Dunlop dominant in Supersport TT Race 2.

Another day of delays; initially due to being wet after overnight rain; and then due to a medical emergency inside the course at Kirk Michael. When the race began there were high, dark clouds over the mountain section, but well clear of the course. The main problem was the strong wind. At May Hill the riders had a tail wind from Parliament Square to Cruickshanks Corner; but as they took the corner and then powered away, they were hit by a cross wind coming between the two terraces of houses. Yet again, it was unseasonably cold for the spectators gathered in the gardens to watch the cation.

At 13.00 Sir Mark Cavendish set Paul Jordan off towards the stomach churning drop down Bray Hill. In the first Supersport Race 1 Michael Dunlop took some time to get up to full pace; today he was on the case from the off. With Ducati chiefs in attendance, he had a new livery on the bike and set out to impress. He was fastest over the 9 miles to Glen Helen; he led from Dean Harrison by 0.241s. Davey Todd was third 0.122s behind Harrison; James Hillier was 4^th 0.048s further back. James Hind was 5^th and Mikey Evans was 6^th. It was close; the top 10 covered by just 7s.

At Ballaugh, Dunlop had increased his lead to 1.506s; behind Harrison the other top 6 positions were unchanged. Soon the machines could be heard coming into Ramsey. The first to burst into view was Paul Jordan; the screaming of the engine reverberating off the house walls. Dean Harrison was next; he had taken away more than half of his starting interval of 20s from Jordan in the 24 miles to White Gates. We then had the Kawasakis of Davo Johnson and James Hillier before Dunlop and the booming Panagale came into view; the blue, black, yellow and red livery looked well in the sunlight. The timing beam showed Dunlop to be 2.888s ahead of Harrison. Todd was matching Harrison; his deficit only 0.11s. Hillier was right in the mix; he was only 0.294s down on Todd; these four had opened an 8s gap from their chasers.

An opening lap at 127.790mph gave Dunlop a lead of 1.916s over Harrison (127.560mph). Hillier and Todd also lapped at over 127mph. Hind held 5^th, with Josh Brookes up to 6^th. Dunlop was superb on the run to Glen Helen; adding 3s to his lead. Almost half way around the second lap; he had a lead of 7.062s over Harrison. Davey Todd was third 8.8s behind Harrison. Hillier’s bike expired at Sarah’s Cottage; promoting Hind to 4^th. At May Hill, Harrison now led on the road; but on corrected time he was 10.36s behind Dunlop. Todd held third; a rapid run into Ramsey had lifted Jordan to 4^th; Hind was 5^th; Brookes was 6^th.

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A lap at 129.297mph; amazing in the windy conditions; gave Dunlop a lead of 15.923s as he entered pit lane for refuelling. Harrison and Todd lapped at over 127mph; with Jordan over 126mph. Harrison and Todd had the fastest stops; gaining 2.6s and 4s respectively from Dunlop. Dunlop was fastest in the sectors to Ramsey; his lead was up to 21.083s. The leader board riders were impressive through May Hill; with Todd widest out of the corner and clearly pushing hard.

Starting the final lap Dunlop led by 21.591s from Harrison; whose machine was beginning to give him some concern. Dunlop gained another 1s in the run to Glen Helen. Harrison’s concerns seemed unfounded; because he gained 2.5s from Todd. Half way around the final lap Dunlop led by 22.343s; Harrison was in turn 16.636s ahead of Todd. Hind; Jordan and Brookes completed the top 6; with only 0.434s separating Jordan and Hind. The action was excellent at May Hill; with several of the leading riders having the front wheel pawing the air as they charged away.

With just the final mountain crossing to go Dunlop had a comfortable margin of 22.92s over Harrison. At the Bungalow, the lead was 24.947s. Of the leader board riders, only Hind set his best time of the race on this climb to the Bungalow. A final lap of 127.771mph gave Dunlop his 32^nd victory and continued his long mastery of the Supersport class. He gave praise to his team for burning the midnight oil to have the bike ready for its task. A relieved Harrison’s final lap of 127.221mph left him 26.181s behind Dunlop; he was satisfied that nothing more could have been. Todd was happy to be on the podium; also satisfied that he had extracted the most from his machine.

It was just after they had finished that ominous black cloud reached Ramsey and began dropping rain that would not have been out of place in Texas. In the west of the island some hailstones joined in the fun. This meant that Sidecar Race 2 was rescheduled for Friday; which will now have 3 races; weather permitting. There will be a welcome race free day on Thursday; giving us all a chance to catch our breath.

Monster Energy Supersport Race 2

1. Michael Dunlop       Milwaukee / Quattro Ducati                      126.670mph
2. Dean Harrison         Honda                                                             125.902mph
3. Davey Todd              Milenco Padgetts Honda                             125.441mph
4. Paul Jordan             Jackson Honda                                              124.350mph
5. Jim Hind                  North Lincs Suzuki                                       124.262mph
6. 6.Josh Brookes           Jackson Honda                                           124.000mph