Hicky makes it 4 in a week with superb Senior TT victory.

On the hottest day of the 2023 TT Festival, we had a scorching hot Milwaukee Senior Race to keep us on our toes. The very bright sunshine meant that going into shaded areas would be problematic for the riders. The track was dry and well rubbered in after two weeks without even one drop of rain. There were fans on top of the very low bank along the length of Sulby Straight, from the houses alongside the kink in the middle of it, to the bridge. Quite how anyone was allowed to put up a grandstand at the exit to the kink, I will never know; bikes are doing 200mph and people can sit totally unprotected less than 5 metres away from the track (safety officers look at Le Mans 1955) then think again. The race began on time, with Davo Johnson (Jackson Honda) the leaf blower and bird scarer for the others. With Michael Dunlop having won 4 races and Peter Hickman 3, it was expected that this would be a duel in the sun between the pair. They were both Superbike mounted; as was Dean Harrison; third placed finisher in all of his races. Davey Todd; bravely came to the line; but he was far from recovered from the virus that had afflicted him. The pace to Glen Helen was rapid and it was Dean Harrison (DAO Kawasaki) who set the best sector time; he was 0.5s faster than Hickman (FHO BMW); with Dunlop (Hawk Honda) third; 2.7s further back. James Hillier (OMG Yamaha), Conor Cummins (Milenco Padgett Honda) and Davey Todd (Milenco Padgett Honda) completed the top 6. The margins were tiny; 3.9s covered 6th to 10th. Hickman then opened the taps and reached Ballaugh in just 2m 59.883s to set a sector record. His lead was up to 3.48s. Cummins set his best time ever to grab 4th from Hillier by 0.65s. For Jamie Coward the race was over at Ballaugh. Dean Harrison was first to Sulby Bridge; then it was Davo johnson; John McGuinness; then Michael Dunlop with James Hillier. Josh Brookes was next; then Hicky, who passed Todd on the approach to the bridge. The action was excellent as the riders slowed from 190mph+ to take the tight right hand bend over the bridge and then power away to Ginger Hall. 4 miles further along at White Gates the lead for Hickman was 4.75s, after another sector record. At the Bungalow, he led by 6.135s after another sector record. The fastest ever standing start lap at 135.349mph gave Hickman a lead of 6.12s from Harrison (134.529mph). Dunlop (133.999mph) was third; Cummins (132.058mph) was 4th, Hillier 5th and Josh Brookes 6th; the latter two lapped at over 131mph. Johnson, John McGuinness (Honda), Dom Herbertson (APERO BMW) and Craig Neve (Batham’s Honda) held 7th to 10th. Newcomer Ryan Cringle was going very well; he lapped at 125.987mph. For Mike Browne the ill luck continued; he retired at the pits. Next to retire was Dom Herbertson, at Ballacraine. At Glen Helen; Hickman led by 7.4s having set another sector record. Dunlop was 3rd; 4.2s down on Harrison. Hickman continued to edge away from Harrison and led by 10.57s at the top of the mountain climb. Going into the pits, Hickman led by 11.862s; his lap speed of 135.507mph; a new lap record for the Senior TT. Harrison had the fastest pit stop and gained at least 3s on each of the other top 6 riders. At Glen Helen on lap 3; the lead for Hickman was 8.02s. Dunlop was 12.59s was behind Harrison. Cummins, Brookes and McGuinness completed our top 6. A very slow pit stop had dropped Hillier to 10th. At Sulby Bridge, we had the spectacle of Cummins and teammate Todd coming into the corner a couple of metres apart; two courageous men; neither fully fit. At Ramsey; the lead for Hickman had grown to 9.96s; it was 9.92s at the Grandstand; try as he might Hickman could not shake off Harrison; despite the latter’s bike being 13mph down on top speed. Hickman added tenths on each sector to lead by 13.1s at the top of the mountain on the fourth lap. As he entered the pits for the second stop his lead was 12.38s. Harrison had increased his advantage over Dunlop to 23.64s. Cummins, Brookes and McGuinness kept their, by now, established positions. Harrison again had the best of the pit stops; gaining 2s on all of his rivals. On lap 5 at Glen Helen, the lead for Hickman was 9.3s; nowhere near enough to allow him to ease off. At Sulby Bridge, we had the sight of Hickman and Dunlop circulating a couple of metres apart; Hickman having made the pass on the first part of the straight. Hickman had joined his teammate Brookes in doing the “Doctor’s Dangle” whilst braking for the bridge. Four miles down the road the lead was 12.69s. At the end of the lap, the lead was 15.935s; comfortable, but not entirely secure. At Glen Helen on the final lap Hickman led by 18.4s; Dunlop was using the tow from being right behind Hickman to take some time back from Harrison; the deficit being 25.2s. Harrison was the first rider to take the acclaim of the crowd at Sulby Bridge; he then had a moment when the machine tried to throw him off as he opened the taps going away from the corner; thankfully, he saved it. Hickman and Dunlop were together coming down Sulby Straight to rapturous applause. The enthusiastic crowd gave generous applause to all of the riders and they deserved after their performances. Hickman’s final lap was at 134.842mph; this gave him a record race average of 132.526mph. He was 19.98s ahead of Harrison (132.097mph). Dunlop was fastest on the last lap; he finished 20.433s down on Harrison; his race average 131.661mph. Conor Cummins (129.755mph) took a fine 4th; Josh Brookes (129.27mph) was 5th and James Hillier (128.506mph) was 6th; those riders all lapped at over 132mph on the final lap. McGuinness, Johnson, Todd and Rob Hodson completed our top 10. Amongst the local riders; Mikey Evans (Suzuki) was 18th at 122.885mph; his best lap was at 126.595mph; Best Newcomer was Ryan Cringle; he was 19th at 122.794mph. Hickman was delighted to win and equal Michael’s tally for the week. His crew had finally been able to make the machine do what he wanted without him having to wrestle it. Dean was happy to be second; his was the ride of the day given his lack of top end speed. Michael was fairly downbeat; unable to explain why nothing was quite as it had been for his wonderful Superbike win. He will have to come back next year to equal his uncle’s record of 26 wins; can’t wait. Read the full article

Masterful Hickman gives Faye Ho silver lining.

After stubborn mist moved away action began several hours late at TT 2023. The solo warm up lap was significant because it allowed Peter Hickman to complete a lap on his Supertwin Yamaha and thereby qualify for the evening’s first race for the class. Mike Browne was out on his Stocker, to test changes made in response to handling so bad that he made an unscheduled stop in the Superbike race. The Sidecar warm up allowed Dave Molyneux /Dan Sayle to test the troublesome KTM on track. The warm-up lap made the riders aware of a small patch of cement dust on the approach to White Gates. Normal weather service had been restored when Davo Johnson led the Superstock away on their 3 lap race. The riders were obliged to have a pit stop at the end of lap 1. Michael Dunlop’s crew chief set out what most were expected to do and that was simply top up the tank and clean the screen and rider’s visor. Starting this race pulled Michael Rutter level with his father Tony on 83. For Josh Brookes the race was over before he reached St Ninian’s on the FHO BMW. Peter Hickman had no such problem; the machine was ready to go after just four laps of practice; this allowed him more time to try to tame the unruly Superbike. Michael Dunlop’s MD Racing Honda machine had similarly been ready to go early in Practice Week. When the Glen Helen was reached, Dean Harrison (DAO Kawasaki) was right behind Davo Johnson (Jackson Honda) and passed him on the Cronk y Voddy straight; Dean remained the pigeon scarer for the remainder of the race. Behind them, Dunlop had nearly closed the starting interval on James Hillier (OMG Yamaha).  Passing slower riders did cause some minor delays for the podium riders but tended to even out and did not affect the result. The times at Glen Helen showed that this was going to be a race with close battles throughout the field of 46 riders left in the contest. Michael Dunlop had been the fastest of all over the first 9 miles; he led by 0.65s from Peter Hickman, with Dean Harrison 1.69s down in third; in what was becoming a recurring theme. Davey Todd (Milenco Padgett Honda), Conor Cummins (Milenco Padgett Honda); heroically back on track three days after being on drip in hospital; James Hillier and Jamie Coward (Steadplan Honda) were the top 7. Just 3.6s covered the four riders. On Sunday Dunlop set the fastest ever sector time from Glen Helen to Ballaugh; today Hickman returned serve with the fastest ever Superstock sector time. This gave him a lead of 2.26s as they hopped over the famous bridge. Harrison was third, but 4s down on Dunlop. Todd, Cummins and Coward completed the top 6. May Hill in Ramsey is a good vantage point; with the bikes powering out of Cruickshank’s Corner and coming close to the low kerb on the left side of the track. The sound of the machines on full gas echoes back from the house walls. Dean Harrison was first, and he was trying; using all of the road. Davo Johnson was next; followed almost immediately by the rejuvenated John McGuinness. Jamie Coward has settled onto the Honda superbly, and he was wringing its neck as he went past. Michael Dunlop has been using all of the road; but he is never out of shape; yet again he was very fast, but very stable. Hicky was rapid and holding a tighter line than most of the top runners; apart from James Hillier. As they started the mountain climb, Hickman had a lead of 3.4s from Dunlop. Harrison was third, 6.74s down on Dunlop. Todd, Cummins and Coward completed the top 6; Hillier was 7th just 0.141s down on Coward. Hickman is normally the fastest over the mountain; but today Dunlop was, and cut the lead to 2.7s as they came into the pits for the mandatory stop.  The pits stops saw Hickman and Harrison gain over 1.5s on Dunlop. Dom Herbertson; 11th at the time, missed the pit lane and had to come in via the return road. After some words were exchanged with the stewards, he was allowed to continue, despite his off track activity. Back on track Hickman’s lead was 5.3s as he powered the big BMW up Creg Willey’s Hill for the second time. Dunlop had increased his advantage over Harrison to 10.8s. Todd, Coward and Cummins completed the top 6; with Hillier just 0.2s behind Cummins. Hickman continued to set the best sector times; he led by 9.1s as swept out of Cruickshank’s in fine style; the front wheel pawing the air as he powered through. Coward; Hillier and Cummins were covered by 1.5s in their exciting battle for the final leader board places. With the best time for each sector over the mountain Hickman had a comfortable lead of 15.7s as he headed off for the final lap; the lap that would be the fastest of the race. Dunlop had 10.1s in hand over Harrison. Todd remained under pressure from Coward; but Conor Cummins was starting to lose time; no doubt exhausted after his illness. John McGuinness was riding a fine race in 8th; Johnson was 9th and Herbertson 10th in spite of his pit stop faux pas. Hickman was on outright lap record pace for part of the lap; but lost some time behind slower riders and then eased back over the last two sectors; but still set the best lap of the race at 134.311mph; to seal a 23.17s victory over Michael Dunlop. This win moved into double figures. Harrison; Todd, Hillier and Coward all lapped at over 132mph on the last lap. Conor Cummins took 7th; John McGuinness went out at Guthrie’s handing 8th to Davo Johnson; he lapped at over 130mph on the final lap. The excellent form of Mike Browne and Shaun Anderson continued; they finished 9th and 10th respectively. This was a race of the highest quality and Hickman’s win repaid team owner Faye Ho for her support. The second race should be at least as good; weather permitting. I can’t help thinking that four laps would have been even better. Read the full article

Deja vu; as Michael Dunlop draws level with John McGuinness.

Another warm, sunny day on the Isle of Man brought a wonderful; record breaking Superbike TT. There were large crowds either side of the course at Milntown; where the new fan zone seems very popular. The riders power out of the s-bend at Pinfold Cottage; jump the road bridge, then sweep right close to the stone wall of Milntown House and then click into top gear on the straight leading to Schoolhouse Corner. The solo warm up lap brought us most of the top riders on their Superstock or Supersport machines and offered the chance to set up the camera. Then; right on the appointment minute, the Superbike TT was under way; with Davo Johnson first away. At Glen Helen, it was clear that Michael Dunlop (Hawk Honda) was on a mission; yesterday he was third to the this first checkpoint as he settled in. Today he was fastest and leading by 0.145s from Dean Harrison (DAO Kawasaki). Davey Todd; Milenco Padgett Honda) was third, 1.28s down on Harrison; but 0.866s ahead of Peter Hickman (FHO BMW). James Hillier (OMG Yamaha) was fifth; with John McGuinness (Honda Racing) sixth. Dunlop set the fastest ever time from Glen Helen to Ballaugh and there he led by 3.135s. Todd was third, 1.143s down on Harrison; Hickman just 0.139s further behind as they approached halfway around the lap. Jamie Coward, Josh Brookes, Mike Browne and Rob Hodson completed the top 10. Dean Harrison led on the road at Milntown; he had the front wheel well into the air as he landed from the jump over the bridge; a spectacular opening to the afternoon’s action for the crowd. Davo Johnson was next; then it was John McGuinness, who also had plenty of air under the front wheel. Most of the chasing riders had low flat jumps over the bridge as they headed for the 30 mph limit at about 150mph. At Ramsey, the lead for Dunlop was 4.54s from Harrison; with Hickman now third as he came to grips with a troublesome quick shifter and less than perfect front brake. Dunlop was the fastest to the Bungalow; his lead out to 5.416s. Todd put in his best ever time on the climb and had retaken third by 0.215s from Hickman. 16m 49.727s after leaving the Grandstand, Dunlop completed his first lap at 134.519mph, a class lap record. This gave him a lead of 6.28s. Hickman was third, 0.495s ahead of Todd; James Hillier and Jamie Coward completed the top 6. John McGuinness was 7th; Josh Brookes 8th; both lapped at over 130mph. The order was the same; but the gaps slightly larger at Glen Helen. At Milntown, Dean Harrison produced another spectacular leap over the bridge; Dunlop’s was low and flat; the machine looking very stable. McGuinness and Hillier were circulating together and putting on a fine show. The timing point at White Gates showed that the lead was 10.12s; with Hickman now 8.324s behind Harrison. Dunlop was rapid over the mountain and with aid of another Superbike record lap of 135.046mph he led by 14.6as he entered the pits to refuel. Harrison lapped at 133.938mph to have an advantage of 6.17s over Hickman (133.791mph) who had reduced it by 2s over the mountain section. As with yesterday, Harrison gained time in the pits; his stop was 2.8s faster than Dunlop’s and 0.8s faster than Hickman’s. On lap 3 at Ballaugh, Dunlop’s lead was 14.56s; behind him Hickman was chipping away at Harrison’s advantage; it was down to 4.45s. Those three were well clear of Todd, Hillier and Coward. At Milntown both Harrison and Dunlop had the front wheel pawing the air nicely; under the gaze of former commentator; Roy Moore. There was a fine sight as Hillier, Coward and Hickman came through in line and just inches apart. The timing beam gave Dunlop a lead of 16.1s as he started the climb out of Ramsey. Harrison had an advantage of 5.23s over Hickman. Hillier was up to fourth; Todd was beginning to have machine problems and he would retire from the fray at the Grandstand. At half distance, Dunlop led by 18.854s; with Hickman 5.091s down on Harrison. The demise of Todd moved John McGuinness up to sixth. At Glen Helen on lap 4 the lead was marginally over 20s. Hickman was faster to Glen Helen and cut Harrison’ advantage over him to under 5s. At Milntown, the action was again excellent; with Dunlop, Hickman and Harrison producing fast, flat jumps. The freight train of McGuinness, Hillier and Coward kicked up a storm of dust as they hammered past. The lead for Dunlop was 21.635s as he headed for Ramsey Hairpin. His lap of 132.757mph gave him a lead of as he came in for the final pit stop. Harrison had 6.49s in hand over Hickman as he came in. Harrison’s stop was not as slick as the first one; he dropped 4.5s to Hickman; but gained 2s from Dunlop whose stop was amongst the slowest; but he had no need to rush it. The effects revealed themselves at Glen Helen; Dunlop led by 19.44s; whilst Hickman had cut his deficit to Harrison to 3.65s. Could he repeat yesterday and wind Harrison back? More spectacular action was provided at Milntown as the riders flew over the bridge. At the timing point, the lead was 19.134s; with Dunlop managing his lead; as he had done yesterday. Hickman was still edging closer to Harrison; the gap down to 2.834s. At the end of the penultimate lap Dunlop led 17.3s; surely only a mechanical problem could deny him now. Hickman was now the fastest rider on track and had cut his deficit to Harrison to just 2.43s with 37.73 miles of the toughest course in the world left to complete. Dunlop was easing his pace slightly; the lead down to 16.05s at Glen Helen. At Ballaugh, the lead was down to 15.29s; but it was from the flying Hickman; not Harrison. Dunlop and Harrison were neat and fast at Milntown; Hickman was fast, but slightly crossed up on landing; he simply kept it pinned and continued his lap at class record pace. Leaving Ramsey, Dunlop led by 11.65s with 13.73 miles of the mountain section between him and victory; surely, he had not eased so much that he would let victory slip from his grasp. The lead had been cut to 8.985s at the Bungalow; but at Cronk ny Mona 1.1 miles from the finishing line it was 7.71s; more than enough. Dunlop must have received a hurry up message; he was fastest over the final short sector and crossed the line to win by 8.233s at a record race average of 131.832mph. This victory draws him level with John McGuinness on 23 wins; only the late , great, Joey Dunlop is ahead; he won 26. Hickman’s final lap of 135.445mph was the best of the race; and another class lap record. His race average of 131.657mph was 9.806s better than Dean Harrison’s (131.449mph). James Hillier took a fine fourth at 128.946mph; Jamie Coward was fifth at 128.733mph; with the great John McGuinness sixth at 128.067mph. Josh Brookes was seventh; Dominic Herbertson eighth; both lapped at over 130mph during the race. Shaun Anderson joined the 130mph club with his final lap. Mike Browne became the fastest rider from Ireland with his final lap of 129.294mph. This was a fabulous race run at a record pace; and full of fine individual performances. The questions for the Senior are; can Dunlop go faster if Hickman can solve this machine issues and go at his best pace for the whole race and can Dean Harrison make the small changes needed to allow him to hit lap record pace? It should be a great race. Read the full article

Practice pace is fastest ever; Crowe brothers back on track; at TT 2023.

Another evening of warm, sunny weather brought a large crowd to the Bungalow to watch as the pace on track rose once again. The first session was for the big bikes. Peter Hickman, on his FHO Racing Superstock machine, was the first leave the Grandstand and take the plunge down Bray Hill. He was followed by Dean Harrison who had chosen his DAO Kawasaki Superbike. Davey Todd was next away, he chose his Milenco Padgett’s Superstock; teammate Conor Cummins was out his stocker that had, so far, refused to complete a lap. As the lap progressed, Harrison chipped away at the 10s starting interval and at the Bungalow he was right behind Hickman as they swept through the left hander; crossed the tramlines and powered through the right hander and away to Brandywell. Todd was next; soon followed by Michael Dunlop; also Superstock mounted. That machine looks to be sorted; Michael able to hold a tighter line than the other top men. Jamie Coward, Josh Brookes, Conor Cummins, John McGuinness and Phil Crowe were noted as being rapid around the S bend; with Conor using less lean angle than the others. Harrison proved to be the fastest man on track raising his Superbike speed to 133.284mph; quite simply amazing. Hickman posted 131.920mph; but that was eclipsed by Dunlop who raised his best to 132.694mph. Todd put in his best lap at 131.711mph; with Conor at last putting in a lap; his speed was 129.825mph. Jamie Coward is getting to grips with his new KTS Racing Honda, he lapped at 129.818mph on the Superbike version. Hickman and Harrison went straight through for a second lap; whilst Michael Dunlop changed to his Superbike. Harrison was first through the Bungalow and was getting maximum value from his knee slider. The lean angle the modern riders can achieve is something to behold. Hickman was close behind and it was clear that they were really trying. Dunlop was spectacular; right out to the very edge of the tarmac on the exit as he charged up the rise to the highest point at Brandywell. Harrison raised his best to 113.514mph; Hickman set the best Superstock lap at 133.284. Dunlop; from a standing start, put his Hawk Honda around at 132.896mph. Jamie Coward broke the 130mph for the first time on a Honda (he has done so on a Yamaha) with 130.940mph and the old master, John McGuinness, proved that class endures by recording a lap at 130.035mph. Michael Rutter put his raucous Honda around at 129.147mph. On the third lap Dunlop was even quicker through the checkpoints leading up to the Bungalow, where he was once again using every inch of the road on the exit. What could have been the best lap of the week was ultimately not; because it was a short lap due the Supersport / Supertwin session being underway when he reached the Grandstand. Despite this, his speed was an extremely impressive 133.367mph. Hickman was just shy of 132mph on his standing start lap on the Superbike and Conor Cummins joined the 130mph club on his, recording 130.615mph. The first Supersport to reach the Bungalow as that of the rising French star, Pierre-Yves Bian on the Trooper Beer PHR Triumph; he was neat and fast. He ended the evening just shy of the 120mph mark. Dean Harrison has taken to his Supersport Yamaha, like a duck to water, and duly set the best speed on the first lap, with 124.990mph; Michael Dunlop close behind with 124.973mph. Dean was faster second time around setting a speed of 125.494mph to go second in the overall charts behind Michael. Late in the session, Peter Hickman put his Triumph around the course at 127.206mph to displace Michael’s Monday best from top spot in the overall speed charts. In the Supertwins, Jamie Coward, Mike Browne and Josh Brookes stood out at the Bungalow; with Francesco Curinga impressive as he settles into his first TT; he set a personal best of 114.552mph. The best lap of the night was Coward’s 120.912mph; this leaves him second to Michael Dunlop; who blitzed the lap record in the first session of the week. Quietly spoken Irishman Mike Browne is a real contender for a podium finish; he put the gorgeous Paton around at 119.78mph. Josh Brookes is having his first ride on a Supertwin and is getting to grips with the job; he set a new personal best of 116.937mph; just ahead of Dominic Herbertson. Past winner Michael Rutter completes the top 6 in this class. Mathieu Lagrive is best of the newcomers at 117.088mph on his Optimark Yamaha; with local rider Ryan Cringle, AGR Honda, second at 116.319mph. Former Pike’s Peak winner Rennie Scaysbrook; in his first Superbike outing has reached 117.069mph on the Wilson Craig Honda. Young local Jorge Halliday has topped 110mph on his Supersport Stanford Yamaha. The Sidecars were last out; the sun was dipping ever closer to the horizon and the temperature was falling as they set off. The really good news was that Ryan and Callum were on track; okay to continue after their little excursion at Laurel Bank on Monday. They were going to take it steady on the first lap and ease back into race mode; their idea of steady was 114.128mph. As expected, it was close at the sharp end; at the end of the evening, it was the Birchall brothers who prevailed with a best lap of 118.523mph. Peter founds and Jevan Walmsley were 3.528s slower; their speed was 118.159mph. Alan founds has a new passenger in Colin Smyth; they ended the session with a lap at just over 100mph. Thursday; for decades the day for afternoon practice; will have another full set of practice sessions; but in the evening. Friday will have a full set; but in the afternoon; confused? so is everyone else; but afternoon sessions are the best in my opinion. Read the full article

Hickman and Birchall brothers the pacesetters at TT 2023.

The evening was warm, almost calm; with clear blue skies and that meant problems with dazzle on the run out to Ballacraine and again on the mountain climb from Gooseneck to Mountain Box (aka East Snaefell Gate). On the drive out to Kirk Michael it was noticeable that most vantage points had a large number of spectators for so early in the event; especially at Ballaugh and the White House, Kirk Michael. The first rider to reach Douglas Road Corner was Dean Harrison on the DAO Kawasaki Superbike; he was closely followed by Michael Dunlop who was aboard his MD Racing Honda Superstock machine. The spectacle is amazing as they blast along the narrow road through the village at 160mph. Davo Johnson was next on his Jackson Racing Honda Superbike, and he is right back on the pace after his enforced absence from last year’s event. After Jamie Coward and James Hillier had flashed past on their Superbikes; Josh Brookes came towards us on his FHO Racing BMW; he was late tipping the bike in and ran very wide; throwing up some dust. Thankfully, he was able to power away through the village. Having had that little scare; the rest of the evening was peaceful for the marshals on duty. Peter Hickman was next; he was fast and bang on line on his FHO BMW. Davy Todd and Conor Cummins were both rapid on their Milenco Padgett Honda Superbikes. The action was excellent for the spectators at Douglas Road Corner; many of whom were from France. Dean Harrison was first to complete the lap; he set the bar at 131.974mph; with Michael Dunlop achieving 131.843mph on the stocker; faster than his Superbike time from yesterday; clearly this machine is set up perfectly. Peter Hickman then took top spot with the first 132mph; his exact speed being 132.079mph. Conor Cummins; never one to push hard in practice; recorded 130.294mph; with Todd not far behind on 129.920mph. Jamie Coward and James Hillier achieved 128.488mph and 128.029mph respectively. Despite his little moment in Kirk Michael, Josh Brookes was second to Michael in the Superstocks at 126.282mph. The lowering sun was proving more problematic; there were yellow flags at Creg ny Baa following Matt Stevenson’s off; we wish him a speedy recovery from his injuries. There were also yellow flags between the bottom of Barregarrow and Westwood due to oil on the track caused by Mark Gooding’s expiring machine. The action was still excellent, and some fast times were set. Dean Harrison at 131.351mph; with Hicky marginally faster at 131.712mph. Michael Dunlop changed to his Hawk Honda Superbike and set a speed of 131.141mph; whilst Davey Todd and Jamie Coward both topped the 129mph mark. Conor Cummins suffered another mechanical; going out at the 33rd. Hickman then set off for a lap on his Superstock machine; but that did not go as planned. He had an off piste trip up the slip road at Braddan Bridge; re-joined the course; but eventually pulled off at Ballacraine. Away from the race favourites some fast speeds were set, Shaun Anderson ended third in the Superstock at 125.841mph and the impressive Mike Browne set 125.745mph; both could break the 130mph barrier come race day. The cleaning of the road due to the oil spill meant that the session for Supersports and Supertwins was cancelled. The food weather should allow that time to be made up later in the week. The sidecars were allowed out later but faced the ever lowering sun and the yellow flags from Barregarrow to Westwood. The Birchall brothers were first to Kirk Michael and took the corner fine style; as did Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley. Tim Reeves / Mark Wilkes had been caught on the road by Gary Bryan / Phil Hyde. The speed table showed the Birchalls at the top with 116.828mph; with Founds / Walmsley second at 116.110mph. Bryan / Hyde set 110.146mph with Reeves / Wilkes setting 109.623mph on what was their first lap. Only 5 outfits went out for a second lap; the Birchall brothers raised the bar to 118.316mph; whilst Reeves / Wilkes upped their pace to 112.338mph. The Ramsdens joined the 110mph group with 110.236mph. The evening ended with the news that Jake Lowther; passenger to Alan Founds had withdrawn from the meeting; leaving one of the race favourites on the sidelines. Read the full article

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