Michael Dunlop took the first solo victory of the 2013 Isle of Man TT after winning the Dainese Superbike race, his first for Honda, doing so 30 years on from his uncle Joey Dunlop achieving the same feat. Cameron Donald was the nearest challenger in second with John McGuinness overcoming a mid-race penalty to take third.
The identity of the winner was never in doubt from the moment the race got underway with the Honda TT Legends’ rider pulling three seconds clear of Guy Martin on lap one, extending his advantage over the rest of the field to forty seconds by the finish. Donald was a comfortable second but McGuinness made a critical error during his second pitstop, breaking the speed limit, and getting a one-minute penalty which would ultimately cost him a shot victory. He did fight back to third ahead of Martin though with Conor Cummins and Michael Rutter completing the top six.
Dunlop’s success was the story of the day and the Ulsterman was well aware of the significance of his Superbike victory.
“The Superbike was the main goal for me. It’s been a dream of mine and it honestly hasn’t sunk in yet that I’ve won it. I never got to ride with Joey so when I caught John on the road in the tribute livery it was kind of weird and I had to think twice that it wasn’t Joey.
“John was so smooth and he’s taken over the title of King of the Mountain, so to sit behind him and follow those lines was just fantastic. It was a very special moment. The Superbike was just unbelievable, it handled lovely and I can’t thank Honda and the team enough.”
James Hillier was seventh for Quattro Plant Kawasaki ahead of Bruce Anstey and William Dunlop while Josh Brookes’ sensational TT debut continued, becoming the fastest newcomer in history on his way to tenth.
| 2013 Isle of Man TT fuelled by Monster Energy – Dainese Superbike Race Result (6 Laps) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time | Replica |
| 1 | Michael Dunlop | Honda TT Legends | 1:45:29.980 | Silver |
| 2 | Cameron Donald | Wilson Craig Racing | 1:46:10.917 | Silver |
| 3 | John McGuinness | Honda TT Legends | 1:46:51.907 | Silver |
| 4 | Guy Martin | Tyco Suzuki | 1:46:58.894 | Silver |
| 5 | Conor Cummins | Milwaukee Yamaha | 1:47:30.929 | Silver |
| 6 | Michael Rutter | Honda TT Legends | 1:47:34.670 | Silver |
| 7 | James Hillier | Quattro Plant Kawasaki | 1:47:44:791 | Silver |
| 8 | Bruce Anstey | HM Plant Honda by Padgetts | 1:48:03.974 | Silver |
| 9 | William Dunlop | Milwaukee Yamaha | 1:48:58.482 | Silver |
| 10 | Josh Brookes | Tyco Suzuki | 1:49:39.593 | Silver |
| 11 | Dean Harrison | RC Express Racing by MSS | 1:49:56.412 | Silver |
| 12 | Steve Mercer | Penz13.com BMW Racing Team | 1:51:09.062 | Bronze |
| 13 | Lee Johnston | East Coast Construction | 1:52:42.309 | Bronze |
| 14 | Dan Kneen | Marks Bloom Racing | 1:52.50.710 | Bronze |
| 15 | Ben Wylie | AFC Motorsport/PerCup Coffee Compa | 1:52:54.597 | Bronze |
| 16 | Jamie Hamilton | KMR Kawasaki powered by Vauxhall | 1:52:56.779 | Bronze |
| 17 | Robert Barber | Swinton Bikes | 1:53:12.738 | Bronze |
| 18 | Ian Mackman | Norton Motorcycles | 1:53.48.509 | Bronze |
| 19 | Brian McCormack | KMR Kawasaki powered by Vauxhall | 1:53:58.376 | Bronze |
| 20 | Ian Lougher | ILR | 1:54:18.198 | Bronze |
| 21 | Mark Parrett | C and C Ltd | 1:54.18.683 | Bronze |
| 22 | Paul Owen | Team #98 | 1:55:00.072 | Bronze |
| 23 | Jonathan Howarth | Sheff Pack Kawasaki | 1:55:14.570 | Bronze |
| 24 | Paul Shoesmith | Ice Valley by Motorslave Trade | 1:55:19.832 | Bronze |
| 25 | Steve Heneghan | Quattro Plant Kawasaki | 1:55:56.120 | Bronze |
| 26 | Grant Wagstaff | Ducks Cross Racing | 1:56:01.042 | Bronze |
| 27 | Chris Petty | Moto Breakers Doncaster | 1:56:04.230 | Bronze |
