MICHAEL DUNLOP SECURES COMMANDING VICTORY IN LIGHTWEIGHT CLASSIC TT
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.
Lougher masters the Lightweight Race again.
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.
Adam McLean had a rollercoaster of a race, leading on the road to begin, and grabbing 3rd to finish.
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.
Dunlop returns to the top of the rostrum once more.
