Cycle News Staff | June 9, 2024
Senior TT
Davey Todd claimed a second win of the week at the Isle of Man TT Races, the Milwaukee BMW rider taking victory in a dramatic Milwaukee Senior by 39.084 seconds from Josh Brookes (Monster Energy BMW by FHO Racing) with Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) in third.
That only tells half the story though as Brookes’ team-mate Peter Hickman led at the end of lap one after lapping at 135.523mph. He was on course for a new outright lap record only to come off, uninjured, at Ginger Hall whilst record 29-time winner Michael Dunlop (MasterMac Hawk Honda) retired on the first lap.
Todd’s success gave TAS Racing their first Senior victory since Adrian Archibald won in 2004 whilst it was also their 21st TT victory in total.
With an evening start time of 6pm, conditions around the Mountain Course were the best they’d been all day and it was Hickman who led through Glen Helen on the opening lap, just a tenth up on Todd. Dunlop was 2.3 seconds adrift in third with Harrison only 1.3 seconds back of him as Brookes and James Hillier (WTF Racing Honda) rounded out the early top six, the latter only a second ahead of John McGuinness (Honda Racing). KTS Racing’s Jamie Coward, meanwhile, withdrew from the race due to an ongoing arm injury.
Todd was unstoppable in the Senior TT.
Hickman flew along the stretch to Ballaugh and stretched his lead out to 1.5 seconds and although Dunlop was still in third, he was now more than four seconds behind the race leader. McGuinness had taken over sixth as James Hind leapt up the order to a superb seventh on the North Lincs Components Suzuki.
By Ramsey, Hickman added another second to his lead, courtesy of the quickest ever sector time from Ballaugh, with Todd now six seconds clear of Dunlop. Harrison was only two tenths of a second ahead of Brookes in the battle for fourth, but drama soon followed as Dunlop pulled into retire just after the Bungalow.
An opening lap of 135.23mph gave Hickman a 2.7 seconds lead over Todd (135.159mph) and it was now Brookes in third, the Australian lapping at 133.388mph. Harrison (132.976mph), Hillier (130.777mph) and Mike Browne (130.536mph) now occupied fourth to sixth, the latter finally setting his first 130mph lap on the IN Competition Aprilia, as McGuinness, Shaun Anderson (Team Classic Suzuki), Nathan Harrison (Honda Racing UK) and Dominic Herbertson (Burrows Engineering/RK Racing BMW) rounded out the top ten.
Hickman set another record sector time at the beginning of lap two, from the Grandstand to Glen Helen, and that enabled him to extend his lead over Todd to 4.8 seconds. The latter was trying harder than ever, but Hickman’s stunning pace meant he was unable to make any headway into his deficit.
Over Ballaugh Bridge and another new record sector time saw Hickman’s lead go out to 8.3 seconds and it was clear the proverbial pin had been pulled. Could Todd respond?
Todd and Brookes in full flight early in the Senior TT.
We didn’t get to find out though as Hickman didn’t reach Ramsey, crashing at Ginger Hall, although he was thankfully up and ok. That meant Todd now led Brookes by almost twenty seconds as Dean Harrison moved back into the podium positions.
A second lap of 134.789mph saw Todd’s lead stand at 18.6s but Brookes was flying with a new personal best lap of 134.056mph, only the fifth rider to break into the 134’s. Dean Harrison (132.445) was running in a comfortable third ahead of Hillier (132.068mph), the flying Browne (130.872mph) and McGuinness (130.901mph). All the drama allowed Herbertson to move up to seventh from Nathan Harrison, Rob Hodson (SMT Racing Honda) and Michael Rutter (Bathams Ales BMW).
The solitary pit stop saw further change as Todd’s stop was almost seven seconds quicker than Brookes although the FHO Racing rider was still almost ten seconds ahead of Harrison as they reached Glen Helen for the third and penultimate time. Hillier looked secure in fourth whilst Browne had edged away from McGuinness, the Honda man uncharacteristically losing time in the pits, but Herbertson’s strong ride ended in retirement at Crosby.
Dean Harrison came home for third, another podium in his debut meeting for Honda.
Starting the fourth final lap, Todd was more than half a minute clear and on his way to a famous win and despite his vast advantage, he pressed on, continually increasing his lead. With a trouble-free final lap, the 28-year old duly brought the bike home 39 seconds ahead of Brookes who claimed his best TT result in second.
Dean Harrison took a comfortable third ahead of fellow Honda rider Hillier and the race for fifth saw McGuinness come out on top as he got the better of the impressive Browne by seven seconds. Nathan Harrison finished in a fine seventh, his best TT result, and it was Anderson who eventually got the verdict for eighth – aided by a new personal best lap of 130.703mph – ahead of Rutter and Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing Honda).
Supertwin Race Two
Michael Dunlop took his second win of the day at the Isle of Man TT Races on Saturday when he won the Entire Cover Supertwin TT Race 2, victory on the MD Racing Paton giving him his 29th TT win.
Peter Hickman (Swan Racing Yamaha) took second with Mike Browne (Scott Racing Aprilia) completing the podium in third.
Getting underway at 3.45pm, Dunlop again seized control early and led Hickman through Glen Helen by 3.5 seconds with Jamie Coward (KTS racing powered by Steadplan Kawasaki) a further 1.2 seconds adrift. Browne was just four tenths of a second behind with Dominic Herbertson (Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Paton) only 0.005 seconds down on Browne as Barry Furber (DC Autos Newtown Yamaha) slotted into an excellent sixth.
Stefano Bonetti (VAS Engine Paton), Davey Todd (Dafabet Racing Kawasaki), Adam McLean (Flitwick Motorcycles/SMV Yamaha) and Bonetti’s team-mate Pierre-Yves Bian rounded out the early leaderboard.
Dunlop added a further 3 seconds to his lead over Hickman on the run to Ballaugh, but Coward had cut the gap to Hickman to less than a second whilst Herbertson was right in the mix for the final podium position as he lay just 0.3 seconds further back from Browne.
Win number 29 for the great Michael Dunlop.
Aided by the best ever sector time from Ballaugh, Dunlop extended his lead to 8.9 seconds round Ramsey Hairpin for the first time as Hickman edged away slightly from Coward but the latter soon began to slow over the Mountain and eventually pulled in to retire at the Creg Ny Baa.
With another new best sector time, from the Bungalow to Cronk ny Mona, a superb opening lap of 122.451mph gave Dunlop the lead but Hickman got up and over the Mountain quicker, bringing his deficit down to 6.4 seconds ahead of the second and final 37.73 miles. Coward’s demise meant it was now Browne in third ahead of Herbertson, Jordan and Todd.
Further back, Brookes, McLean, Furber and Bonetti completed the top ten but having been forced to start from the back of the field when his SMT Racing Paton refused to fire, Rob Hodson was charging and was up to sixth through Ramsey.
With clear road ahead of him, Dunlop added some three seconds to his lead over Hickman on the second and final run to Glen Helen and although Browne was a further ten seconds behind, he was holding a slender advantage of 1.7 seconds over Herbertson in the battle for third.
Dunlop was increasing his lead through every timing point with another four seconds on the high-speed run to Ballaugh and the famous landmark saw a change in the race for third, Herbertson nosing four tenths of a second ahead of Browne.
At Ramsey, Dunlop was more than seven seconds inside his 2018 lap record having now set the quickest ever time in three of the six sectors but as he descended the Mountain for the final time, the race was stopped due to a red flag.
The race was declared a result at the end of lap one and so Dunlop got the win from Hickman and Browne, Herbertson unluckily missing out in fourth. Jordan finished fifth ahead of Hodson, Todd, Brookes, McClean and Furber.
Saturday, June 8—Supersport TT Race Two
Michael Dunlop took his 28th victory at the Isle of Man TT Races on Saturday afternoon when he won the Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 2 by just under four seconds, the MD Racing Yamaha rider taking his sixth successive Supersport win and 13th in total.
He saw off the challenge of Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) as Davey Todd (Powertoolmate Ducati) completed the podium in third.
After a delay due to small, isolated showers at various parts of the Mountain Course, the two-lap race eventually got underway at 13:00 and it was Dunlop who grabbed the early initiative, heading Todd by 0.558 seconds round Glen Helen for the first time. James Hillier (Bournemouth Kawasaki) was only 0.136 seconds adrift in third with Harrison just another 0.3s back in fourth as just one second covered the top four. Peter Hickman (Trooper Triumph by PHR Performance) and Jamie Coward (KTS Racing powered by Steadplan Triumph) lay in fifth and sixth, the duo separated by half a second.
On the first run to Ballaugh, Dunlop still led with the gap to Todd now 0.8 seconds as Harrison overhauled Hillier for third, albeit by just three tenths of a second. Hickman was losing ground in fifth but now had James Hind (North Lincs Components Suzuki) close behind him on time, the gap between them only 0.2 seconds.
Dunlop was once again victorious in the Supertwin race.
Further back Mike Browne (Boyce Precision Engineering/Russell Racing Yamaha) and Michael Evans (Smith Racing Triumph) were running well in eighth and ninth, but Dominic Herbertson retired the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Yamaha) shortly afterwards at Kerromoar.
At Ramsey Hairpin, Dunlop doubled his advantage over Todd with Harrison a similar distance back in third and with an opening lap of 127.389mph, the Northern Irishman led. However, his lead had been cut by new second placed rider Harrison (127.281mph) to just 0.9 seconds.
Todd (127.119mph) had slipped back to third, 1.3 seconds behind Harrison, with Hickman, Coward and Hillier now the running order behind. Behind them, the remainder of the top ten now read Browne, Hind, Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing Honda) and Evans. 2023 Senior Manx GP winner Joe Yeardsley was also running well in 13th on the Spin Arena Yamaha.
As the riders reached Glen Helen for the second and final time, Dunlop stretched his lead to 1.79 seconds with Todd still well in touch, the gap between second and third almost identical. The race for fourth was red hot too with Hickman less than half a second ahead of Coward.
Dunlop doubled his lead between Glen Helen and Ballaugh, the lead moving up to 3.2 seconds, with Todd taking half a second back on Harrison but it now looked like it was Dunlop’s race to lose. The gap between Hickman and Coward remained at half a second with just half a lap to go but Hind’s good run came to end as he stopped at Ballacraine.
At Ramsey, Dunlop increased his lead by another 1.5s and he wasn’t to be denied his sixth successive Supersport victory, a second lap of 129.071mph seeing come home 3.889 seconds clear of Harrison who saw off the challenge of Todd by 2.34 seconds. Coward’s strong ride saw him set his best ever Supersport lap, 128.668mph, as he took an excellent fourth ahead of Hickman and Hillier.
Browne, Jordan, Evans and Josh Brookes on the second Boyce Precision Engineering machine completed the top ten, less than three quarters of a second separating the latter two. Other strong rides came from Yeardsley (12th), the Manxman setting a new personal best lap of the Mountain Course at 123.268mph, and Craig Neve (15th) who was having his first ride since a spill in qualifying.
Joey Thompson (17th), Barry Furber (19th) and Frenchman Eddy Ferre (21st) also scored good results with newcomer Loris Majcan taking 34th with a strong final lap of 118.053mph.
Thursday, June 6—Superstock TT Race One
Davey Todd claimed his first victory at the Isle of Man TT Races on Thursday afternoon, the Milwaukee BMW Motorrad rider edging out Peter Hickman (Monster Energy BMW by FHO Racing) in the RL360 Superstock TT Race 1 by just 2.2 seconds after a thrilling tussle. Michael Dunlop completed the podium with a third place finish on his MD Racing Honda.
With a 12.15pm start, Todd led at Glen Helen on the opening lap, his advantage over Dunlop 1.5 seconds with Hickman only a tenth of a second further back. Dean Harrison (Honda Racing) was well in touch, 0.3 seconds behind Hickman, with James Hillier (WTF Racing Honda) and Jamie Coward (KTS Racing powered by Steadplan Honda) rounding out the early leaderboard. Only two seconds covered the front four riders.
Davey Todd takes in the adulation with his first TT victory.
Todd’s lead was down to half a second as he jumped Ballaugh for the first time and it was Hickman now in second. Dunlop was third, almost two seconds down on Hickman, as Harrison, Hillier and Coward continued to run fourth to sixth.
Round Ramsey Hairpin for the first time and the gap remained half a second between the leading two riders but Harrison had now moved ahead of Dunlop for third albeit by only 0.02 seconds! It was close for fifth too as less than a second split Hillier and Coward in the battle for fifth.
There was little to choose between Todd and Hickman at the Bungalow with just 0.08 seconds between them as they were continuing to edge away from the chasing pack but with an opening lap of 133.362mph, it was Todd who led as they came in for their compulsory pit stop. Hickman (133.137mph) lost a bit of time from the Bungalow and was now 1.7 seconds adrift whilst Dunlop (132.639mph) was back in third, just a second ahead of Harrison (132.517mph).
Hickman has been the one to beat over the last five years in Superstock but Todd got him this time.
Coward had now taken over fifth from Hillier as Josh Brookes on the second FHO Racing machine, Conor Cummins (Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles Honda), Mike Browne (IN Competition Aprilia) and John McGuinness (Honda Racing UK) rounded out the top ten.
With a quicker pit stop, Todd was almost five seconds clear as he reached Glen Helen on the second lap with Dunlop having also pulled clear of Harrison in the battle for third, the gap now 3.8 seconds. Hillier and McGuinness were now in fifth and sixth although Coward was clearly having transponder issues as he was still running with McGuinness on the road. Brookes lost almost a minute in the pits though and slipped back to 16th.
Hickman took almost two seconds out of Todd’s lead on the high-speed run to Ballaugh and it was 2.4 seconds through Ramsey for the second time but James Hind (North Lincs Components Suzuki) was out of luck again retiring from 14th at Greeba Bridge. Fellow Suzuki rider Michael Evans was also out, the Manxman having stopped at Union Mills.
Dunlop was always in with a shout of victory but couldn’t overhaul the BMWs on his Honda.
The lead had further reduced at the Bungalow at 2.1 seconds but as they started the third and final lap, Todd had added another four tenths of a second to his lead. It looked to be a two-horse race as Dunlop was now more than seven seconds adrift in third. He in turn was more than four seconds clear of fellow Honda rider Harrison.
The lead was back down to 2.3 seconds through Glen Helen for the final time and by Ballaugh, it was very much ‘game on’ as Hickman had closed to within half a second with only half a lap remaining!
Todd responded on the run to Ramsey though and doubled his advantage with just the final run up and with the Mountain to go and the gap remained the same at the Bungalow as Todd and Hickman set almost identical sector times from Ramsey Hairpin.
However, Todd was quicker from the Bungalow to Cronk Ny Mona, and he got the verdict from Hickman by 2.2 seconds, who set the fastest lap of the race at 135.140mph, with Dunlop a comfortable third, almost 18 seconds behind. Harrison was only 3.6 seconds adrift at the chequered flag as fellow Honda riders Hillier and Coward took strong fifth and sixth place finishes.
McGuinness, Cummins, Dominic Herbertson (Burrows Engineering/RK Racing BMW) and Browne completed the top ten with Brookes taking 11th after Nathan Harrison on the third Honda Racing machine unfortunately retired at Kate’s Cottage on the final lap.
Sidecar TT Race Two
Ryan and Callum Crowe claimed a second victory at the Isle of Man TT Races on Thursday afternoon in the 3wheeling.Media Sidecar TT Race 2, more than twenty seconds ahead of Ben Birchall/Kevin Roussueau. Dave Molyneux/Jake Roberts claimed a popular third place.
The Crowes also set the fastest lap of the race on their Kelproperties Honda at 120.335mph to join the 120mph Club for the first time and become the second fastest crew in Sidecar history.
Cut down to two laps due to the revised schedule, the race eventually got underway at 2.15pm after the initial start was red flagged when newcomers Todd Ellis/Emmanuelle Clement came off at Waterworks, both rider and passenger were reported as OK however their outfit was blocking the road.
Ryan (left) and Callum Crowe celebrate victory in the second Sidecar TT ahead of runners-up Ben Birchall (left) and Kevin Rousseau and third placed Dave Molyneux and Jake Roberts (right).
When it did get started, it was once again the Crowes who were quickest to Glen Helen on the opening lap, their lead over Birchall/Rousseau (Wyckham Blackwell/Hager Honda) 4.7 seconds. Blackstock/Rosney (Dave Holden Racing Yamaha) were a further 7.2 seconds back in third with Crawford/Hardie (ARC Newton Aycliffe/SJH Bodyworks Kawasaki) only half a second adrift in fourth as Founds/Gibbons (Founds Racing Yamaha) and Molyneux/Roberts rounded out the early leaderboard.
The Crowes’ lead was up to 7.6 seconds over Birchall/Rousseau as they jumped Ballaugh Bridge and although Blackstock/Rosney were still in third, the gap to Founds/Gibbons had come down to 0.122 seconds. Crawford/Hardie had slipped back to seventh having lost time on the run from Glen Helen.
Two in a row for the Crowe boys.
On to Ramsey Hairpin and the Crowes still led but the gap to Birchall/Rousseau had come down slightly to 7.3 seconds. The battle for third was also hotting up as Blackstock/Rosney held a slender 0.9 second advantage over Molyneux/Roberts with Holden/Claeys (Marin/Carl Cox/Ocean Motor Village Suzuki) now fifth as Founds/Gibbons slipped back to sixth having been black flagged at Sulby Bridge before being allowed to proceed. Crawford/Hardie had now retired as had Reeves/Wilkes.
An opening lap of 119.092mph, officially the quickest ever standing start lap, gave the Crowes a nine-second advantage over Birchall/Rousseau (118.158mph) and it was now Molyneux/Roberts in third after a strong opening lap of 114.633mph. That gave them a 3.7 second lead over Blackstock/Rosney (114.275mph) as Holden/Claeys (111.888mph) and Founds/Gibbons (111.378mph) completed the top six although the latter would need to be credited with the time lost at Sulby earlier in the lap.
Birchall and Rousseau kept the Crowes honest but came up 20 seconds short.
Newcomers Robert Dawson/Matthew Sims (Dawson Classic Motorcycles Honda) were running well in tenth after lapping at 108.925mph but back at the front, the Crowes’ lead had increased to more than 13 seconds at Glen Helen on the second and final lap as they now had Birchall/Rousseau in sight on the road.
Molyneux/Roberts were strengthening their hold on third too with the gap to Blackstock/Rosney having stretched to 4.6 seconds. Founds/Gibbons had had their time credited to them though and were now only a further second back.
Through Ramsey for the final time, the Crowes led Birchall/Rousseau by 18.5s, aided by the fastest ever sector time from Ballaugh and the fact they were on lap record pace. Molyneux remained on course for his 31st podium with the gap to new fourth-placed Founds/Gibbons up to 7.4 seconds, Blackstock/Rosney only 0.2 seconds back in fifth.
Legendary Isle of Man TT sidecar competitor Dave Molyneux was on the podium again in third with partner Jake Roberts.
The Crowes led on the road over the tramlines at the Bungalow and a superb final lap of 120.335mph enabled them to come home 20.491 seconds ahead of Birchall/Rousseau who lapped at more than 119mph for a well-deserved second place after their crash in qualifying.
Molyneux/Roberts duly came home for third to make it two more Manxmen on the podium with Founds/Gibbons and Blackstock/Rosney close behind in fourth and fifth. The Ramsdens took sixth ahead of another father and son pairing, John and James Saunders as Lockey/Rostron, Dawson/Sims – who increased their pace to 109.465mph – and Harrison/Moore completed the top ten.
Good performances also came in from newcomers Renzo van der Donck/Vale van der Donckt, who lapped at 107.275mph, and Wiggert Kranenburg/Jermaine van Middegaal in 13th and 15th respectively.
Wednesday, June 5—Supertwin TT Race One
After three days of delays due to inclement weather, history was finally made at the Isle of Man TT Races as Michael Dunlop won the Metzeler Supertwin TT Race 1 for a record-breaking 27th victory to become the most successful rider in TT history, breaking the 24-year old record of 26 TT wins held by his uncle Joey.
Dunlop led from start to finish to win by 20.4 seconds from Peter Hickman (Swan Racing Yamaha), in a race-record time of 56 minutes 15.993 seconds, with Dominic Herbertson (Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Paton) claiming a maiden TT podium in third.
Getting underway at 11.45am, Dunlop was quickest to Glen Helen on the opening lap, his advantage over Herbertson already 3.2 seconds with Rob Hodson (SMT Racing Paton) only two tenths of a second further back in third. They were followed by Jamie Coward (KTS Racing powered by Steadplan Kawasaki). Hickman and Mike Browne (Scott Racing Aprilia).
Michael Dunlop’s win marks his 27th TT triumph, a new record for the event.
Dunlop doubled his lead on the run to Ballaugh and, having started sixth, was already third on the road, and by Ramsey, the Northern Irishman had extended the gap to Herbertson to nine seconds he rounded Ramsey Hairpin for the first time. Hickman had moved up to third, only half a second behind Herbertson, with Coward, Hodson and Browne still very much in touch with the podium positions.
An opening lap of 121.044mph gave Dunlop a 10.2 second advantage over new second placed rider Hickman (119.950mph), as they came in for their mandatory put stop. Herbertson (119.420mph) had fallen five seconds behind the 14-time winner with Coward (119.419mph), Browne (119.104mph) and Hodson (118.949mph) rounding out the top six. Paul Jordan, a podium finisher in 2022, retired at the pits though with team-mate Josh Brookes losing time when his Rev2Race Yamaha refused to fire.
Dunlop in full flight on the Paton.
Further back, Davey Todd (Dafabet Racing Kawasaki) was running in seventh ahead of Barry Furber (DC Autos Newtown Yamaha) and Michael Rutter (Bathams Ales Yamaha), who were separated by just a tenth of a second, and last year’s Senior Manx Grand Prix winner Joe Yeardsley (Team ILR/Frog Vehicle Developments Paton).
Dunlop added half a second to his lead round as he reached Glen Helen on the second lap but showed his prowess on the high-speed run to Ballaugh with the lead shooting up to 13s and round Ramsey Hairpin for the second time, he was looking secure in the lead as he extended his lead over Hickman to 14 seconds. Hickman had now overhauled Herbertson on the road with the latter still holding onto the final podium position. Browne was only 2.5 seconds adrift though in fourth.
Hickman held on for second on the Swann Yamaha.
Heading into the third and final lap, Hickman had taken two seconds back on Dunlop, the gap between the two rivals now 12 seconds as they started the final 37.73 miles. Herbertson, in turn, was a further 14 seconds back in third and his advantage over Browne was only 5 seconds. Coward was still in the hunt for third as he was only 1.2 seconds back on Browne.
Having seen his lead reduced, Dunlop responded and by Glen Helen, he’d stretched the lead to a more commanding 17.3 seconds but whilst Herbertson was looking more secure in third, Browne was seemingly having trouble though, later confirming an oil leak, and had slipped back to fifth with Coward overhauling him. Hodson’s strong ride ended with retirement at the Bottom of Bray Hill.
Herbertson claimed a first TT podium in third.
Dunlop was now running on the road with Coward in his slipstream – the latter claiming the quickest ever sector time from Ballaugh to Ramsey – with Hickman and Herbertson doing likewise but the gap between first and second was continuing to increase and as Dunlop took the chequered flag, his lap of 122.434mph gave him a history-making victory over Hickman by 20.4 seconds.
The race for third saw Herbertson come out on top for his first ever TT podium, 5.4 seconds ahead of Coward as both riders lapped at more than 121mph on their final lap, Browne held on for fifth ahead of Todd, Rutter, Yeardsley, AJ Venter (TH Racing Kawasaki) Pierre-Yves Bian (VAS Engine Paton).
Sunday, June 2—Superbike TT
Peter Hickman claimed his 14th TT win during a dramatic RST Superbike TT Race at the Isle of Man TT Races, matching Mike Hailwood’s tally. The Monster Energy BMW by FHO Racing rider taking the lead on the final lap to win by 5.84 seconds from Davey Todd (Milwaukee BMW) with Dean Harrison (Honda Racing) in third.
It was one of the most thrilling races of recent times as Michael Dunlop (MasterMac by Hawk/MD Racing Honda) originally led by twenty-five seconds at two-thirds race distance only to have an issue with the sidepod on his visor leaving the pits after his second stop – this resulted in him stopping on Bray Hill, which dropped him down to fourth.
Peter Hickman took a win that will forever be the one that got away for Michael Dunlop but as Hickman himself said, “to finish first, first you have to finish.”
The race got underway on time at 2.40pm with near perfect conditions around the Mountain Course and it was Todd who led through Glen Helen for the first time, his advantage over Hickman just 0.037 seconds. They were quickly followed by Harrison, Dunlop, Hickman’s team-mate Josh Brookes and James Hillier (WTF Racing Honda) as only 3.5 seconds covered the top six but Brookes was soon out, retiring at Handley’s after his chain came off.
Todd maintained his lead at Ballaugh, only 0.166 seconds ahead of new second-placed rider Harrison and it was now Dunlop in third as Hickman slipped back to fourth. But, by Ramsey, Todd had extended his lead over Harrison to 1.18 seconds, although Hickman was the fastest rider from Ballaugh to Ramsey. James Hind, fifth in Saturday’s Supersport race, was another retirement as was Shaun Anderson.
An opening lap of 134.417mph gave Todd a 2.2 second advantage over Dunlop (134.118mph), aided by the best ever sector time from the Bungalow to Cronk Ny Mona, but Harrison (134.048mph) was only half a second further back with Hickman (133.754mph) still in fourth. Hillier (132.172mph) and KTS Racing’s Jamie Coward (131.627mph) were now fifth and sixth ahead of Conor Cummins, John McGuinness, David Johnson and Mike Browne, the latter becoming officially the fastest ever Aprilia rider around the Mountain Course.
Michael Dunlop was on for an almost certain record-breaking win until his visor came off on the fourth lap.
Dunlop was quickest to Glen Helen and cut Todd’s lead to 1.5 seconds and although Hickman was closing in on Harrison, the gap between them now just three tenths of a second, he’d lost another second to the leaders. Coward was also closing in on Hillier, the deficit now 2.2 seconds.
Over Ballaugh Bridge and Dunlop was ahead by half a second and round Ramsey Hairpin for the second time, he’d extended his lead over Todd to 4.4 seconds with the quickest ever sector time between the two timing points.
Dunlop was inside the outright lap record at Ramsey and although he fell just short, a second lap of 135.543mph saw him move nine seconds clear. Hickman (134.701mph) was charging though, and he was now in second, four tenths of a second ahead of Todd (133.980mph) as Harrison (133.234mph) continued to lose ground in fourth. Hillier (131.898mph) and Coward (132.098mph) continued to hold onto fifth and sixth ahead of McGuinness, Cummins, Johnson and Browne, the latter just a fraction outside his first ever 130mph lap.
Davey Todd has his own pit dramas but recovered for second place.
Hickman lost time in the pits though and dropped back to third at Glen Helen on lap three, five seconds behind Todd and a further nine behind the pace setting Dunlop. Hillier had also added five seconds to his advantage over Hillier whilst Dunlop moved ahead of Harrison along the Sulby Straight to now lead on the road.
Dunlop was extending his lead through every timing point and at half race distance, he’d pulled 17.3 seconds clear of Todd with Hickman now four seconds adrift of his fellow BMW rider. Harrison was running in a comfortable fourth, but Coward had now overhauled Hillier for fifth, albeit by just 0.3 seconds. Cummins retired from ninth though at the pits as did Phil Crowe and Rob Hodson with 16-time winner Ian Hutchinson going out at Windy Corner.
Back at the front and a fourth lap speed of 135.235mph enabled Dunlop to stretch his lead further over Todd to 25.1 seconds as he came in for his second pit stop but the battle for third was hotting up as Harrison, benefitting from a tow from Dunlop, posted a personal best lap of 135.185mph to move two seconds ahead of Hickman. Coward (132.655mph) also set a new personal best as he took a stranglehold of fifth with McGuinness now up to sixth.
Another P3 for Harrison at the TT.
However, drama followed after Dunlop left the pits as his new visor hadn’t clipped in correctly and he stopped down Bray Hill losing valuable time to fix it – when he got to Glen Helen for the penultimate time, he’d dropped to fourth with Harrison in the lead! Hickman was only 1.1 second behind Harrison though with Todd ten seconds adrift in third.
Starting the final lap it had changed again with Hickman now leading Harrison by two seconds with Todd, who’d taken the best Ballaugh-Ramsey sector time off Dunlop, well in touch and only 4.7 seconds back, which set it all up for a thrilling final 37.73 miles.
Having been in the position before though, Hickman tightened his grip of the race throughout the lap and final lap speed of 135.534mph gave him a 5.8 second victory over Todd with Harrison completing the podium in third. Dunlop was left to wonder what might have been in fourth with his only consolation being a new Superbike lap record of 135.970mph.
The battle for fifth went all the way to the end with Hillier coming out on top, 2.8 second ahead of McGuinness with Coward only 0.2s behind his fellow Honda rider. The top ten was completed by INCompetition Aprilia’s Browne, Michael Rutter (Bathams Ales BMW) and Brian McCormack (Roadhouse Macau by FHO BMW).
Saturday, June 1—Supersport Race One
Michael Dunlop made history at the Isle of Man TT Races on Saturday afternoon when he won the Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 1 to equal the record tally of 26 wins held by his uncle, Joey Dunlop.
Dunlop had to come from behind after being third on the opening lap but took the lead on the run to Ballaugh on lap two and eventually took the victory – his 12th Supersport win – by 8.5 seconds from Davey Todd (Powertoolmate Ducati) with early race leader Dean Harrison (Honda Racing) taking third. It was Dunlop’s 40th TT podium which also equalled the figure held by Joey Dunlop.
The race got underway at 2.45pm and through Glen Helen for the first time, it was Harrison who led, his advantage over Todd just 0.08 seconds with Dunlop three quarters of a second behind the race leader. James Hillier (Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing), James Hind (North Lincs Components Suzuki), and Michael Evans (Smith Racing Triumph) rounded out the early top six which were covered by less than three seconds. Peter Hickman was in eighth on the Trooper Triumph by PHR Performance
Michael Dunlop equalled uncle Joey with his 26th TT win in the first Supersport race.
By Ballaugh, Todd had taken over the lead from Harrison albeit by just 0.257 seconds with Dunlop still in third, now 1.2 seconds behind Harrison. Hillier was still in fourth, but Jamie Coward (KTS Racing/Stanley Stewart Racing Triumph) had moved up two places to fifth as Hind and Evans dropped back a place.
Harrison was back in the lead at Ramsey by 0.639 seconds with Dunlop a similar distance behind in third, 1.4 seconds now covering the top three. Coward now leading on the road – moved up another place to fourth. Hillier and Hind were now in fifth and sixth.
An opening lap of 128.037mph for Harrison gave him a lead over Todd (127.798mph) of almost two seconds and Dunlop, although still third, was more than three seconds off the race lead. Coward (126.800mph), Hillier (126.325mph) and Hind (126.021mph) completed the top six ahead of Hickman, Evans, Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing Honda) and Josh Brookes (Boyce Precision Engineering by Russell Racing Yamaha).
Through Glen Helen on lap two, Harrison led on the road but had lost time after dicing with Coward and the Honda rider’s lead over new second-placed Dunlop was only 1.2 seconds. Todd had dropped a place to third but was only 0.367 seconds adrift of Dunlop.
Davey Todd gave it everything but couldn’t stop Dunlop in the last lap of the race.
It was all change at Ballaugh though as Dunlop took the lead from Harrison by half a second with Todd a further half second behind. But by Ramsey, Dunlop’s charge was clear to see as he extended his lead to two seconds with Todd having overhauled Harrison for second.
Coward and Harrison continued to do battle on the road and all the time Dunlop was pulling away, a second lap of 128.833mph giving him a 4.5 second lead over Todd (128.133mph) as they all came into the pits to refuel. The top six was now completed by Harrison (127.920mph), Coward (127.476mph), Hillier (126.983mph) and Hind (126.806mph) but Coward soon hit trouble and pulled back up the return road to retire. Hickman had dropped to 11th whilst Conor Cummins was another high-profile retirement.
That was of little concern to Dunlop and his lead moved out again at Glen Helen on the third lap, his gap over Todd now 5.5 seconds. Harrison was a further 3.2 seconds adrift with fourth to sixth now occupied by Hillier, Hind and Jordan.
Harrison led early but gradually dropped back for third in his first race for Honda.
Todd took a second out of Dunlop’s lead from Glen Helen to Ballaugh and another four tenths to Ramsey which meant the gap stood at 4.1 seconds as they made the Mountain climb for the penultimate time. It was down to 3.9 seconds at the Bungalow but starting the fourth and final lap, Dunlop had responded and stretched his advantage to five seconds.
He wasn’t to be outdone either and continually extended his lead throughout the final 37.73 miles to take an extremely popular victory by 8.5 seconds with Todd taking his best TT result in second – he also set the quickest ever lap by a Ducati around the Mountain Course at 128.785mph.
James Hillier made it four manufacturers in the top four in the first Supersport TT of the year.
Harrison claimed a 27th TT podium in third with Hillier taking a comfortable fourth place from an excellent Hind, fifth being his best TT result, whilst Brookes overhauled Jordan on the final run down the Mountain for sixth. The top ten was completed by Mike Browne on the second BPE/Russell Racing Yamaha, Hickman and Evans.
As well as Evans, it was also a good day for his fellow Manxmen Joe Yeardsley (16th), Ryan Cringle (17th) and Jamie Cringle (29th), the latter setting his first, official 120mph+ lap.
Sidecar Race One
Ryan and Callum Crowe claimed their first win at the Isle of Man TT Races with victory in 3wheeling.media Sidecar TT Race 1, the Manx brothers coming home 26.894 seconds ahead of Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley with Alan Founds/Rhys Gibbons taking third.
The Crowes set the fastest lap of the race on their Kelproperties Honda at 119.800mph to be the first Manx Sidecar winners since 2014 and emulate the feat of their five-time winner dad Nick Crowe.
With perfect conditions, the three-lap race got underway at 5.45pm and the Crowes led through Glen Helen on the opening lap, their advantage over Founds/Walmsley (FHO Racing Honda) already 6.3 seconds. Crawford/Hardie (ARC Newton Aycliffe/SJH Bodyworks Kawasaki) slotted into third a further 4.4 seconds adrift with Blackstock/Rosney (Dave Holden Racing Yamaha), Founds/Gibbons (Founds Racing Yamaha) and Reeves/Wilkes (Bonovo Action/Carl Cox Motorsport Honda) rounding out the early top six. Molyneux/Roberts (Kelproperties Kawasaki) were already out though having retired at Ballacraine.
By Ballaugh the Crowes’ lead was up to 9.4 seconds and they’d caught Founds/Walmsley on the road, overtaking them soon after on the run to Quarry Bends. Back at Ballaugh jump Founds/Gibbons had taken over third from Blackstock/Rosney with Crawford/Hardie dropping back two places to fifth, with only four seconds covering third to sixth.
Brothers Ryan and Callum Crowe took a popular first Sidecar TT win.
On to Ramsey Hairpin and the lead was up 10.2 seconds, Founds/Walmsley having briefly got back ahead of the Crowes at Parliament Square only to run immediately wide. The battle for third continued to rage though with Blackstock/Rosney now in the final podium position, 2.2 seconds ahead of Founds/Gibbons with Crawford/Hardie a similar distance behind in fifth.
An opening lap of 118.525mph gave the Crowes a 12.2 second advantage over Founds/Walmsley. They, in turn, were almost half a minute clear of Blackstock/Rosney (114.495mph), Founds/Gibbons (114.30mph), Crawford/Hardie (114.257mph) and Reeves/Wilkes (114.190mph), just three seconds covering the quartet. Seventh was being held by newcomers Ellis/Clement (Brookland Sand & Aggregates Yamaha) after an opening lap of 113.006mph.
The Ramsdens were other high-profile retirements having stopped at the Creg-Ny-Baa, whilst bad luck hit eighth-placed Gibson/Christie after a spill at Brandywell fortunately without injury.
Back at the front and the Crowes’ lead had extended to almost 17 seconds at Glen Helen second time around whilst the crews fighting for third were now only separated by 1.6 seconds, Blackstock/Rosney just doing enough to hold onto the position. It was unbelievably close though as Founds/Gibbons had closed to within 0.1 seconds and, indeed, they moved back into third at Ballaugh.
Starting the third and final lap, the Crowes looked comfortable in the lead, a second lap of 119.800mph – a new personal best – stretching the gap to Founds/Walmsley (117.923mph) to more than half a minute.
Pete Founds and Jevan Walmsley couldn’t match the Crowe brothers’ pace and took second.
Founds/Gibbons (115.984mph) were now looking more secure in third having opened a 6.2 second advantage over Blackstock/Rosney (115.169mph) with Gibbons become the fastest sidecar newcomer ever. Crawford/Hardie (115.213mph) and Reeves/Wilkes (115.076mph) also broke the 115mph barrier with seventh placed Ellis/Clement (113.786mph) continuing to excel.
With a trouble-free final lap, the Crowes successfully brought their outfit home for a famous win, more than half a minute clear of Founds/Walmlsey. Then with another 115mph+ lap, Founds/Gibbons claimed the final podium position, passenger Gibbons being the first newcomer to achieve the feat since Walmsley eight years ago.
Blackstock/Rosney held on for fourth, just half a second ahead of Crawford/Hardie, with Reeves/Wilkes, Ellis/Clement, Holden/Claeys, Saunders/Saunders, who set their first ever 110mph+ lap, and Harrison/Moore completing the top ten.
As well as Gibbons becoming the fastest newcomer ever, Ellis claimed the same accolade for a driver whilst Clement became the fastest female passenger around the Mountain Course with her lap of 113.786mph eclipsing the lap of 111.053mph by French compatriot Melanie Farnier set two years ago.
Friday, May 31
Peter Hickman threw down the gauntlet in Friday evening’s qualifying session at the Isle of Man TT Races with the Monster Energy BMW by FHO Racing rider setting the fastest lap of the week on his Superstock machine with a speed of 134.638mph.
Hickman also topped the Superbike session at 132.863mph whilst it was Davey Todd (Powertoolmate Ducati) who was quickest in the Supersport class at 127.062mph. In the Supertwins, Michael Dunlop (121.882mph) was fastest on his MD Racing Paton with the Crowes (115.682mph) again quickest in the Sidecars ahead of the first three-wheel race tomorrow.
Current Superbike and Senior TT champion Peter Hickman topped the riding on Friday on his Superstock BMW. He also topped the Superbike class.
The Superbikes/Superstocks were back at the start of the schedule with Honda Racing UK’s Dean Harrison again leading the field away at 6.30pm with Jamie Coward, Peter Hickman, Ian Hutchinson, James Hillier, Josh Brookes, Davey Todd, David Johnson and Michael Dunlop hot on his heels. Hickman, Coward, Todd, Hutchinson, Johnson and Hillier were all on their Superstock machines.
Brookes was again registering more than 205mph through the Sulby speed trap and although team-mate Hickman overshot Signpost – when on for a 133mph lap – he still registered a speed of 130.859mph. That misdemeanour though meant Todd (132.976mph) topped the early Superstock leaderboard from Hickman, Hillier (130.048mph), Coward (129.703mph) and Johnson (128.261mph) whilst local rider Ryan Cringle (126.949mph) was also going well after setting his quickest ever lap.
Hickman strung it altogether on his second lap though, posting a superb speed of 134.638mph for the quickest lap of the week. Dunlop lapped at 132.674mph on his first lap on the Superstock machine to go third quickest with Coward putting in a late lap of 130.024mph to slot into fifth.
Good laps were coming in throughout the field including Michael Evans (127.157mph), Cringle, who improved to 127.034mph, Matt Stevenson (126.076mph) and Frenchman Amalric Blanc (125.791mph).
Meanwhile, Harrison (132.696mph) was quickest in the Superbike class after the opening lap followed by Dunlop (132.399mph), Brookes (131.071mph), John McGuinness MBE (129.067mph) and Dominic Herbertson (128.785mph) whilst Erno Kostamo increased his speed to 123.030mph.
Davey Todd continued his Supersport form with the top time on Friday.
Harrison was slower on his second lap, however McGuinness upped his speed to 130.745mph for his quickest lap of the week. Fellow 52-year old Michael Rutter was also enjoying his evening around the Mountain Course at 128.636mph – his quickest of 2024 after a troublesome few days with the Bathams Ales BMW.
However, Hickman went out late in the session and ultimately ended up top of the leaderboard at 132.863mph. David Johnson (130.120mph) was another upping his pace on the Platinum Club Racing Kawasaki.
Michael Dunlop finally got out for some solid laps on his Paton to go quickest in the Supertwins.
At 7.20pm, the Supersport/Supertwin class got their final session underway with Todd first to complete the lap at 127.062mph with Evans (125.358mph), on the Smith Racing Triumph, and James Hind (125.030mph) next to follow him across the line. The latter went quicker, 125.833mph, next time around whilst Harrison (124.940mph) and Hickman (124.554mpg) weren’t too far behind in fourth and fifth as Croatian newcomer Loris Majcan upped his speed to 115.831mph.
Rutter (116.876mph) was quickest initially in the Supertwin class before fellow Yamaha rider Paul Jordan (Rev2Race) knocked him off the top spot with a speed of 117.012mph. Coward took over at the top of the leaderboard after lapping at 120.378mph on the KTS Racing powered by Steadplan Kawasaki but he didn’t stay there as Dunlop (121.399mph) took over before heading out for another lap.
The Crowe boys topped the Sidecar class once again.
On that second lap, he proved he’s the man to beat in the class with a speed of 121.882mph and it was Coward who ended the night in second overall followed by Hickman (119.271mph), Todd (118.656mph), Rob Hodson (118.454mph) – none the worse for his earlier spill at Whitegates – and Mike Browne (117.963).
The Sidecars then took to the Mountain Course for their final session, which proved to be just a single lap due to low cloud descending over the mountain section. In the end the Crowes came out top from Founds/Walmsley (115.046), Founds/Gibbons (114.605), Gibson/Christie (112.310), Ellis/Clement (111.183) and Reeves/Wilkes (110.548) as many crews took the opportunity to run in engines and bed in brake pads and chains.
Wednesday, May 29
Davey Todd was the man on the move during Wednesday evening’s qualifying session at the Isle of Man TT Races, with the Milwaukee BMW Motorrad rider topping both the Superbike and Superstock leaderboards at 131.821mph and 130.439mph respectively.
Michael Dunlop was quickest in the Supersport class at 126.917mph, this time on his MD Racing with Jamie Coward the pacesetter in the Supertwin class on his KTS Racing powered by KW Electrical/Steadplan Kawasaki at 119.285mph. In the Sidecar class, it was again the Manx pairing of Ryan and Callum Crowe who were quickest at an increased speed of 118.814mph.
The Superbike/Superstock session was the first to take to the Mountain Course this evening where conditions were bright and sunny albeit breezy. It was Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) and Coward (KTS Racing powered by Steadplan Honda) who were first away followed by James Hillier (WTF Racing Honda), Ian Hutchinson (Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles Honda), Todd and Josh Brookes (Monster Energy BMW by FHO Racing).
Both Michael Rutter (Bathams Ales BMW) and Conor Cummins (Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles Honda) were slow to get away and Harrison was also having issues, the Honda man slow through each sector and eventually pulling in at Parliament Square.
Coward was first to complete a lap at 128.220mph on his Superstock machine but Todd quickly followed him and was considerably quicker on his Superbike at 131.821mph. Dunlop (Hawk Racing Honda) was also over the 130mph barrier at 130.342mph and he was followed by Peter Hickman (129,339mph) and Brookes (129.007mph). Hillier was the quickest Superstock machine with a lap of 128.318mph.
Davy Todd was the man on Wednesday, topping both the Superbike and Superstock classes on his BMW.
Todd opted to go straight through with Coward, Dunlop, Hickman and Hillier amongst those to pull in, whilst Brookes also continued for a second lap on his Superbike and posted 205.098mph through the Sulby speed trap.
Todd was slightly slower on his second lap with a speed of 131.745mph with Brookes slightly quicker than his opening lap with a speed of 129.205mph but he was overhauled by John McGuinness (129.269mph) who went fourth quickest in the Superbike class. David Johnson was also going well on the Platinum Club Kawasaki (128.348mph), which put him sixth on the Superbike leaderboard but Dunlop closed to within 0.7seconds of Todd with a second lap of 131.729mph.
Hickman, meanwhile, went quickest in the Superstock class with a lap of 129.723mph – that put him 7seconds ahead of Coward who upped his pace to 128.844mph only for Todd to overhaul them both with a speed of 130.349mph. Cummins finally got his first lap done too with a speed of 126.961mph before moving third quickest with a lap of 129.286mph. After his earlier troubles, Harrison went fourth on the leaderboard with a speed 129.226mph.
Newcomer Patrick Hoff was improving steadily too with a lap of 117.546mph before recording 118.839mph later in the session whilst Hickman managed to get another lap on his Superbike where he lapped at 130.804mph.
At 7.25pm, it was the turn of the Supersport/Supertwin session and Dunlop immediately went quickest (126.034mph) with Coward (125.674mph) only 3s slower on his Triumph. They were followed by Hickman (123.581mph), Paul Jordan (123.485mph), Mike Browne (123.248mph) and Harrison (122.855mph) with Croatian newcomer Loris Majcan completing his first lap at 111.982mph after retiring on the opening lap of Monday’s session.
Michael Dunlop, seen here on his Superbike-spec Honda, topped the Supersport session after switching back to his Yamaha.
Dunlop improved to 126.917mph second time around with Todd (124.054mph) going third on the leaderboard after his first lap on the Powertoolmate Ducati before improving to 125.063mph on his second lap. Harrison (124.811mph) and Jordan (123.947mph) also increased their speed.
Pierre-Yves Bian was quickest on the opening lap on the Supertwins (116.930mph) followed by last year’s Senior Manx Grand winner Joe Yeardsley (114.687mph) and Michael Russell (114.411mph) but Browne upstaged all of them with a lap of 118.069mph putting him quickest on the Scott Racing Aprilia. He didn’t stay there long though as firstly Rob Hodson on the SMT Racing Paton (118.163mph) and then Coward (119.285mph) overhauled him, the latter ending the session quickest ahead of Hickman who posted a late lap of 118.851mph.
Founds/Walmsley were again first away in the Sidecars, whose session started at 8.10pm, but they were overhauled on the Mountain climb by the Crowes, and it was the Manx pairing who were quickest on the opening lap at 118.814mph – their quickest ever lap on the Mountain Course.
Founds/Walmsley (117.837mph) were second followed by Birchall/Rousseau (116.398mph), Crawford/Hardie (112.987), Reeves/Wilkes (112.985mph) and Blackstock/Rosney (112.522mph) with newcomers Ellis/Clement (110.830mph) slotting into eighth after their first 110mph+ lap.
Birchall/Rousseau upped their pace to an impressive 118.271mph before the session was curtailed by a red flag.
Monday, May 27
Michael Dunlop set the pace in the opening qualifying session at the Isle of Man TT Races, lapping at 129.590mph on the Hawk Racing Honda in the Superbike category.
Peter Hickman was quickest in the Superstock class on the Monster Energy by FHO Racing BMW (129.032mph) as well as topping the leaderboard in the Supertwin class on his Swan Racing Yamaha (118.011mph) whilst Davey Todd was fastest in the Supersport class on the Powertoolmate Ducati (125.601mp). In the Sidecar class, it was local stars Ryan and Callum Crowe who were quickest at 116.699mph.
Michael Dunlop (here on his Superstock bike) topped the timesheets for the Supebike class on day one of the 2024 Isle of Man TT.
Overnight rain and morning mist pushed the schedule back to the afternoon with the Newcomers’ speed controlled lap kickstarting proceedings at 14.40. Untimed sessions then followed starting with the Supersport and Supertwin classes, where Michael Dunlop (MD Racing Paton) and Josh Brookes (BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha) were first away, then the Superbikes/Superstocks and finally the Sidecars.
Unsurprisingly, a few riders ran into issues, including Dunlop who stopped at Greeba as well as Sam West and Marcus Simpson who both tipped off at Governor’s, but after a short delay, the first qualifying session of TT2024 got underway at 6.05pm, the Supertwin/Supersport the first to leave the line again.
Brookes and Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) were the first to head down Glencrutchery Road followed by Michael Rutter (Bathams Racing Yamaha), Jamie Coward (KTS Racing powered by Stanley Stewart Racing Triumph), James Hillier (Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing), Todd and Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing powered by Prosper2 Honda) – all were Supersport-mounted except for Rutter out on his Supertwin.
Hickman didn’t crack the 130mph mark on day one but still topped the Superstock and Supertwin classes.
Harrison soon overhauled Brookes on the road and, indeed, he was the first to complete the lap at 123.869mph followed by Coward (123.381mph) and Brookes (120.170mph) but they were soon overhauled by Todd who lapped at 124.162mph. Hickman and Dunlop were well in the mix at 123.783mph and 123.666mph respectively but they were all upstaged by surprise package James Hind (North Lincs Components Suzuki) who went to the top of the leaderboard with a lap of 124.190mph, 0.242 seconds quicker than Todd.
Second time around and Todd upped the pace to 125.601mph with Hillier second quickest at 125.483mph followed by Dunlop (125.048mph), Hind (124.488mph), Harrison (123.980mph) and Coward (123.833mph). Brookes and Conor Cummins also broke the 123mph barrier.
In the Supertwins, Rutter was an early retirement at Crosby, and it was Barry Furber (114.958mph) who was quickest on the opening lap from Mike Browne (114.910mph) and Stefano Bonetti (114.372m[h). However, Hickman soon went into the number one spot with a lap of 118.011mph after switching from his Supersport machine. Todd also managed to get out on his Dafabet Kawasaki lapping at 116.063mph.
It was a dream debut for Davy Todd on the Ducati as he took the fastest Supersport time.
Next up was the Superbike/Superstock session with the majority opting for the latter; the Honda pairing of Dean Harrison and John McGuinness were two of the few riders that opted to be Superbike-mounted along with Craig Neve (Bathams Racing Honda) and Hind.
Quickest on the opening lap was Hickman at 129.032mph, which put him 1.322 seconds ahead of Dunlop (MD Racing Honda) who lapped at 128.870mph. They were followed by WTF Racing’s Hillier (127.535mph), Dominic Herbertson on the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing BMW (127.503mph), Phil Crowe (127.032mph) and Coward (126.510mph). Mike Browne was also going well on the IN Competition Aprilia, setting the fastest ever lap around the Mountain Course for the Italian manufacturer at 125.632mph albeit unofficially.
Herbertson (127.540mph), David Johnson (127.240mph) and Rob Hodson (126.266mph) all improved on their second lap and although McGuinness was quickest initially in the Superbike class at 127.126mph from team-mate Harrison (125.790mph), Todd (128.871mph) upstaged them both on the Milwaukee BMW.
Brothers Callum and Ryan Crowe are out to take a first TT win and topped day one in the sidecars.
The main contenders soon switched to their Superbikes, which shuffled the leaderboard as Dunlop moved to the top at 129.590mph – setting the fastest lap of the opening session. Hickman slotted into third at 128.271mph with both McGuinness (127.646) and Harrison (125.909) improving as did Todd at 129.575mph, his lap just 0.114 seconds adrift of Dunlop.
The final session of a busy day was the Sidecars with the Crowes setting the initial pace on their Kelproperties Honda at 116.261mph, which was 7.6 seconds quicker than Founds/Walmsley’s lap of 115.505mph. Birchall/Rousseau slotted into third (114.862mph) ahead of Reeves/Wilkes (112.039mph) and Founds/Gibbons (110.467mph).
Both the Crowes and Birchall/Rousseau upped their pace on lap two with the former coming out on top by 8.2 sconds with a lap of 116.699mph compared to 115.882mph. Reeves/Wilkes also increased their speed to 113.597mph with World Champion newcomers Todd Ellis/Emmanuelle Clement impressing with a quickest lap of 109.554mph.
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