HISTORIC PERFORMANCE AS DUNLOP WINS FORMULA ONE CLASSIC TT
Michael Dunlop MBE set lap and race records on his way to winning the three-lap Formula One Classic TT race on Sunday afternoon, the Team Classic Suzuki rider coming home 20.5s ahead of Jamie Coward (Greenall Racing Kawasaki) and Mike Browne (Electric Van Company Kawasaki).
Browne led on lap one, but Dunlop overhauled him at Glen Helen on the second lap. Dunlop’s final lap of 129.078mph saw the Ulsterman break Bruce Anstey’s nine-year-old lap record, his race winning time more than a minute quicker than the previous mark.
With a mixture of grey cloud and sunny skies around the Mountain Course, the race got underway at 1.45pm, 15 minutes later than scheduled, and it was Browne who led at Glen Helen on the opening lap, 2.2s ahead of Dunlop with Dominic Herbertson (TAS/Adam Hewitt Kawasaki) a further 2.7s back in third. Coward, Nathan Harrison (Greenall Racing Kawasaki) and David Johnson (Steadplan Racing Kawasaki) completed the early top six.
By Ballaugh, Browne’s lead over Dunlop was up to 3.3s with Coward now up to third but it remained close with third to sixth separated by two seconds. Browne was the quickest through the Sulby speed trap at 175.492mph. Shaun Anderson was an early retirement, stopping at Laurel Bank. Frenchman Amalric Blanc was also out of luck having stopped at Greeba Castle.
Through Ramsey Hairpin for the first time, Browne’s lead over Dunlop had crept up to 3.9s as Harrison moved ahead of Herbertson for fourth and at the end of lap, the riders came in for their compulsory pit lap, a first lap speed of 127.217mph giving Browne a lead of four seconds over Dunlop (126.739mph).
Mike Browne held a four-second advantage at the first compulsory pit stop.
Coward (126.190mph) remained in third, just one second ahead of Harrison (126.072mph), Herbertson (125.325mph), Johnson (125.187mph) as Brian McCormack on a third Greenall Racing Kawasaki, Conor Cummins (Steadplan Racing Kawasaki), Michael Sweeney (Mistral Racing Kawasaki) and Julian Trummer (TC Racing/DP Coldplaning Kawasaki) completed the top ten. Peter Hickman (WizNorton) was out though, retiring at the pits.
Dunlop had the quicker pit stop and turned his deficit to Browne into a 2.7s advantage at Glen Helen on lap two with Coward only four seconds adrift in third. Harrison was a similar distance back in fourth and it was now Johnson who was in fifth, Herbertson dropping back to sixth.
Michael Dunlop turned a four-second deficit into a lead after a rapid pit stop.
Dunlop stretched his lead over Browne to 5.2s at Ballaugh with the latter and Coward setting almost identical sector times on the run from Glen Helen. One man who’d lost time though was Cummins and he dropped back from 7th to 11th.
At the head of the field, Dunlop was pressing on and his lead had gone out to 9.2s at Ramsey as Coward closed to within 3.4s of Browne whilst further back fifth placed Johnson was only two seconds ahead of Herbertson. Cummins moved back up to tenth at the expense of fellow Manxman Joe Yeardsley (Mistral Racing Kawasaki).
A second lap speed of 124.734mph gave Dunlop a lead of 14.3s as he started his final lap with Browne, who was now leading on the road, holding a 3.2s advantage over Coward. Harrison and Johnson remained in fourth and fifth, but Herbertson was out at the Nook and that promoted McCormack up the order to sixth.
Sweeping round the left hander of Glen Helen for the final time, Dunlop’s charge continued and he’d pulled 19.1s clear of Browne but the battle for second was hotting up as Coward had closed to within 1.1s of the Irishman.
Coward climbed through the field.
And by Ballaugh, Coward had taken over the runners-up position, moving 2.4s clear of his fellow Kawasaki rider. But two riders out of luck on the final lap were McCormack and Cummins, McCormack falling at Greeba Castle and Cummins retiring at Barregarrow. McCormack was reported to be conscious with a possible leg injury.
A stunning final lap of 129.078mph – 13s better than Bruce Anstey’s previous lap record of 127.496mph - gave Dunlop his fifth Formula One Classic TT victory since 2013, 20.5s clear of Coward (128.712mph) with three of the first four riders all breaking the previous lap record.
Browne held on for third and the final podium position after lapping third time around at 127.477mph, 8.8s ahead of Harrison (127.692mph) with Johnson in fifth also above 126mph.
Sweeney came through for sixth and the top ten was rounded out by Trummer, Yeardsley, Paul Williams (Lee Williams Motorsports Kawasaki) and Barry Furber (DC Auto Repairs Newtown Suzuki). Former race winner Rob Hodson (CK Racing Ducati) was another rider to retire on the final lap.
