QUALIFYING CONTINUES AS CLASSIC TT FIELD SETTLES INTO ITS RHYTHM
The third qualifying session for this year’s Classic TT Races took place on Friday afternoon and did so with the best conditions so far as Mike Browne set the fastest lap of the week in the Formula One class, 127.551mph.
Riding the Electric Van Company Kawasaki, Browne’s lap was 0.498s inside the class lap record of 127.496mph set by Bruce Anstey in 2017 and the good conditions could be seen elsewhere with John McGuinness MBE (Winfield Paton) and Dean Harrison (Craven Classic Racing/Ted Woof Honda) just outside the class lap records in the Historic Senior and Historic Junior categories.
They lapped at 113.092mph and 104.373mph respectively whilst Joe Yeardsley (Tony Leach Joinery Yamaha) impressed in the Junior 600 class with a lap of 120.143mph with Michael Dunlop MBE (Milenco by Padgetts Motorcycles Honda) and Joe Loughlin (G2 Technical Services Ltd Kawasaki) again quickest in the Lightweight and Ultra-Lightweight session at 117.596mph and 110.310mph.
Joe Yeardsley (Tony Leach Joinery Yamaha) impressed in the Junior 600 class with a lap of 120.143mph
Overnight rain meant the start of the session was pushed back until 1.30pm to allow the roads to dry and when it did finally get underway it did so with clear skies and sunshine, the Historic Senior and Historic Junior classes the first to head out onto the Mountain Course.
Damp patches remained from Greeba Castle to Ballig and again at Ramsey Hairpin and from the Nook to Governor’s Bridge and it was Dunlop who led the field away on the 500cc Flitwick Motorcycles/SMV Royal Enfield followed by McGuinness, David Johnson (Steadplan Racing Norton) and Browne (Melbray Racing Honda), the latter on his Junior machine as was Paul Jordan (Davies Motorsport Honda).
Jamie Coward and team-mate Harrison were also amongst the first group of riders away, but Dunlop only got as far as St Ninian’s Crossroads before pulling off the course. McGuinness, meanwhile, was quickest to Glen Helen in the Historic Senior class from Michael Sweeney (IMS/CSC Racing Yamaha) and Yeardsley (Ruthless Racing Honda) with Jordan leading the Junior machines, just 1.1s quicker than Harrison with Coward 6.6s further back in third.
McGuinness was quickest to Glen Helen in the Historic Senior class
McGuinness maintained his position at the head of the Historic Senior field all the way round the lap, posting a speed of 108.875mph, and that put him more than a minute ahead of Yeardsley (103.284mph) with Sweeney (102.552mph) in third followed by Will Loder (100.593mph), Phil McGurk (99.369mph) and Johnson (99.311mph).
Harrison overhauled Jordan in the Historic Junior class and his lap of 103.595mph was 4.6s quicker than his fellow Honda rider (103.232mph), with Coward in third (102.404mph) as Dominic Herbertson (100.114mph), Browne (99.643mph) and Harley Rushton (98.307mph) rounded out the top six.
Harrison overhauled Jordan in the Historic Junior class and his lap of 103.595mph was 4.6s quicker than his fellow Honda rider
Both McGuinness (113.092mph) and Harrison (104.373mph) were quicker on their second laps with both riders just outside the class lap records, McGuinness reporting ‘lovely conditions’ around the course. Yeardsley (105.052mph) and Loder (102.254mph) also lapped quicker on their second lap, but it was Browne who went second quickest on the Historic Senior leaderboard with a lap of 111.163mph, his first of the week on the Peter Lodge Racing Norton.
At 2.15pm it was the turn of the Lightweight and Ultra-Lightweight session and Dunlop, who got back out on his Royal Enfield with a lap of 106.181mph, immediately set the quickest Lightweight lap of the week at 116.925mph, which put him ahead of Michal Dokoupil (110.307mph) and Michael Grigson (105.084mph). Loughlin also set the best lap of the week in the Ultra Lightweight class, the Irishman lapping at 109.110mph.
Dunlop immediately set the quickest Lightweight lap of the week at 116.925mph
Dunlop continued for a second lap and upped his pace further to an impressive 117.596mph as Jordan (Laycock Racing Yamaha) went second quickest with a lap of 114.619mph ahead of Dokoupil, Rhys Hardisty and Grigson who improved to 106.090mph.
Loughlin consolidated his position at the top of the Ultra-Lightweight leaderboard with a speed of 110.310mph followed by Joey Thompson (106.847mph) and Rushton (105.170mph).
Loughlin consolidated his position at the top of the Ultra-Lightweight leaderboard with a speed of 110.310mph
The Formula One and Junior 600 session brought the afternoon’s action to a conclusion and although he was quickest to Glen Helen, Nathan Harrison and the Greenall Racing Kawasaki hit problems on the run to Ballaugh and lost more than a minute and a half, his opening lap eventually clocked at 113.569mph.
Team-mate Coward was having no such issues and he initially went quickest with a first lap speed of 126.161mph, which put him 7.5s ahead of David Johnson (125.278mph) with Dunlop (125.181mph) in third ahead of Browne (124.952mph), Shaun Anderson (123.638mph)and Brian McCormack (122.641mph).
Coward improved to 126.572mph second time around but Browne’s 127mph+ lap was some 8.2s quicker as Johnson, Dunlop, Anderson and Conor Cummins (123.411mph) completed the top half of the leaderboard.
Yeardsley, meanwhile, opened with a lap of 117.511mph on his Junior 600 machine before posting the first 120mph+ lap in the class and that put him 20.9s ahead of second placed Barry Furber (117.963mph) with McCormack (116.188mph), Tom Robinson (115.912mph), Julien Cregniot (114.555mph) and Paul Cassidy (113.834mph) rounding out the top six.
