trophy in our mutual friends name.
The incredible story of ‘Troubleman’ Mats Nilsson will unfold in time but there are few people who can come to the Isle of Man and make their mark in such a fashion as this extremely likeable Swede and I firmly believe this man has the skills, the passion and the courage to go even further by becoming a TT winner in the near future.
Mats as a racer has left a significant mark on this years TT, but as a human being he has also made his mark. At the presentation Mats announced that he was donating 50% of his prize to the Marshalls Association….what a fantastic gesture!
I will close by wishing Mats all the success for the future and also by adding my thanks to this years prize fund contributors:
* Isle of Man Tourist Board (Paul Phillips)
* Kevin Collier - www.roadracingsupporters.com
*Joe Wright - www.twostrokeracingsupportersclub.com
* DarrenCorry
Thanks to my good friend Gert Meulman for this years TT pictures.
And finally thanks to my dear friend Brian Farrell who continues to fund and maintain the Iceman Trophy website – Thanks pal! You are all a credit to real roadracing – Thank you very much.
John Hope Iceman Trophy Project Manager
