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[sbknews]

Michael Dunlop takes 25th TT victory and shatters 130mph barrier in sensational Supersport Race 2.

Michael Dunlop took his 25th TT win and; with a stunning final lap burst; became the first Supersport rider to break through the 130mph barrier. He was pushed to it by Peter Hickman; who also broke that barrier on his final lap. On another sun drenched afternoon in the Isle of Man the large crowds were treated to some spectacular action. The inside of the exit to Parliament square was the vantage point. This corner is much faster than it once was due to changes to the pavement and removal of some trackside furniture. The state of the road in the square is not the best; but has been ignored for many years. The race itself was virtually a carbon copy of race one; with the top three finishing in the same order; but this time ripping up the record book. Mike Browne’s chance of a top 6 finish was over on the start line; his steering damper broke; leaving him to have a “steady tour.” Nine miles into the first lap the first timing beam showed that Michael Dunlop (MD Racing Yamaha) had been quickest of all; he led Dean Harrison (Russell Racing Yamaha) by just 0.11s. Peter Hickman was third on his Trooper Beer Triumph. Davey Todd (Milenco Padgett Honda); James Hillier (Russell Racing Yamaha) and Craig Neve (Batham’s Triumph) completed the top 6. At Ballaugh; the best sector time allowed Dunlop to extend his lead to 2.685s. Harrison was just 0.877s down in third. Jamie Coward (KTS Yamaha) was rapid in the sector and had claimed sixth. Dean Harrison was the first into the square; he was bang on the ideal line and very fast. Davo Johnson (Jackson Honda) was next then; Jamie Coward and Paul Jordan (Prez Yamaha). Then the race leader, closely followed by James Hillier; whose race ended ¼ mile away at White Gates. The action was excellent for the crowd with a few nice wheelies and some running a tad wide after missing their braking point. Dunlop was leading by 5.2s as he powered “the wee girl” away towards the mountain climb. Hickman was sticking to Harrison; only 0.76s separated them. Todd was 4th; Coward up to 5th and rising young star James Hind (Bass Yamaha) sixth. An opening lap at 128.809mph gave Dunlop a lead of 6.692s from Harrison (127.997mph). The mountain is normally Hickman’s strongest area; not today; he was 2.44s down as he crossed the line. Todd, Coward and Hind held station. Jordan, Neve, Rob Hodson (SMT Yamaha) and Dom Herbertson (Dafabet Yamaha) completed the top 10. Dunlop was fastest to Glen Helen and Ballaugh; where the lead was 11.36s. Hickman was second quickest in each sector and had cut his gap to Harrison down to 1.43s. Coward was raising his pace and had displaced Todd to take 4th. Hickman was fastest on the 7 miles to Ramsey, and he now held second place 12.56s behind Dunlop; 1.41s ahead of Harrison. A lap at 129.089mph gave Dunlop a lead of 11.636s from Hickman (128.378mph); with Harrison (128.347mph) 5.49s further back. In the battle or 4th, Todd had edged back ahead of Coward. Most pit stops were around the 50s mark; Dean Harrison’s was slow and cost him 5s. At Glen Helen, Dunlop led by 11.84s; Harrison was now 11.48s adrift of Hickman. Todd, Coward and Hind completed the top 6. Hickman was fastest in the run to Ramsey; Todd was right behind and using the tow to distance himself from Coward. Dunlop’s lead was 10.2s at White Gates. Hickman was fastest on the mountain climb; Todd second fastest as he benefited from the tow. Starting the final lap Dunlop led by 8.15s; Harrison was 20.61s down in third; Todd had closed his gap to Harrison down to 3.76s. Hickman was on lap record pace at Glen Helen; he set a new sector record; however, Dunlop’s signallers had made him aware of the threat posed by Hickman and Michael had upped his pace to also average over 135mph on the first 9 miles. Dunlop set a sector record to Ballaugh; Hickman just 0.4s slower. Another sector record saw Dunlop’s lead up to 9.46s as they left us to climb the mountain for the final time; both well inside the old lap record. Dunlop was the fastest by 2s on the Bungalow sector; Hickman was 0.4s faster on the drop to Cronk ny Mona; but it was Harrison who set a new record on this sector. An amazing final lap at 130.403mph gave Dunlop victory by 9.617s from Hickman; whose last lap was at 130.219mph. Dean Harrison repelled the challenge from Todd with the aid of a lap at 129.697mph; also inside the old lap record. The race record was blown into the weeds; Dunlop’s average was 127.831mph; Hickman’s 127.542mph and Harrison’s 126.804mph. Davey Todd; Jamie Coward; James Hind; Paul Jordan, Craig Neve, Davo Johnson and Dom Herbertson completed the top 10 in what was a sensational race. Mike Browne did remarkably well to finish 12th with no steering damper. Local newcomer Ryan Cringle put in a superb performance; he finished 18th at 118.975mph. With 3 races left; for one of which he is the strong odds on favourite; it seems certain that Michael Dunlop will equal his uncle Joey’s record tally of 26 wins and he could go clear at the top of the list of the greats of the TT. Read the full article

[sbknews]

Blistering start to TT 2023 sees Dunlop top of all solo classes; Founds / Walmsley head sidecars.

The 2023 isle of man TT was blessed with perfect conditions for the opening practice sessions. In a departure from the long established norm, the sessions were run in the late morning and afternoon; meaning that the low evening sun was not a factor. The Gooseneck was warm and had attracted a decent number of spectators. The sweeping left hand bend below it was the chosen position for the first; untimed session. The inside of the rising right hand bend the position for the first timed sessions. The escorted laps for the newcomers was the first matter to be attended to. All completed their lap apart from Derek Lynch / Anthony McDonnell who had a mechanical issue. They completed the mandatory lap at the end of the timed sessions. The idea of the untimed first session was to ease pressure on the riders and allow them a way to ease into the event and take note of the changes made around the track; perhaps the most important being the resurfacing of part of Sulby Straight. Michael Dunlop was first on the road in the Supersport / Lightweight session and he was certainly not easing in; he was well clear of the pack and right on the pace as the swept through the left hander and then braked hard before the rising right hander. Most of the seeded riders chose to use their Supersport machines for the opening lap. Josh Brookes was out the Dafabet Kawasaki that was scheduled to be ridden by Gary Johnson; who is unable to ride after his accident at Horice. The Superbikes and Superstocks were next on track and again we had a well-attended session, and the riders were not exactly easing their way in; they were rapid, no doubt confident that the track was in good order. Conor Cummins had to retire at Ballacraine; whilst Paul Williams was brought off at Laurel Bank by a pheasant, he escaped injury. The Sidecars completed their untimed session with the Birchall brothers leading the pack; with Peter Founds / Jevan Walmsley and the Crowe brothers close behind. After a brief lunch interval, the serious action began with the timed sessions; run in the same order as the morning sessions.  The temperature at trackside had risen and that on the track was about to astound us. Dean Harrison was first to break the afternoon peace as he came into view on his Supersport and then took the corner in fine style before blasting away up the mountain climb. Michael Dunlop was on his Lightweight (Supertwin) machine and had the commentary team excited because he was on lap record pace. The action was fast and furious; one of the early arrivals was Davo Johnson; he has the number 1 plate; it was good to see him back after he missed last year with an injury. Another noted as going rapidly was multiple MGP winner James Hind. Local star Conor Cummins was just about the fastest around the corner; he was on his Supersport Milenco Padgett Honda. The commentary team was right to be excited; Michael Dunlop was on record pace; he went around at 122.907mph; his official mark from 2018 being 122.750mph; that was set in the race, on a well rubbered in track. This left him clear at the top of the speed charts from Jamie Coward (119.758mph) and Brian McCormack (118.971mph). Josh Brookes settled quickly on the unfamiliar twin to set a best of 116.470mph. One thing is clear, Peter Hickman’s Yamaha is going to have to be very special if he is to beat Michael in this class. Peter Hickman was for some time the fastest man in the Supersport class; his second lap of 126.604mph being his best. Dean Harrison recorded 125.494mph and Davey Todd 124.604mph. Having parked his Paton; Dunlop jumped aboard his Supersport Yamaha and scorched around the course to set the best lap of the session at 127.019mph. The big bikes were out next and what a spectacle they provided; the speeds simply amazing for the first session. Phil Crowe was first to reach us and going very quickly. Next was Dean Harrison on the DAO Kawasaki Superbike; he was on 130mph pace; a few places behind; Michael Dunlop was at an almost identical pace on his Superstock MD Honda. It seemed that everyone was achieving the kind of pace not normally seen until the (what was traditional until now) Thursday afternoon session. Dean Harrison had the honour of recording the first 130mph lap at this year’s meeting; his speed was 130.752mph. Seconds later, Michael Dunlop brought his Superstock into the paddock after his table topping lap at 130.426mph. John McGuinness sounds very comfortable with his bikes and eased his way in with a lap at 127.881mph. Josh Brookes has settled straight back into the TT and he set a lap of 125.742mph on his Superbike; later he set 126.404mph on his Superstock machine. Peter Hickman was one of the later starters but that did not prevent him from taking second place in the Superbike chart with his lap of 130.272mph on his FHO BMW. Michael Dunlop switched to his Superbike and unsurprisingly lapped at over 130mph. Dean Harrison then raised the bar to 131.764mph; with Hickman posting 131.254mph. Dunlop was not to be outdone; he put the Hawk Fireblade around at 131.782mph. He was very neat at the Gooseneck and the bike was an absolute missile going up the climb towards Guthrie’s. Michael has put down a marker that he is fit; strong; has a settled team; great bikes and is ready to increase his tally of wins. There were some good speeds from the newcomers; the best being Erno Kostamo at 115.468mph; Matthieu Lagrive and Ryan Cringle both topped 111mph. The sidecars were impressive; one or two were a tad over enthusiastic; but great to watch as always. There are some interesting fairing designs; perhaps they will allow the 120mph barrier to be broken. The slight surprise was that Ben and Tom Birchall did not top the chart. Fastest were Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley at 117.431mph; with Ben and Tom recording 117.153mph. Daryl Gibson was Dave Molyneux’s passenger last year; he clearly knows how to drive the outfit; he set a lap of 107.497mph with Tom Christie in the chair. We can now draw breath and wait for tomorrow evening’s session which fires up at 6.30pm. Read the full article