‘I’m still in shock’ was TT fan Dave Wright’s reaction after winning a ?15,000 limited edition Honda Fireblade in a Manx Telecom competition. And who could blame him – it’s not every day that you find out you’re the proud owner of the road legal version of Honda Racing’s TT machine, or have it presented to you by Conor Cummins!

Dave, a self-employed joiner and fitter who runs his own business DKW Installations, was the lucky winner out of millions of entries in a competition for Manx Telecom mobile customers, held to celebrate the company’s role as one of Conor’s personal sponsors. The father of two from Colby is an avid TT fan and has ridden motorbikes for more than 40 years. He first learned to ride when he was just six years old. Dave has a Yamaha R6 at the moment, and never dreamed he would ever own a superbike like the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP which is one of only 160 available in the UK. It is the road version of the bike John McGuinness and Conor Cummins raced on in the Superbike and Senior races at this year’s TT. After sitting on the Fireblade for the first time, the bike’s beaming new owner commented:

“It’s a dream come true. I didn’t believe it when I got the phone call to say I’d won – to be honest I thought it was a wind-up at first! I knew about the competition and saw the bike in the Manx Telecom shop during TT, but never imagined that I would win it. It’s a once in a lifetime thing – I just can’t wait to get out on the road!”

After receiving his prize, Dave was also delighted to meet the ‘Ramsey Rocket’ who posed for photos and signed autographs. Conor, who was second in this year’s PokerStars Senior TT and third in the Dianese Superbike race, also gave Dave his expert view on his new bike. Conor said:

“It’s a fantastic machine, and the closest thing to a TT race bike you can buy. The Fireblade never missed a beat during the TT. Dave is going to have a lot fun riding it, and it’s great that this fantastic prize has gone to someone who is such a genuine TT fan.”

Straight out of the showroom, and without any modifications, Conor reckons he could average 120mph around the Mountain Course on the limited edition road version of the Fireblade, but suggested Dave didn’t attempt this. Everyone who used Manx Telecom’s mobile network from 6th May to 5h June was entered into the competition to win the Fireblade, and there were 10 other winners who received Sony Xperia Z1 compact smartphones each worth ?449. David Smith, Manx Telecom Marketing Director, said:

“This year we wanted to celebrate our support for Conor, and our passion for TT, by giving fans a chance to win their dream bike. We’re delighted to present Dave with this great prize and thank Isle of Man Honda for sourcing this very rare, limited edition machine. We also thank Conor for making the prize presentation even more of a special occasion, and all of our customers who entered the competition.”

Photo -  Manx Telecom competition winner Dave Wright is presented with the limited edition Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP by Honda Racing rider Conor Cummins.