Isle of Man TT: Dunlop Doubles up With Sportbike Win
Michael Dunlop MBE won the first Carole Nash Sportbike race at the Isle of Man TT Races on Friday afternoon, taking the Paton by MD Racing machine to victory by more than 28 seconds to claim his 36th TT victory.
Dunlop set a new lap record of 124.530mph to come home comfortably ahead of Mike Browne (Melbray/Laycock Racing Paton) and Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing powered by Propser2 Aprilia), just 0.663s separating second and third in the two-lap race.
Delayed until 4.00pm, Dunlop led at Glen Helen on the opening lap, the gap to second placed Browne already 3.68s. Jordan was 1.3s behind in third with Peter Hickman (Swan Racing by PHR Performance Yamaha) a further three seconds adrift in fourth. Joe Yeardsley (Flitwick Motorcycles Yamaha) and Jamie Coward (Milenco by Padgetts Paton) completed the early top six as Michael Sweeney (MSR Racing Aprilia) started well in seventh.
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Dunlop had more than doubled his lead by the time he jumped Ballaugh Bridge for the first time, the Northern Ireland rider beating the previous best sector time from Glen Helen to Ballaugh by almost three seconds! His lead over Browne was now 7.97s with Jordan now 1.9s further back in third whilst Michal Dokoupil (Indiracing Aprilia) had moved up from tenth to seventh.
Onto Ramsey and Dunlop set another new fastest sector time, two seconds quicker than his previous best, and he was six seconds inside his own lap record over the first 24 miles of the lap. The lead had increased to 11.3s but there was still only 2.2s between Browne and Jordan although Hickman was losing time, the Swan Racing rider looking down at the machine on more than one occasion.
Jordan had closed to within 1.2s of Browne at the Bungalow but at the head of the field, Dunlop’s first lap of 123.637mph not only put him 17.5s clear but was also a new class lap record, quicker than what he’d gone before on the Paton.
With no pit stop, he continued for his second lap and there was change behind him as Jordan (121.695mph) had taken over second from Browne (121.682mph) albeit only just with the gap between the two only 0.122s.
Hickman (119.926mph) remained in fourth but had slipped 16.3s behind Browne and was only 4.3s ahead of Coward. Yeardsley was a similar distance behind in sixth as Dominic Herbertson (KTS Macadam Triumph Factory Racing), Dokoupil, Barry Furber (DC Motorcycles Newtown Yamaha) and Sweeney completed the top ten.
Yet another new fastest sector time, from the Grandstand to Glen Helen, added another five seconds to Dunlop’s lead but the battle for second was continuing to rage, only 0.2s between Jordan and Browne. And by Ballaugh, Browne had reclaimed second by 1.1s, the Irishman adding another eight tenths of a second to his advantage on the run to Ramsey.
Hickman was looking secure in fourth as Coward and Yeardsley continued to circulate in fifth and sixth respectively. Herbertson was still in seventh, but Furber had overhauled Dokoupil for eighth.
A stunning final lap of 124.530mph gave Dunlop a commanding victory by 28.775s but the battle for second went all the way to the chequered flag as Browne (123.273mph) and Jordan (123.185mph) both set personal best laps in the class, breaking the 123mph barrier for the first time. Both riders were also inside the Supertwin lap record, but it was Browne who got the verdict by the slender margin of 0.663s!
Hickman (121.952mph) was another to go quicker than before as he claimed a solid fourth place ahead of Coward (120.902mph) and Yeardsley (119.587mph), who took a career-best sixth, with Herbertson, Furber, Dokoupil and Sweeney completing the top ten.
AJ Venter (TH Racing Kawasaki) just missed out on the top ten in 11th with Shaun Anderson finishing 18th on the CF Moto and newcomer Rhys Stephenson (Rocket Racing/Pell Plant Hire Triumph) lapping at a strong 114.073mph on the final lap to take a fine 24th place.
Meanwhile, Mark Parrett finished in 35th place as he became just the sixth rider to make 100 TT starts, following in the footsteps of David Madsen-Mygdal, Ian Lougher, Jim Hodson, John McGuinness and Joey Dunlop.
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©Words/Images above are from an official press release posted courtesy Isle of Man TT Races
For more Isle of Man TT Races news head to our dedicated page: Isle of Man TT Races News Home Page
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What are the Isle of Man TT Races
There are very few sporting events in the world with the tradition, heritage, and prestige of the Isle of Man TT Races. Despite being the world’s oldest continuous motorsports event, the TT remains, however, as fascinating and relevant today – continuously inspiring new generations of riders to come and race the Mountain Course.
Largely unchanged since 1911, the 37.73 miles of public roads simply capture the imagination like no other motorcycling venue can. The TT Course, whilst difficult to learn, is even harder to master – requiring immense levels of skill and concentration as speeds nudge an incredible 200mph.
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