LOUGHER LEADS FINAL LIGHTWEIGHT QUALIFYING AHEAD OF RACE

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.

Nathan Harrison again impressed, the Greenall Racing Kawasaki rider posting a lap of 127.204mph

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.

In the Historic Senior class, Jordan topped the leaderboard at 108.929mph

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.