The second qualifying session for the TT was supposed to have taken place on a sunny Wednesday. Unfortunately, the Isle of Man has been hampered by bad conditions, meaning a shorter session had to take place with riders completing only one full lap.
Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson intended to run extra laps at full speed to the Ramsey Hairpin, and then red flag the riders to escort them over the Mountain. However, low-lying mist squashed the chances of the riders having track time to set their qualifying laps.
In the very short amount of track time that was available, Ian Hutchinson and Michael Dunlop set the pace. Hutchy had the edge over Dunlop, reaching a top speed of 128.98mph on his Tyco BMW machinery, compared to Dunlop’s 127.73mph on his Bennetts Suzuki.
Timing (top 6):
Ian Hutchinson – 128.98mph
Michael Dunlop – 127.73mph
Steve Mercer – 123.98mph
Michael Rutter – 123.96mph
Martin Jessopp – 123.94mph
James Hillier – 124.52mph
Other notable times include Bruce Anstey on his first lap of the week on the Honda RC211V, setting a respectable pace of 124.14mph.
Josh Brookes is making his return to the TT with the Norton team, and today lapped at 122.58mph. Finally Lee Johnston on his Padgetts Honda was the quickest 600 lapping at 122.16mph, however, visibility had been significantly reduced by this point.
Dave Sellers reportedly fell at the Gooseneck and was transferred to Nobles hospital with a reported rib injury.
Today’s schedule:
18.20 to 19.10 – Superbike/ Superstock/ Supersport/ Newcomers (all classes bar Lightweight)
19.10 to 19.35 – Supersport/ Lightweight/ Newcomers (all Classes)
19.40 to 20.40 – Sidecars
20.40 to 20.50 – TT Zero 1 lap practice