TODD TRIUMPHANT IN THE 2025 RST x D3O SUPERBIKE TT
Davey Todd won a thrilling four-lap RST x D3O Superbike Race at the Isle of Man TT Races on Monday afternoon - his third TT win in total - with the Monster Energy by 8TEN Racing BMW Motorrad rider edging out Michael Dunlop (MD Racing BMW Motorrad) by just 1.296 seconds. Dean Harrison (Honda Racing) completed the podium in third.
The race got underway slightly later than planned at 12:00pm due to two separate diesel spills around the Mountain Course. Todd led through Glen Helen on the first lap, holding a slim advantage of just 0.044 seconds over Harrison. Dunlop was 2.8 seconds further back in third, with the early top six completed by Nathan Harrison (H&H Motorcycles Honda), Mike Browne (KTS Racing by Stanley Stewart BMW), and James Hind (North Lincs Components Honda), while some regular front-runners like John McGuinness, Conor Cummins, and Josh Brookes found themselves outside the top ten.
Todd’s lead grew to 2 seconds at Ballaugh, and by Ramsey, it had extended to almost 6 seconds. Dunlop had cut the gap to Dean Harrison to just one second. Nathan Harrison remained in fourth, 10 seconds down on Dunlop, with Dominic Herbertson (HRRC/Adam Hewitt Ltd Honda) moving up to fifth ahead of Browne.
An opening lap of 134.275mph gave Todd a 7.8-second advantage over new second-placed rider Dunlop (133.236mph), while Dean Harrison (133.051mph) was just one second further back in third. Nathan Harrison officially joined the ‘130mph Club’ after lapping at 131.270mph, with Browne (130.748mph) and Herbertson (130.455mph) still in fifth and sixth respectively.
An opening lap of 134.275mph gave Todd a 7.8s advantage over new second-placed rider Dunlop (133.236), but Dean Harrison (133.051) was only one second further back in third. Nathan Harrison officially joined the ‘130mph Club’ after lapping at 131.270mph with Browne (130.748) and Herbertson 130.455) still in fifth and sixth respectively.
David Johnson (Platinum Club Racing Kawasaki), Brookes (Jackson Racing Honda powered by Prosper2), James Hillier (Muc-Off Racing Honda), and Ian Hutchinson (moobob/MLav Racing BMW) completed the top ten as Hind stopped at the Mountain Box.
Dunlop was quickest to Glen Helen on lap two, cutting Todd’s lead to 5.9 seconds, while Dean Harrison lost a further two seconds to Dunlop. Todd extended the margin to 6.2 seconds at Ballaugh, where Harrison had slipped another second behind. Nathan Harrison continued strongly in fourth, while Herbertson and Johnson moved into fifth and sixth, with Browne dropping back to seventh.
By Ramsey, Todd had stretched his lead to 7.5 seconds. At the Hairpin, Johnson had taken over fifth, and Hillier had moved into sixth. However, all eyes were on the battle at the front as riders approached the single pit stop.
Todd’s second lap of 133.874mph saw his lead trimmed to 7.1 seconds as Dunlop posted a slightly quicker 133.967mph. Dean Harrison appeared to be falling out of contention, trailing Dunlop by 11.2 seconds after a 132.682mph lap. Nathan Harrison (130.824mph), Johnson (130.603mph), and Brookes (129.887mph) occupied positions four through six. Both Browne and Phil Crowe retired at the pits.
Todd lost time in the pits, and his lead was reduced to 1.8 seconds as he rejoined Glencrutchery Road. The official gap at Glen Helen on lap three was down to 1.5 seconds, but Todd put in a strong run to Ballaugh, doubling the lead to 3.086 seconds. However, he ran wide at Parliament Square, and by Ramsey Hairpin, the lead had shrunk to just 1.9 seconds.
The gap was down to 1.1 seconds at the Bungalow, but Todd found some time over the Mountain. Starting the fourth and final lap, his lead stood at 1.9 seconds, with Harrison now 25 seconds back in a comfortable third. Nathan Harrison was also steady in fourth, while Johnson held fifth just four seconds ahead of Hillier. Brookes, now in seventh, was only 1.3 seconds clear of McGuinness (Honda Racing), while Hutchinson, running on the edge of the top ten, retired at the pits.
At Glen Helen for the final time, Todd still led, but his advantage was down to just two-tenths of a second. A few miles later, Dunlop passed Harrison at Rhencullen to take the lead on the road. However, Todd responded and extended his lead over Dunlop to 2.2 seconds at Ballaugh.
At Ramsey Hairpin, the pair were separated by 1.9 seconds and 2.2 seconds at the Bungalow, setting up a nail-biting finish. With a final lap of 135.327mph, Todd secured the victory by just 1.296 seconds over Dunlop, who actually posted a slightly faster final lap at 135.416mph. Harrison completed the podium in third - his 31st TT podium.
Nathan Harrison (131.113mph) claimed a superb fourth place, with Johnson (131.097mph) and Hillier (131.285mph) rounding out the top six. Behind them were McGuinness, Brookes, Michael Evans - who set a new personal best lap of 129.594mph on the Dafabet Racing Honda - and Paul Jordan on the second Jackson Racing machine, completing the top ten.
Just outside the top ten in 12th was Amalric Blanc, whose new personal best lap of 127.726mph reaffirmed his status as the fastest Frenchman around the Mountain Course.
