Friday afternoon brought the best conditions so far at TT 2025. The track was dry; overhead it was mostly sunny; the breeze not a major problem. Location for the session was Milntown Bridge; 23 miles into the course; on the outskirts of Ramsey. Here the machines approach from Pinfold Cottage; leap the bridge and heel the machine over for the right hand bend; holding a line tight to the wall on the inside.
We had an illustrious visitor, namely TT winner Lee Johnston who was providing commentary and insight for the live streaming. Always mercurial; he left us in no doubt just how good this location is for spectating. It is also a great location for photographers; machines approaching at 150mph+.
The early action was superb as Michael Dunlop broke the stillness of the afternoon; producing a fine jump on his Superbike. Conor Cummins was rapid; his front wheel well off the ground. Then came Hicky; with a low, flat jump over the bridge. Davo Johnson was closely followed by Mike Browne; similarly both flat and fast. The came Dean Harrison; he was in sixth gear and produced a gasp inducing jump; but all perfectly under control.
We were treated to some spectacular action throughout the session; with most riders producing their best times of the meeting thus far. Davey Todd topped the Superbike charts on the 8TEN BMW with 132.673mph; a speed that he was well pleased with. Team mate Peter Hickman was second in class at 131.326mph. Conor Cummins is settling in nicely on the Burrows Engineering BMW, he recorded 131.027; whilst fellow Manxman Dean Harrison broke the 130mph barrier for the first time; his speed 130.172mph.
Dean Harrison topped the Superstock chart with 132.853mph. Lap record holder Hickman set 132.290mph; with Todd marginally slower at 132.195mph. Michael Dunlop was the only other rider to exceed 130mph. Ian Hutchinson has brought his NW 200 form to the island; he lapped at 129.756mph. Mike Browne and Dom Herbertson also lapped at over 129mph; with Jim Hind almost there with128.926mph.
Next on track were the Sidecars; first through and amazingly rapid were Ryan and Callum Crowe. Lee Johnston could not believe his eyes when they went through. They set the best ever practice lap on their second lap; the speed 120.202mph. Next through were Ben Birchall / Patrick Rosney; they used a slightly wider line; but were similarly rapid; their best lap was at 115.129mph. Next were podium contenders Lee Crawford / Scott Hardie; Lewis Blackstock / Oscar Lawrence (using the tighter line); they both lapped at over 114mph and Todd Ellis / Emmanuelle Clement (111.641mph). Next through were Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley; they have encountered problems thus far; but seem to have solved them setting the second best speed today with 116.638mph. They will probably be Ryan and Callum’s closest challengers come race day.
The newcomer drivers are impressing greatly; Kieran Clarke / Andrew Johnson lapping at 110.337mph; Stephen Kershaw / Rhys Gibbons at 108.310mph and George Holden / Mark Wilkes at 107.973mph.
The final part of the afternoon saw the Supersports and Supertwins take to the track. This was a packed session that kept our spectators enthralled. Peter Hickman was first through on the Trooper Triumph; he was rapid and gave us a fine low and fast jump. Michael Dunlop was next on the Milwaukee / Quattro Ducati; his jump was even more spectacular. Davo Johnson was grabbing a tow from Michael. Brooks, Hillier, Todd and Hutchinson were fast; producing low flat jumps. Later starting Dean Harrison gave us the leap of the day; superb does not do it justice. Unsurprisingly, he proved to be the best in class; setting the bar at 128.039mph. Michael Dunlop set 127.739mph on his opening lap; the second ended with retirement in the Cronk y Voddy area. He managed to secure transport back to the Grandstand and was able to be the last rider to start a lap in the session; this time on his Supertwin Paton. His efforts were rewarded with the best ever qualifying lap in the class at 122.159mph. Hickman and Todd were third and fourth in the Supersport class at 126.852mph and 125.892mph respectively. Josh Brookes, James Hillier, Paul Jordan and Jim Hind all lapped at over 125mph; this promises to be a very closely fought race.
Local star Mikey Evans has taken to the Dafabet Kawasaki like a duck to water; he was second fastest in the Supertwins at 121.426mph; just ahead of Dom Herbertson (Melbray Paton) at 121.194mph. Mike Browne (KMR Kawasaki) and Davey Todd (Milenco / Padgetts Paton) both lapped at over 120mph; Baz Furber was 6th fastest at 118.583mph.
This was an excellent session with amazing speeds and spectacular action for the spectators gathered in the grounds of Milntown House. Nothing compares to being there; start booking for next year as soon as you can.
