Michael Dunlop has taken his 14th TT win in the first Monster Energy Supersport race, equaling Mike Hailwood’s TT win total.
The race start was delayed by over two hours due to bad overnight conditions, but finally got underway at 1pm, however riders were warned of damp patches at the Ramsey Hairpin, the Nook and the Governor’s Dip.
James Hillier on the JG Speedfit Kawasaki took an early lead, but Dunlop was never far behind with the pair swapping for the lead numerous times throughout the race. Going into the pit stop, Dunlop had a 2.49 second lead on Hillier which had dropped by just under a second. It was really looking to be a two horse race between the two, with William Dunlop sat in 3rd at half race distance as Peter Hickman slowly closed up the gap between the two. Ian Hutchinson was running in 5th, with his closest rival Dan Kneen penalised for riding down pit lane in excess of 90kmh, dropping him down the field. Yesterday’s podium finisher Dean Harrison was out of the race completely, retiring before the pit stop with a broken gear lever.
It took until the final lap for Dunlop to finally break away from Hillier, ending with a 13.2 second lead. Hillier took his 10th TT podium, with Hickman edging out William Dunlop for the final podium spot.
The battle for the Privateer’s Championship ended in victory for Craig Neve who finished 14th overall, from local rider Andrew Dudgeon and Daley Mathison.
TT Supersport results (top 10):
- Michael Dunlop – MD Racing (Yamaha)
- James Hillier – JG Speedfit Kawasaki
- Peter Hickman – Trooper Beer (Triumph)
- William Dunlop – IC Racing/Caffrey International (Yamaha)
- Ian Hutchinson – McAms Yamaha
- Gary Johnson – ReactiveParts Triumph
- Bruce Anstey – Padgetts Honda
- Dan Kneen – Jackson Racing Honda
- Conor Cummins – Padgetts Honda
- James Cowton – McAdoo Racing Kawasaki
Best lap: Peter Hickman: 17:50.792 (126.848mph)