DOMINANT DUNLOP WINS SUPERSPORT TT RACE 1
Michael Dunlop MBE won Tuesday's Monster Energy Supersport race at the Isle of Man TT Races, the Scars Racing Ducati rider overhauling early race leader Dean Harrison (Honda Racing) at the end of the first lap to eventually win by 24.47s. Peter Hickman (Swan Triumph by PHR Performance) completed the podium in third.
For Dunlop it was his 34th TT victory and ninth Supersport win in a row as he set the fastest lap of the race, 127.672mph, the Northern Ireland rider also recording his 53rd TT podium.
Delayed four hours from an 11am start to allow the roads to dry after the inclement weather on Monday and overnight, the race was also cut from four laps to three but conditions all around the course were good come the start time of 3pm, except for several damp patches at the expected places including Glen Helen, Glentramman, Ramsey Hairpin and the Waterworks.
Mike Browne led the field away on the Boyce Precision Engineering by Russell Racing Yamaha but by Glen Helen, nine miles into the lap, Harrison led Dunlop by 1.6s with Browne in third 4.2s further back.
Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing powered by Prosper2 Ducati) was only 0.3s behind in fourth as Hickman and Dominic Herbertson (KTS Macadam Triumph Factory Racing) rounded out the early top six. Josh Brookes, fourth quickest in qualifying on the Uggly & Co. Racing Suzuki, was down in tenth.
By Ballaugh, Harrison had increased his advantage to 2.1s with Browne still in third but now having slipped 7.9s adrift of Dunlop. But Dunlop had the quicker run to Ramsey, and he cut the deficit to Harrison to only 1.1s as Jordan overhauled Browne for third aided somewhat by a tow from the flying Harrison.
The gap remained practically the same between the two leaders at the Bungalow but as they came into the pits at the end of the lap for their mandatory stop, a first lap speed of 126.602mph gave Dunlop the lead from Harrison (126.587mph) by just 0.127s.
Jordan (125.159mph) lay in third, just under six seconds clear of Hickman (124.479mph) as Herbertson (123.942mph) and Brookes, making up for a slow start, completed the top six. Browne dropped to 12th having picked up a 30s penalty for breaking the 60km/h pit lane speed limit. Manxman Conor Cummins on the North Lincs Components Suzuki was another rider to pick up a penalty for the same offence.
Mike Browne was caught speeding in the pitlane, taking him out of contention for the top five
Through Glen Helen on the second lap, Dunlop’s lead over Harrison was up to 2.3s and although Jordan remained in third, it was Herbertson now in fourth after Hickman lost time in the pits when the filler cap wouldn’t open.
Jumping Ballaugh Bridge for the second time, Dunlop’s lead had almost doubled to four seconds and by Ramsey, he’d extended his lead further to 7.2s as he started the Mountain climb once more. Hickman, meanwhile, had regained fourth as he clawed back time to Jordan.
Dunlop continued to increase his lead through every sector and starting the third and final lap, the gap to Harrison stood at 12.5s as he looked to have broken the Honda rider’s challenge. Jordan was still in third, but Hickman was charging and was now just 1.8s adrift as he started his final 37.73 miles. Herbertson was fifth, 13.4s behind Hickman but 7.3s ahead of Brookes.
Dom Herbertson held an impressive fifth for much of the race before ultimately finishing sixth
The gap between first and second was up to 16.1s through Glen Helen for the third time and, given his charge, it was no surprise to see Hickman up to third. He was now 2.3s ahead of Jordan with Herbertson and Brookes holding in station in fifth and sixth respectively as Jamie Coward (Rapid Honda by DriveLife) closed to within four seconds of Brookes.
Dunlop never looked back over the remainder of the lap and with the fastest lap of the race, 127.672mph, he took the victory by 24.47s from Harrison (126.258mph) with Hickman (127.215mph) claiming third as the same three riders filled the podium position as Sunday’s Superbike race albeit in a different order.
Peter Hickman was just four seconds slower than Dunlop on the final lap to finish third
Jordan finished fourth, to repeat his result of the second Supersport race from twelve months ago and it was Brookes who prevailed for fifth, the Australian shadowing Hickman on the road on the final lap and overhauling Herbertson in the process.
Coward took seventh as Shaun Anderson (Stanford Racing by ARD Suzuki), Ian Hutchinson (Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Ducati) and Browne rounded out the top ten. Had it not been for his penalty, Browne would have finished fifth.
Outside the top ten, David Johnson finished 11th on the CD Racing Kawasaki as Cummins bounced back from his penalty to take 12th whilst good rides also came in from, amongst others, Mitch Rees (13th), Joe Yeardsley (16th), Michael Russell (17th), Jamie Cringle (18th), Barry Furber (19th) and Frenchman Pierre Yves Bian (20th), the latter setting his personal best lap of the Mountain Course at 121.927mph.
