TODD LAYS DOWN QUICKEST SUPERSTOCK LAP

Dry but blustery conditions shaped Saturday afternoon’s fourth qualifying session at the Isle of Man TT Races, as morning mist cleared just enough to allow a full run. Davey Todd stole the headlines with a blistering lap of 133.155mph aboard his Monster Energy by 8TEN Racing Superstock BMW – not only the quickest of the session but also the fastest Superstock lap of the week so far.

A change in tact saw Michael Dunlop first away on his MD Racing BMW Superbike, closely followed by Dean Harrison on his Honda Racing Superbike. Ian Hutchinson (moobob/MLav Racing BMW) led the Superstock charge off the line.

Also opting for Superbike machinery were David Johnson (Platinum Club Racing Kawasaki), John McGuinness MBE (Honda Racing), James Hillier (Muc-Off Racing Honda), and Josh Brookes (Jackson Racing powered by Prosper2 Honda), all fine-tuning their setups ahead of the RST Superbike Race.

Harrison was immediately on the pace – more than six seconds quicker than anyone to Glen Helen having overhauled Dunlop on the road by Kirk Michael. Dominic Herbertson (HRRC/Adam Hewitt Ltd Honda), Nathan Harrison (H&H Motorcycles Honda), Michael Evans (Dafabet Racing Honda), and James Hind (North Lincs Components Honda) completed the top six through that sector.

By the end of the lap, Harrison’s standing start speed of 132.484mph put him more than 13 seconds clear of Dunlop (130.762mph), with Johnson (127.976mph), Brookes (127.650mph), and Hillier (127.572mph) following. Quickest among the Superstocks – and third fastest overall – was Herbertson with a 128.737mph lap, just ahead of Nathan Harrison (128.501mph), Conor Cummins (128.389mph), and Mike Browne (127.949mph).

Todd left it late to begin his session, but his single lap effort proved decisive. His 133.155mph run not only topped the Superstock class for the session but marked the best in the category all week.

Shortly after, the session was suspended due to descending cloud cover over the Mountain section. Riders already on course were allowed to return to the Grandstand under yellow flag conditions, unable to begin another flying lap.

Despite the disruption, Johnson managed a second lap at 128.895mph, while Jordan notched his fastest lap of the week at 128.694mph – solid pace, even if the lap couldn’t be completed under green. Herbertson and Nathan Harrison both clocked additional over 128mph laps, albeit marginally down on their earlier efforts. Dunlop jumped to second fastest in Superstock with a strong 130.262mph, while newcomer Mitch Rees continued his steady progress with a 124.326mph lap.

Conditions remained the same over the Mountain but at 2.30pm, the Sidecars were allowed out on track to run at full pace up until Ramsey before being escorted back to the Grandstand by travelling marshals under speed-controlled conditions.

Although full lap speeds weren’t possible, split times provided some insight. Crawford/Hardie led to Glen Helen by a mere two-tenths over Founds/Walmsley, with Birchall/Rosney a further 1.2 seconds behind. The Crowe brothers – who have set the pace all week – were fourth, focusing on bedding in a new engine.

At Ballaugh, the gap between the front two outfits held steady, with Birchall/Rosney 4 seconds back. They briefly topped the Sulby speed trap at 153.005mph before being eclipsed by the Crowes’ thunderous 161.317mph run.

That proved to be the end of the action as light rain also began to sweep in and thoughts now turn to tomorrow’s schedule.