Day Seven, August 29, 2025
Historic Senior Classic TT race
Mike Browne won Friday afternoon’s thrilling two-lap Historic Senior Classic TT race when, riding the Peter Lodge Racing Norton, he edged out Adam McLean (Flitwick Motorcycles/SMV Royal Enfield) by the slender margin of just 0.268s.
Dean Harrison (Craven Classic Racing/Ted Woof Matchless) completed the podium in third after early leader John McGuinness (Winfield Paton) retired with a puncture.
McGuinness, number one on the road, was first to reach Glen Helen and he was already 14.8s up on Joe Yeardsley on the second Royal Enfield, whilst last year’s Manx Grand Prix winner Shaun Anderson (Beugger Racing Paton) was an early retirement, stopping at the Railway Pub in Union Mills.
It was Browne who was second quickest at the first timing point though, 4.8s down on McGuinness and it was close with Paul Jordan (Davies Motorsport Yamaha) only four tenths of a second back in third. McLean, Harrison and Ian Lougher (Winfield Paton) were the early top six.
At Ballaugh, McGuinness still led, and his advantage was now 6.9s but it was Jordan now in second albeit by just half a second from Browne. McLean was 2.7s behind Browne with Harrison 2.9s further adrift in fifth whilst Hefyn Owen (Owen Racing Matchless) retired at Ballacraine.
Rounding Ramey Hairpin for the first time, McGuinness had extended his lead to 8.7s but Browne was back up to second as Jordan retired at Parliament Square. That promoted McLean up to third, only 2.9s behind Browne, with Harrison, Lougher and Yeardsley now running fourth to sixth.
At the Bungalow, McGuinness’s lead was down to 5.9s as McLean had the quickest run up the Mountain and Browne was still well in touch, only 0.7s adrift as a three-way battle for the lead ensued.
McGuinness was first to complete the lap at 108.601mph but he immediately pulled in to retire, a rear wheel puncture the cause. That put McLean, who lapped at 109.806mph, into the lead with a 2.8s advantage over Browne (109.555mph), McGuinness’s lap placed him third ahead of Harrison (108.134mph) and Lougher (106.988mph) as Barry Furber (Martin Ireland Honda) moved up to sixth.
Michael Sweeney, Dan Sayle, Conor Cummins and Michael Evans filled seventh to tenth with Yeardsley another retirement, this time at Brandish.
Through Glen Helen on the second and final lap, McLean led by 4.7s but Browne responded on the high-speed run to Ballaugh and as they jumped the bridge, the gap between the two riders was down to 2.4s. And rounding Ramsey Hairpin, Browne hit the front for the first time, turning his deficit into a 1.3s advantage with just the Mountain section to go.
At the Bungalow, the two riders were separated by just 0.8s and sweeping round Cronk ny Mona it was down further to 0.316s. McLean was first to complete the lap at 110.457mph but Browne was quicker at 110.727mph and he took the victory by just 0.268s!
Harrison claimed the final podium position in third as Lougher, Furber and Sweeney (CSC Racing/IMSLTD Honda) completed the top six. Cummins (Steadplan Racing Honda), Evans (Melbray Norton), Davey Todd (Steadplan Racing Honda) and Alan Oversby (Ruthless Racing Honda) rounded out the top ten with Dutch newcomer Jeffrey Vermeulen (Van Giersbergen Motoren Ducati) claiming 11th after posting his first 100mph+ lap of the Mountain Course.
Historic Junior Classic TT race
Paul Jordan claimed victory in Friday afternoon’s single lap Historic Junior Classic TT race, the Davies Motorsport Honda rider getting the better of Dean Harrison (Craven Classic Racing/Ted Woof Honda) by nine seconds. Harrison’s team-mate Jamie Coward completed the podium in third.
Cut to one lap due rain showers around the course after the preceding Historic Senior Classic TT race. Joe Yeardsley (Ken Rutter Racing Honda) was the first to reach Glen Helen having already overhauled John McGuinness MBE, who started at number one on the Steadplan Racing Honda, on the road.
However, Harrison had caught both although he was only third quickest to the first timing point. It was qualifying pace setter Michael Evans on the second Ken Rutter Racing machine who led, his advantage over Jordan 7.5s with Harrison a further 1.5s back.
Coward, Yeardsley and Dan Sayle (John Chapman Racing Honda)completed the early top six and they were followed by Maurizio Bottalico (Atherstone Accident Repair/Team Venditti Honda), Adam McLean (Flitwick Motorcycles by Melbray London Honda), Davey Todd on the second Steadplan Racing machine and Harley Rushton (Chris Hughes Racing Honda).
At Ballaugh Bridge, Jordan hit the front and turned his deficit into a 0.8s advantage lapping some eight seconds quicker than Evans on the run from Glen Helen. Evans’ four-minute sector suggested he was in trouble and, indeed, he was given as a retirement soon afterwards.
That promoted everyone up the order and at Ramsey, Jordan now led Harrison by 3.2s with Coward 9.8s back in third. Fourth to sixth was now Yeardsley, Todd and Sayle, just 2.4s separating Yeardsley and Todd but Shaun Anderson was another retirement, coming to a halt on the DKW at Handley’s.
Jordan extended his lead by more than five seconds between Ramsey and the Bungalow and with just over six miles to go, he led Harrison by 8.494s. Coward looked secure in third, but it remained close between Yeardsley, Sayle, McLean and Todd.
Harrison was first to take the chequered flag with a speed of 103.179mph, but it was Jordan who took the win, his first around the Mountain Course, a lap of 103.890mph giving him victory by 9.012s.
Coward claimed the final podium position in third and it was Sayle who grabbed fourth from Yeardsley and McLean, just 4.4s covering the three riders after 37 and ¾ miles. The top six all lapped at more than 100mph with the top ten completed by Todd, Rushton, Bottalico and Alan Oversby (Ruthless Racing Honda).
Michael Sweeney (CSC Racing/IMSLTD Honda) finished just outside in 11th, a second ahead of Will Loder (Greeves) as McGuinness took 13th.
Day Six, August 27, 2025
Michael Dunlop claimed yet another victory on the Mountain Course on Wednesday evening, dominating the two-lap Lightweight Classic TT from start to finish.
Riding his MD Racing Honda, he won by 47.1s from Ian Lougher (Deadline/Danfay Yamaha/Laycock Racing Yamaha) with Adam McLean (Laylaw Racing Yamaha) completing the podium in third.
The race got underway at 6.30pm, with earlier rain giving way to dry, sunny conditions – though damp patches remained around the course. Although Adam McLean (Laylaw Racing Yamaha), number one on the road, was the first to arrive at Glen Helen, it was Dunlop who led from the get-go. His advantage over Mike Browne was 1.9s with Lougher a similar distance behind in third.
Dan Sayle (Chapman Racing Honda) slotted into fourth ahead of Stuart Hall (Whippet Racing Yamaha) and McLean as ten seconds covered the top six. The leading 400cc rider at Glen Helen was Alan Oversby (Pipe Werx/Tony Leach Joinery Kawasaki) in ninth place overall.
Onto Ballaugh and Dunlop’s lead was up to eight seconds, but Browne appeared to be in trouble as he lost almost half a minute on the run from Glen Helen to Ballaugh. His next sector to Ramsey was only two seconds slower than Dunlop’s though but the earlier problems dropped him down to sixth place in the north of the island.
Dunlop added almost six seconds to his lead at Ramsey to lead Lougher by 13.7s and it was now McLean in third, albeit just 0.6s ahead of Sayle – and Hall was only 0.126s further behind in fifth. The battle between the 400s continued with Oversby leading Craig Neve (Callmac Scaffolding/RB Engineering Kawasaki) by just 1.6s with Paul Cassidy (Green Racing Yamaha) only another 1.1s adrift. They were occupying tenth to 12th place positions.
McLean was first to complete the lap at 113.478mph but Dunlop was quicker at 115.105mph and he led his fellow Ulsterman by 16.9s. Lougher (112.757mph), Sayle (112.437mph), Hall (112.167mph) and Rhys Hardisty (109.964mph) completed the top six. Browne crashed out at Brandywell, though was thankfully reported to be unhurt.
Through Glen Helen on lap two Dunlop extended his lead over McLean to 19.3s with Lougher still in third, 12.6s down on McLean and 6.3s ahead of Sayle.
Dunlop added another two tenths of a second to his lead on the high-speed run to Ballaugh, his advantage 19.5s halfway round the second and final lap and although the top three of Dunlop, McLean and Lougher looked secure, only 2.1s separated Sayle and Hall in fourth and fifth.
Over the tramlines at the Bungalow and McLean took three seconds out of Dunlop’s lead but by the time he reached Cronk ny Mona, he was in trouble and had lost almost half a minute on the run down the Mountain.
Dunlop was first to cross the line at 115.195mph and he won by 47.1s, but it was Lougher in second as McLean’s troubles dropped him back to third. He only just held onto the final podium position as he was just 0.654s ahead of Sayle, with Hall only 0.039s back in fifth
Hardisty (Laylaw Racing Yamaha) took sixth ahead of Michal Dokoupil (Cookson Travel Yamaha) and Michael Sweeney (CSC Racing/IMSLTD Yamaha), the latter lapping at 112.217mph on his final lap, with Neve in ninth place overall. He finished half a minute ahead of Cassidy with Monaghan 5.8s further behind in 11th.
Lightweight Classic TT To Be Restarted
The Lightweight Classic TT was brought to a halt on the opening lap due to an incident at Glen Helen, which resulted in the race being red-flagged
The race got underway at 5.30pm in dry and bright conditions around the Mountain Course, although it remained breezy on the west side of the Island and over the Mountain itself. At Glen Helen on lap one, Dunlop held the lead, but only narrowly, his advantage over Browne just 0.341 seconds, with Ian Lougher a further 1.6 seconds back in third.
By Ballaugh Bridge, Browne had moved into the lead, his advantage over Dunlop up to 3.5 seconds, while Lougher remained in third, now 2.2 seconds adrift. Sayle had climbed to fourth, but moments later the red flags were shown and the race was stopped following an incident at Glen Helen.
Andy Whale, bike number 26, who came off at Glen Helen was reported as conscious and talking, and was taken to Nobles Hospital by Airmed for further assessment.
Separate to the Incident at Glen Helen, Dan Hanby, bike number 44, also came off at Ballagarey during the first lap and was reported as Rider Ok. Dan was taken to Nobles Hospital by ambulance for further assessment.
At 18:45, following a consultation with teams and competitors it was confirmed that the Lightweight Classic TT would not be restarted on Monday evening due to the time required to prepare for a race restart and the amount of daylight remaining.
The Clerk of the Course had confirmed earlier in the day that the contingency period on Tuesday 26th August would not be utilised, and given the unsettled weather forecast for the week ahead, a further update and revised schedule for Wednesday 26th August would be issued in due course.
Day Five, August 25, 2025
The final qualifying session for this year’s Classic TT Races took place on Monday, and it was Ian Lougher who stole the headlines in the Lightweight Classic. The Laycock Racing Yamaha rider clocked a lap of 114.988mph, finishing fastest in the morning session ahead of this afternoon’s three-lap race.
In the Formula 1 Classic session, Nathan Harrison again impressed, the Greenall Racing Kawasaki rider posting a lap of 127.204mph. That put him 16.6 seconds clear of team-mate Jamie Coward, whilst it was Paul Jordan (108.929mph) and Maurizio Bottalico (97.647mph) who topped the Historic Senior and Historic Junior classes.
With beautiful, sunny conditions all around the course, a single qualifying lap for the Lightweight Classic and Historic Senior and Junior machines got proceedings underway at 10am with Chris Moore, Mike Browne, Lougher, Rhys Hardisty and Harrison amongst the early starters.
Lougher set the early pace on the Laycock Racing Yamaha only to be usurped by Michael Dunlop (MD Racing Honda) and it was the latter who led for much of the first lap. However, Lougher completed the lap first at 114.988mph and with Dunlop’s pace easing over the Mountain, that put the Welshman quickest in the session.
Dunlop (114.424mph) placed second quickest with Lougher’s team-mate Mike Browne (112.815mph) third, but the latter had the quickest sector times for the second half of the lap. Adam McLean (111.208mph), Craig Neve (110.785mph) and Michael Sweeney (109.751mph) completed the top six, Neve again the fastest of the 400cc runners.
In the Historic Senior class, Jordan topped the leaderboard at 108.929mph and he was followed by Joe Yeardsley (107.903mph), Barry Furber (106.017mph), Michael Evans (103.620mph), Conor Cummins (102.458mph) and Will Loder (102.114mph). Dutch newcomer Jeffrey Vermeulen was again going well and placed eighth at 99.014mph.
At 1pm, it was the turn of the Formula 1 Classic and Historic Junior session with Harrison, Ian Hutchinson, Dunlop, Browne, David Johnson, Neve, Coward, Brian McCormack and Julian Trummer all out early.
Harrison was quickest to Glen Helen, but qualifying pace setter Rob Hodson retired the SMT by Key Racing Ducati at Ballacraine and team-mate Browne only got as far as Douglas Road Corner. McCormack also stopped on the third Greenall Racing machine, whilst Hutchinson’s lap ended at Glentramman.
Harrison had no issues though and his lap was clocked at 127.204mph, the fastest standing start lap of the event so far and just 1.6 seconds slower than Hodson’s lap from Thursday evening. Team-mate Coward was second quickest at 125.257mph with Dominic Herbertson (124.242mph), Dunlop (123.495mph), Johnson (122.875mph) and Neve (122.106mph) completing the top six.
In the Historic Junior class, Italian Maurizio Bottalico’s strong meeting continued as he topped the leaderboard at 97.647mph. That put him 16 seconds clear of Dan Sayle (96.515mph) with Michael Russell (96.382mph), John McGuinness (95.537mph), Will Loder (95.055mph) and Vermeulen (94.702mph) occupying third to sixth.
Day Four, August 23, 2025
With ideal conditions once again, the fourth qualifying session for this year’s Classic TT Races saw Nathan Harrison fastest with a lap of 126.611mph on the Greenall Racing Kawasaki in the Formula 1 Classic session.
But it was Mike Browne who caught the eye in the Historic Senior class, his lap of 112.984mph on the Peter Lodge Racing Norton less than four seconds outside the class lap record.
And whilst it was Michael Dunlop who topped the Lightweight class, fifth-placed Craig Neve made the headlines as his lap of 111.673mph on the 400cc Callmac Scaffolding Kawasaki was the fourth quickest ever seen by a 400cc machine around the Mountain Course.
Just as he had done in previous sessions, Harrison led the field away in the opening Formula 1 Classic session followed by Rob Hodson (SMT by Key Racing Ducati) and Dunlop (WizNorton Racing). Harrison was quickest to Glen Helen, but Hodson pulled in and retired at the first timing point.
Ian Hutchinson, Neve, Jamie Coward, Brian McCormack and Michael Evans were also away early, with Rhys Hardisty the first of the 250s to get another lap of the Mountain Course. Browne and Adam McLean were also out on their 250cc Yamahas.
Harrison’s opening lap of 126.611mph was the quickest standing start lap of the week so far, but further back a little bit of history, albeit unofficially, was being made as Dunlop lapped at 123.505mph – the quickest ever lap by a 588cc Norton rotary machine around the Mountain Course.
Elsewhere, Coward (125.879mph), Dominic Herbertson (124.943mph) and Hutchinson (124.762mph) were on the pace and, with Dunlop in fifth place, McCormack (122.794mph), Neve (121.561mph), Joe Yeardsley (118.298mph), Paul Williams (118.088mph) and Joey Thompson (117.314mph) completed the top ten after the first lap.
Herbertson (124.735mph) and Hutchinson (124.722mph) set almost identical laps second time around as Yeardsley (120.150mph), Williams (119.125mph), Thompson (118.952mph) and Frenchman Amalric Blanc (118.318mph) all improved.
McLean was quickest in the Lightweight class at 112.324mph ahead of Dan Sayle (111.100mph) and the leading 400 of Paul Cassidy (108.753mph), but Browne was out of luck again and failed to complete the first lap.
Cassidy improved to 109.362mph second time around, but it was Dunlop who made the headlines again as a lap of 116.309mph, just a fraction outside his time from yesterday, saw him top the leaderboard once more. His lap was 41.4s quicker than McLean’s.
However, the 250cc machines were able to go out in the second session as well, and it was Stuart Hall who ended second quickest with a fine lap of 114.890mph. McLean ended up fourth as Michael Sweeney placed third with a lap of 112.800mph.
The big news though was Neve’s lap of 111.673mph which placed him fifth quickest overall and made him the first 400cc rider to break the 110mph barrier this week. Only three riders have gone faster on a 400cc machine around the Mountain Course: Jim Moodie, Brian Reid and John McGuinness, with Moodie’s lap record of 112.40mph set in 1993.
In the Historic Senior class, Browne elevated himself into the pre-race favorites category with two 111mph+ laps, the second of which was 112.984mph. That was the quickest lap of the week so far and just 3.8s outside John McGuinness’s class lap record of 113.342mph.
McGuinness was second quickest in the session at 112.248mph, which put him ahead of McLean (109.767mph), Shaun Anderson (109.699mph), Ian Lougher (108.719mph) and Paul Jordan (103.742mph).
Jordan also had a strong run as he topped the Historic Junior leaderboard with a lap of 102.962mph on the Davies Motorsport Honda. That put him ahead of fellow Honda riders Michael Evans (101.619mph), McLean (99.364mph), Maurizio Bottalico (98.846mph), Dan Sayle (98.101mph) and Will Loder (97.862mph).
Day Three, August 22, 2025
Good conditions again greeted the Classic TT competitors on Friday afternoon, with Michael Evans producing the standout performance in the Historic Junior class. The Manxman came within six seconds of the lap record, setting a speed of 104.760mph on the Ken Rutter Racing Honda.
In the Formula 1 Classic session Jamie Coward was again quickest, the Greenall Racing Kawasaki rider lapping at 126.245mph, while Michael Dunlop MBE and John McGuinness MBE led the way in the Lightweight and Historic Senior categories with laps of 116.491mph and 112.167mph respectively.
The session got underway on time at 1.00pm with the Formula 1 machines given an extended 1hr 40-minute run. It was Julian Trummer (TC Racing/DP Coldplaning Kawasaki) who led the field away, followed by Nathan Harrison (Greenall Racing Kawasaki), Ian Hutchinson (Steadplan Racing Kawasaki), Joe Yeardsley (Mistral Racing Kawasaki), Coward, Evans (Good with Wood Racing Suzuki) and Dunlop (WizNorton Racing).
Team-mates Harrison and Coward set the early pace, but Harrison began to lose ground and instead it was Coward and Hutchinson disputing the top spot on the opening lap.
Hutchinson edged it by just a tenth of a second, his 124.555mph lap narrowly quicker than Coward’s 124.534mph. Dominic Herbertson (124.248mph), Paul Jordan (124.035mph), Craig Neve (123.307mph) and Harrison (122.911mph) completed the early top six.
David Johnson (122.885mph), Evans (122.097mph), Brian McCormack (121.849mph) and Trummer (121.820mph) were also showing strong pace as many riders pitted after their opening laps.
Coward, Hutchinson and Herbertson pressed on, although Herbertson lost two minutes on the second run to Glen Helen. He quickly regained speed, but it was Coward who set the standout lap, improving to 126.245mph- almost identical to his best the previous day.
Hutchinson improved slightly to 124.670mph, while Trummer (121.820mph), Barry Furber (121.710mph), Sam West (119.327mph), Horst Saiger (119.297mph), Amalric Blanc (118.603mph) and Paul Williams (118.566mph) all recorded their best laps of the week. Williams managed four laps in the session, his third effort of 119.771mph elevating him to 12th on the leaderboard.
At 2.50pm, the Historic Senior, Historic Junior and Lightweight machines took to the course. In the Senior, McGuinness again led the way, opening with a 110.716mph lap before improving to 112.167mph, the fastest of the session and of the week so far in the category.
Team-mate Ian Lougher initially slotted into second with a 107.242mph lap, but was later pushed to third by Yeardsley, who lapped at 109.002mph on the Flitwick Motorcycles Royal Enfield. Furber (106.444mph), Alan Oversby (106.092mph) and Dan Sayle (105.547mph) rounded out the top six.
The Historic Junior class belonged to Evans. Quickest on Thursday, he again impressed despite a small misfire, clocking 104.760mph – just six seconds shy of Lee Johnston’s lap record of 105.239mph set in 2014. Behind him, Paul Jordan (Davies Motorsport Honda) and Jamie Coward (Craven Classic Racing/Ted Woof Honda) enjoyed strong runs, posting 103.218mph and 102.919mph respectively.
Joe Yeardsley (101.895mph) was the fourth rider to surpass the 100mph mark, with Harley Rushton (99.164mph) and Will Loder (98.647mph) close behind.
The concurrently run Lightweight session saw Dunlop head out first, and his single lap of 116.491mph proved untouchable.
He was more than thirty seconds clear of second-placed Michael Sweeney (113.115mph), while Stuart Hall (112.079mph) and Chris Moore (109.827mph) followed in third and fourth. They were chased by the three fastest 400cc competitors – Paul Cassidy (109.640mph), Craig Neve (109.562mph) and Owen Monaghan (109.325mph).
Day Two, August 21, 2025
The second qualifying session for this year’s Classic TT saw perfect weather conditions all around the Mountain Course on Thursday evening, and it was Rob Hodson who was again quickest of the night in the Formula TT. Whilst 23-time TT winner John McGuinness topped the Historic Senior leaderboard, with Adam McLean setting the pace in the Lightweights and Michael Sweeney on the charge in the Historic Junior.
Riding the SMT by Key Racing Ducati, Hodson lapped at 127.402mph in the Formula 1 Classic session, his speed just eight tenths of a second outside Bruce Anstey’s lap record of 127.496mph set in 2017.
Sharing track time with the Manx Grand Prix competitors, the Formula 1 Classic machines were out first at 6.30pm. As on the opening night, it was Nathan Harrison who led the field away on the Greenall Racing Kawasaki. Team-mate Jamie Coward followed him with Mike Browne next to go on The Bike Specialist by Key Racing Ducati, before Hodson took to the course.
Kawasaki-mounted Julian Trummer, Craig Neve and Brian McCormack were soon on their way, as were Davo Johnson and Ian Hutchinson, but it was Hodson who again set the early pace. He led Davey Todd by four-tenths of a second through Glen Helen first time around, with Harrison, Dominic Herbertson, McCormack, Paul Jordan, Neve and Coward all close behind on Kawasaki machinery.
There was little to choose between Todd, Harrison and Hodson on the opening lap, and it was Harrison who was quickest at 125.107mph, followed by Hodson at 124.897mph. Todd’s pace dropped over the Mountain though and his lap ended up at a more modest 119.254mph.
That meant Coward (123.535mph) was third quickest, followed by Jordan (122.894mph), McCormack (121.895mph) and Neve (121.780mph). Johnson, Joe Yeardsley and Michael Evans also broke the 120mph barrier, as did Michael Dunlop with a lap of 120.588mph on the Norton – a marked improvement from the previous night.
Second time around, Hodson’s pace jumped up to a superb 127.402mph, while Coward moved into second on the leaderboard with a strong lap of 126.400mph. Johnson (123.125mph), Neve (122.628mph), McCormack (122.052mph) and Evans (121.333mph) all improved their speeds. Harrison’s second lap of 125.221mph meant he ended the session third quickest overall, with the top six completed by Johnson, Jordan and Neve.
At 7.20pm, the Historic Senior, Historic Junior and Lightweight machines took their turn. In the Historic Senior, it was John McGuinness MBE who led the way on the Winfield Paton, lapping at 110.624mph. That put him ten seconds clear of Mike Browne on the Peter Lodge Racing Norton at 109.764mph.
Ian Lougher, on the second Paton, placed third at 106.204mph but was relegated to fifth as Yeardsley (108.844mph) and Jordan (106.623mph) moved ahead. Conor Cummins completed his first laps of the 2025 Classic TT meeting with 104.272mph, placing sixth just in front of fellow Manxmen Evans (102.729mph) and Dan Sayle (102.458mph).
It was a good night for Evans, who topped the Historic Junior times with 103.352mph on Ken Rutter’s Honda – the quickest of the week so far. Jordan (102.522mph) and Yeardsley (102.430mph) weren’t far behind, with Dean Harrison (99.787mph), Alan Oversby (97.594mph) and Maurizio Bottalico (97.070mph) completing the top six. Harrison was on course for a 103mph lap before stopping at Glen Duff on his second circuit.
The Lightweight Classic session was also closely contested, with the 250cc Yamaha of Adam McLean setting the pace at 112.929mph. Stuart Hall was close behind at 112.218mph, the pair separated by just 4.4 seconds.
Michael Sweeney (111.218mph) was third quickest on his 250cc Honda, followed by Rhys Hardisty (111.467mph) and Chris Moore (109.992mph) on their Yamaha TZs. The top six was rounded out by Owen Monaghan, again the fastest 400cc rider, with an improved speed of 109.343mph.
Day One, August 20, 2025
The first qualifying session of the awaited return of the Classic TT got underway on Wednesday evening and with cool but dry conditions, it was Rob Hodson who set the quickest lap of the night at 125.810mph. Indeed, it was a Ducati 1-2-3 in the Formula 1 Classic class as Davey Todd and Mike Browne both lapped in excess of 124mph.
Elsewhere, Adam McLean topped the Historic Senior leaderboard with a lap of 111.001mph, while Jamie Coward (102.935mph) and Dan Sayle (115.183mph) led the way in the Historic Junior and Lightweight Classic categories respectively.
Formula 1 Classic and Lightweight Classic
The Formula 1 Classic and Lightweight Classic machines were first onto the Mountain Course, with Nathan Harrison leading the field away on the Greenall Racing Kawasaki. He was quickly joined on the road by team-mates Coward and Brian McCormack, along with Browne on the Key Racing Ducati and Craig Neve on the CallMac Construction Kawasaki, making his return from injury.
It was the Ducati duo of Browne and Todd (Prosperity Racing) who set the early pace. Browne, having taken the lead on the road, was first to complete a lap at 124.461mph. Harrison’s opening effort of 122.446mph placed him fifth, behind Todd (123.858mph), Hodson (123.162mph) and Ian Hutchinson (122.727mph).
Michael Dunlop on his first outing of the WizNorton machine clocked 117.705mph to place 12th fastest.
Browne retired at Ballig Bridge on his second lap, with Coward also stopping early at Ballacraine. Hodson, however, was flying on the SMT by Key Racing Ducati, and his second lap was a blistering 125.810mph – the quickest of the night and a statement of intent. Todd improved to 124.853mph for second quickest, while Neve raised his speed to 122.167mph.
Hutchinson and Paul Jordan also hit trouble on their second laps, but Harrison improved to 123.147mph, which moved him to fourth overall behind Hodson, Todd and Browne. Hutchinson, Neve, Jordan, Coward, Barry Furber and Michael Sweeney rounded out the top ten.
Lightweight Classic
Dan Sayle was the benchmark in the Lightweight category with a lap of 115.183mph, ahead of Dunlop (113.492mph) and Stuart Hall (112.160mph). The trio returned in the second session, joined this time by the Historic Senior and Historic Junior machines.
Historic Senior
McLean set the standard on the Flitwick Motorcycles Royal Enfield with an impressively paced lap of 111.001mph, topping the Historic Senior leaderboard.
John McGuinness followed on the Winfield Paton at 108.817mph, just edging Shaun Anderson on the Buegger Racing Paton (108.418mph) and Dean Harrison on the Ted Woof/Craven Classic machine, also at 108.184mph.
Joe Yeardsley (107.856mph), Alan Oversby (105.513mph) and Maria Costello (95.899mph) filled the next positions, but Mike Browne later moved into sixth with a late lap of 104.433mph, pushing Costello down a spot.
Historic Junior
Harley Rushton initially topped the class at 95.627mph, followed by Maurizio Bottalico (95.062mph) and Will Loder (94.541mph). However, all three were soon pushed down by Coward, the 2019 race winner, who lapped at 101.529mph on the Ted Woof/Craven Classic Honda.
He was soon upstaged by team-mate Dean Harrison, who briefly moved to the top with 101.711mph, only for Coward to respond with a second lap of 102.935mph, ending the session as the fastest in the Historic Junior class. Loder also improved, moving into third with a lap of 98.155mph.
Final Lightweight Standings
Sayle’s earlier 115.183mph lap was enough to maintain his spot at the top of the Lightweight leaderboard. However, Browne slotted into second with 114.068mph, pushing Dunlop down to third. The top six was completed by Hall, Michal Dokoupil, and Owen Monaghan, the latter the fastest of the 400cc entrants.
