2023 Isle of Man TT Results

June 4, 2023 | DAY SEVEN

Dunlop Claims His 23rd TT Win in the RST Superbike Race 1

Michael Dunlop Tied With John McGuinness as second most successful TT rider.

Michael Dunlop broke the race record by almost a minute to win the RST Superbike race, his 23rd victory in total, which brings him even to John McGuinness’ wins, placing them both as second most successful TT riders behind Joey Dunlop's 26 Isle of Man TT victories.

The following is a race report/press release from IOMTT…

BY PHIL WAIN/IOMTT Races

Michael Dunlop's grip of the 2023 Isle of Man TT Races continued on Sunday afternoon as he broke the race record by almost a minute to win the RST Superbike race, his 23rd victory in total, which saw him draw level with John McGuinness as the second most successful TT rider ever.

Dunlop led from start to finish on the Hawk Racing Honda to win by 8.2 seconds as Peter Hickman (Monster Energy by FHO Racing BMW) narrowly missed out on a new outright lap record with a speed of 135.445mph on his final lap. Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki) was again third.

Michael Dunlop levels with John McGuiness as the second most successful TT rider ever.

Dunlop grabbed the lead on the first run to Glen Helen, his lead over Harrison a miniscule 0.145 seconds and it was Davey Todd (Milenco by Padgett's Motorcycles Honda) in third, 1.2 seconds further back. Hickman, experiencing quickshifter issues, slotted into fourth, 0.866 seconds behind Todd and 2.3 seconds behind Dunlop. James Hillier (OMG Racing Yamaha) and John McGuinness MBE (Honda Racing) ran in fifth and sixth just ahead of Jamie Coward (KTS Racing powered by Steadplan Honda) and Josh Brookes (Monster Energy by FHO Racing BMW).

Dunlop still led at Ballaugh but his lead over Harrison had increased to 3.1 seconds with the running order behind the same although Hickman was now only 0.3 seconds adrift of Todd. By Ramsey, Dunlop's lead had stretched again and was now 4.5 seconds but Hickman had overhauled Todd for third with Coward doing the same to McGuinness for sixth.

Up and down Snaefell for the first time and with an opening lap of 134.519 mph, Dunlop led Harrison by 6.2s. The Kawasaki man was 4.9 seconds clear of Hickman who, in turn, held a slender half second advantage over Todd. Hillier still ran in fifth after also lapping at more than 132 mph, which made him the fastest Yamaha rider ever around the Mountain Course, with the top ten completed by Coward, McGuinness, Brookes, Dominic Herbertson and Shaun Anderson.

Mike Browne was an early caller into the pits at the end of lap one before continuing but back at the head of the field and Dunlop added another second to his lead by the time he swept through Glen Helen for the second time. Indeed, the Ulsterman was increasing the gap at every timing point as he appeared on course to set a new outright lap record.

Through Ramsey, the gap was 10.1 seconds with Harrison 8.3 seconds ahead of Hickman who had pulled clear of Todd who was now coming under pressure from Hillier, the gap between the two hovering around two seconds. Coward was still in a good sixth with both him and Hillier having overtaken seventh placed McGuinness on the road.

A second lap speed of 135.046 mph meant Dunlop fell just short of the outright lap record but, more importantly, his lead over Harrison had gone out to 14.6 seconds as he came into the pits for his first stop. Hickman was now 6s behind Harrison but 19 seconds clear of Todd who had stretched out the gap to Hillier to 7.5 seconds. Coward remained in sixth with McGuinness, Brookes, Herbertson and Anderson the running order behind.

In a repeat of Saturday's Supersport race, Dunlop was controlling the race from the front with Hickman slowly reeling Harrison in as they battled for second whilst Hillier was now up to fourth having pulled four seconds clear of Todd halfway round lap three.

At half race distance, Dunlop's lead had gone up to 18.8s but there was disappointment for Todd whose race was over as he pulled into the pits to retire. That elevated Hillier up to fourth with Coward and McGuinness now up to fifth and sixth respectively and, further back, Rob Hodson moved into the top ten.

A fourth lap speed of 134.192mph meant Dunlop's lead went over 20 seconds for the first time with Harrison still keeping Hickman at bay. The fab three were more than a minute clear of the rest of the field with Hillier, Coward and McGuinness still running in fourth to sixth after more 130mph+ laps. Brookes, Herbertson, Hodson and Michael Rutter filled the rest of the top ten positions.

The second and final pit stop at the end of the fourth lap saw the gaps change slightly with Dunlop's lead back down to 19 seconds but, crucially, now just 3.6 seconds between Harrison and Hickman. Coward had also closed to within seven seconds of Hillier.

Dunlop was able to control the race over the final two laps, despite Hickman's late charge and came home for his second win of the week with Harrison completing the podium in third.

Hillier and Coward were rewarded for their fine rides with fourth and fifth as McGuinness, Brookes, Herbertson, Rutter and Anderson completed the top ten.

What's happening with Cycle News‘ Rennie Scaysbrook? Here's his third video update below:

More eventful action as Rennie switches teams mid-week! Thumbnail photo credit: Dave Purves

June 3, 2023 | DAY SIX

Birchalls Set Record-Breaking 120+ mph Lap in Sidecar Class

This is a race report/press release from IOMTT…

BY PHIL WAIN/IOMTT Races

Ben and Tom Birchall claimed their 13th victory at the Isle of Man TT Races in record-breaking style during the 3wheeling.media Sidecar TT Race 1 as they became the first ever crew to lap the 37.73-mile Mountain Course at more than 120 mph.

There was no stopping the duo as they posted a lap of 120.357 mph on their second lap which broke the challenge of Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley with an eventual winning margin of 24.066 seconds giving them their tenth win in a row. John Holden/Maxime Vasseur completed the podium in third.

Through Glen Helen on lap one, the Birchalls led Founds/Walmsley by 3.9 seconds with the Crowe brothers a further 4.1 seconds adrift as Holden/Vasseur, Gary Bryan/Phil Hyde and Daryl Gibson/Tom Christie occupied fourth to sixth but three of the fancied runners were already out, Dave Molyneux/Dan Sayle at the Highlander, Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes at Greeba Bridge and Conrad Harrison/Andrew Winkle at Crosby.

The Birchalls eked out another two seconds on the run to Ballaugh but by Ramsey Hairpin, Founds/Walmsley had responded and cut their deficit to 3.5 seconds. The Crowes continued to run in a comfortable third, 12.9 seconds behind Founds/Walmsley, and although Holden/Vasseur were still in fourth, Gibson/Christie had overtaken Bryan/Hyde for fifth.

The lead was back up to 4.8 seconds at the Bungalow and although the Birchalls had an opening lap of 118.577 mph, Founds/Walmsley weren't letting them get away with their lap of 118.230 mph seeing a gap of 3.3 seconds as they started their second lap.

It looked almost certain to be a two-horse race with the Crowes more than 20s behind in third and while Holden/Vasseur continued in fourth, the battle for fifth was very much on with Gibson/Christie, Steve and Matty Ramsden and Bryan/Hyde covered by just three seconds. Newcomer Gibson lapped at a very impressive 111.093 mph.

Second time around and the Birchalls had doubled their advantage by the time they reached Glen Helen and with three more seconds added on the high-speed section to Ballaugh, the lead was looking a lot more healthy at 10.1 seconds

That trend continued for the remainder of the lap and little wonder having smashed their own lap record and setting the first 120 mph lap in the process at 120.357 mph. Despite a new personal best of 119.023 mph, Founds/Walmsley found themselves 16 seconds adrift and Holden/Vasseur were now in third after the Crowes retired at Keppel Gate. They were 10 seconds clear of new fourth placed crew the Ramsdens, on course for their best TT result, with Gibson/Christie and Bryan/Hyde completing the top six.

The third and final lap saw the Birchalls control their lead and the history makers duly came home for the victory with Founds/Walmsley in another strong second place but the battle for the final podium went all the way to the end. But despite a new best lap of 112.660 mph, the Ramsdens fell short by 3.5s as Holden recorded his 22nd podium with passenger Vasseur achieving it for the first time.

Bryan/Hyde took fifth ahead of Gibson/Christie – who lapped at 111.772 mph on their final lap – with Wayne Lockey/Matthew Rostron, Greg Lambert/Andrew Haynes. John and James Saunders and Alan Founds/Colin Smyth completing the top ten.

Ben and Tom Birchall claimed their 13th victory at the Isle of Man TT Races in record breaking style during the 3wheeling.medis Sidecar TT Race 1 as they became the first ever crew to lap the 37.73-mile Mountain Course at more than 120 mph.

There was no stopping the duo as they posted a lap of 120.357 mph on their second lap which broke the challenge of Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley with an eventual winning margin of 24.066 seconds giving them their tenth win in a row. John Holden/Maxime Vasseur completed the podium in third.

Through Glen Helen on lap one, the Birchalls led Founds/Walmsley by 3.9 seconds with the Crowe brothers a further 4.1 seconds adrift as Holden/Vasseur, Gary Bryan/Phil Hyde and Daryl Gibson/Tom Christie occupied fourth to sixth but three of the fancied runners were already out, Dave Molyneux/Dan Sayle at the Highlander, Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes at Greeba Bridge and Conrad Harrison/Andrew Winkle at Crosby.

The Birchalls eked out another two seconds on the run to Ballaugh but by Ramsey Hairpin, Founds/Walmsley had responded and cut their deficit to 3.5 seconds. The Crowes continued to run in a comfortable third, 12.9 seconds behind Founds/Walmsley, and although Holden/Vasseur were still in fourth, Gibson/Christie had overtaken Bryan/Hyde for fifth.

The lead was back up to 4.8 seconds at the Bungalow and although the Birchalls had an opening lap of 118.577 mph, Founds/Walmsley weren't letting them get away with their lap of 118.230 mph seeing a gap of 3.3 seconds as they started their second lap.

It looked almost certain to be a two-horse race with the Crowes more than 20s behind in third and whilst Holden/Vasseur continued in fourth, the battle for fifth was very much on with Gibson/Christie, Steve and Matty Ramsden and Bryan/Hyde covered by just three seconds. Newcomer Gibson lapped at a very impressive 111.093 mph.

Second time around and the Birchalls had doubled their advantage by the time they reached Glen Helen and with three more seconds added on the high-speed section to Ballaugh, the lead was looking a lot more healthy at 10.1 seconds.

That trend continued for the remainder of the lap and little wonder having smashed their own lap record and setting the first 120 mph lap in the process at 120.357 mph. Despite a new personal best of 119.023 mph, Founds/Walmsley found themselves 16 seconds adrift and Holden/Vasseur were now in third after the Crowes retired at Keppel Gate. They were 10 seconds clear of new fourth placed crew the Ramsdens, on course for their best TT result, with Gibson/Christie and Bryan/Hyde completing the top six.

The third and final lap saw the Birchalls control their lead and the history makers duly came home for the victory with Founds/Walmsley in another strong second place but the battle for the final podium went all the way to the end. But despite a new best lap of 112.660 mph, the Ramsdens fell short by 3.5s as Holden recorded his 22nd podium with passenger Vasseur achieving it for the first time.

Bryan/Hyde took fifth ahead of Gibson/Christie—who lapped at 111.772 mph on their final lap—with Wayne Lockey/Matthew Rostron, Greg Lambert/Andrew Haynes. John and James Saunders and Alan Founds/Colin Smyth completing the top ten.

June 3, 2023 | DAY SIX

Isle of Man TT 2023: Dunlop dominates first Supersport race for 22nd win

Michael Dunlop took his his 10th victory in the class and 22nd career win in the opening Supersport race of the 2023 Isle of Man TT, just one away from moving into second on the all-time winners’ list and joining John McGuinness—who is not competing in the Supersport class this year—on 23.

Dunlop set an unofficial class lap record of 135.531 mph with his MD Racing Yamaha and crossed the finish line 12.3 seconds in front of Peter Hickman on the K2 Trooper Beer Triumph, with third-placed Dean Harrison bringing his BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha R6 in just 0.394 of a second behind Hickman.

Fourth went to KTS Racing's Jamie Coward, who was 41.2 seconds behind Harrison, with Davey Todd completing the top five on his Padgetts Racing Honda, 2.8 seconds behind Coward.

Local rider Ryan Cringle was the best newcomer in 22nd after lapping at 120.364 mph on his final lap.

Here is the complete press release from IOMTT…

Michael Dunlop dominates first Supersport race for 22nd win

BY PHIL WAIN/IOMTT Races

Michael Dunlop got race week underway at the Isle of Man TT Races with victory in the opening Monster Energy Supersport TT Race, his 10th victory in the class and 22nd in total.

Riding the MD Racing Yamaha, Dunlop grabbed the lead at Ballaugh on lap one and was never headed, eventually winning with a race record time by 12.3seconds with Peter Hickman (K2 Trooper Beer Triumph) getting the better of Dean Harrison (BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha) for second, the gap between the two at the end of four laps just 0.394 seconds.

With superb conditions again all-round the Mountain Course, Harrison led through Glen Helen on lap one, his advantage over Dunlop half a second with Hickman a further second back in third.

Davey Todd (Milenco by Padgett's Motorcycles Honda) was another seven-tenths of a second back with Harrison's teammate James Hillier two-tenths adrift of the Honda rider.

Jamie Coward (KTS Racing powered by Steadplan Yamaha) rounded out the early top six with 3.4s covering the top six riders but Mike Browne was a non-starter having blown an engine in the earlier warm-up lap.

Dunlop nosed ahead on the run to Ballaugh with his advantage over Harrison now 1.5 seconds with a similar distance back to Hickman. Coward had moved up to fourth though having overhauled both Todd and Hillier. Behind them, James Hind and Craig Neve were going well in seventh and eighth.

The lead had stretched to 3.6 seconds at Ramsey and the gap widened as Dunlop went up and over Snaefell Mountain, an opening lap of 128.305 mph giving him a 5.4s advantage over Harrison. Hickman remained in third but was now 4.6 seconds adrift of Harrison although he was holding a similar gap over fourth-placed Coward.

Todd and Hillier were locked in battle for fifth with Hind still in seventh but there was change further back with Paul Jordan up to eighth ahead of Rob Hodson and David Johnson.

Jamie Coward narrowly missed a podium, securing himself fourth place.Lap two and Harrison continued to lead on the road, but he was continually losing ground to Dunlop, the gap at Glen Helen up to 7.3 seconds. Dunlop had also overtaken Coward so had clear track ahead of him and had Harrison firmly in his sights. Third to sixth remained the same but Jordan had now got ahead of Hind for seventh.

Dunlop continued to extend his lead throughout the second lap and as he came into the pits for fuel, an improved lap speed of 129.136 mph gave him a healthy 13.4s advantage. Harrison, in turn, was only 8.6s clear of Hickman with Coward still in contention for a podium position as he sat just 6.2 seconds adrift.

Todd and Hillier were still running in fifth and sixth with Jordan in seventh but Hodson and Johnson both moved up a place as Hind was hit with a 30 second penalty for speeding in pit lane, the youngster dropping out of the top ten because of the indiscretion.

After the fuel stop, Harrison cut Dunlop's lead by two seconds on the third run to Glen Helen with Coward losing time at the pits and falling into the clutches of Todd, the gap between them now down to two seconds.

Back at the front and Dunlop quickly reasserted himself back in the race and going into the fourth and final lap, his lead stood at 17.5s. With a comfortable advantage, all eyes fell on the battle for second with Hickman cutting the gap to Harrison to just 3.9 seconds. Coward, meanwhile, had edged away from Todd once more to the tune of 5.3 seconds with Hillier in a safe sixth.

With a healthy margin, Dunlop was able to ride to his signals on the final lap and duly took the chequered flag for yet another TT victory, but Hickman closed in on Harrison throughout the lap and finally got the better of him on the one-mile dash from Cronk ny Mona to the Grandstand, aided by a 129 mph+ lap.

Coward saw off the challenge of Todd to take a fine fourth with Hillier in sixth ahead of Jordan, Johnson, Hodson and Hind who recovered from his penalty to take tenth. Local rider Ryan Cringle was the best newcomer in 22nd after lapping at 120.364 mph on his final lap.

June 2, 2023 | DAY FIVE

Record Breaking End to Qualifying as Dunlop Hits New Heights

This is a press release from IOMTT Races…

BY PHIL WAIN

The Isle of Man TT Races were set alight this afternoon as Michael Dunlop unofficially broke the outright lap record with a stunning lap of 135.531 mph on the Hawk Racing Honda, almost six tenths of a second inside Peter Hickman's official lap of 135.452 mph set in the 2018 Senior TT Race.

Hickman wasn't far behind his Honda rival with a lap of 134.91 mph on the FHO Racing BMW with Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki) also above the 134mph barrier at 134.216 mph.

Dunlop was also in scintillating form in the Supertwin class with a standing start lap of 123.474mph on his Paton, five seconds quicker than the mark he set on Monday evening and six and a half seconds quicker than the official record he set in 2018. For good measure, he also topped the Supersport class.

On a gorgeous, sunny afternoon, it was the Sidecar class that got proceedings underway, and Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley (FHO Racing Honda) were quickest on the opening lap with a speed of 117.807 mph. The Crowes were a little bit further behind on their Haven Homes Honda after lapping at 116.452 mph whilst the Birchall's, yesterday's record breakers, lapped at a leisurely 81.928 mph after stopping at Ballacraine.

Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes (113.509mph) were next up, and they were followed by Gary Bryan/Phil Hyde (112.088) and John Holden/Maxime Vasseur (112.046), the last two both setting their best laps of the week. That also applied to Steve and Matty Ramsden (111.442) and Daryl Gibson/Tom Christie (111.148), newcomer Gibson continuing to impress as he posted his first 110 mph+ lap.

Reeves and Wilkes looked on course to better their time before coming to a halt on the Mountain Mile, but the Ramsden's did improve to 112.719 mph, their best lap of the Mountain Course. Dan Knight/Ben Hughes also went quicker at 110.118 mph, their maiden 110 mph+ lap.

The Supersport/Supertwin session followed, and the big headlines were made by Dunlop and Hickman albeit for different reasons, Dunlop unofficially smashing the Supertwin lap record from a standing start with a lap of 123.474 mph. He pulled off the course at Union Mills on his second lap, but he fared better than Hickman who only got as far as Greeba Castle on lap one. He made it back to the Grandstand to get a lap in on his Supersport machine but with no time registered all week, he's failed to qualify for the Supertwin class.

Dunlop's lap was 21seconds quicker than Jamie Coward (121.08 mph) with Frenchman Pierre Yves-Bian (119.131 mph) impressing in third on his Paton. Josh Brookes was continuing to get quicker on the Dafabet Kawasaki and he placed fourth at 118.523 mph ahead of Rob Hodson (118.266 mph) and Paul Jordan (117.455 mph).

After returning to the pits, Dunlop went out on his Supersport machine and topped that session too with a lap of 127.51 mph with Harrison (127.216 mph) the only other rider to break the 127 mph barrier.

Davey Todd (125.715) placed third to give the Milenco by Padgett's Motorcycles team some cheer with Conor Cummins currently hospitalised with an infection. It was then Mike Browne (125.049), Hickman (124.842) and James Hillier (124.761) that rounded out the top six. Newcomers Ryan Cringle (117.333) and Jorge Halliday (114.942) also made further progression on their 600cc machines.

The Superbike/Superstock session completed the day's action, and it was most definitely a case of the best being saved until last as Shaun Anderson (Team Classic Suzuki) led the field away from Sam West, James Hillier, Michael Rutter, David Johnson and John McGuinness.

Dunlop was immediately putting the hammer down and opened with a 134.27 mph lap, Davey Todd (132.194 mph) and Harrison (132.123 mph) slotting into second and third until Hickman – who’d started late – knocked them down a spot with a lap of 133.195 mph. Jamie Coward and John McGuinness were also above 130 mph on their opening lap.

The pace really increased on lap two with Dunlop laying down his stunning 135.531 mph lap, more than 1.5 mph quicker than he’d ever gone before. Hickman wasn't far behind at 134.910 mph with Harrison in third on 134.216 mph. McGuiness (131.003 mph) and Coward (130.945 mph) also went quicker again.

Late in the session, Josh Brookes posted his first 130 mph lap of the week with 131.098 mph putting him fifth quickest overall whilst other impressive laps came from Rob Hodson (129.279 mph) in eighth overall in the Superbike class and James Hind (128.316 mph). Cringle lapped at 121.844 mph.

Few riders went out on their Superstock machines but of those that did, Todd – who’d pulled off the course on his second lap on the Superbike – was quickest at 131.080 mph with Browne's strong week continuing as he came perilously close to his first 130 mph lap at 129.664 mph. Debutante Erno Kostamo set his best lap of the week at 119.806 mph.

Tomorrow sees the first races of this year's TT get underway with the Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 1 and 3wheeling.media Sidecar TT Race 1 taking place. After an unbelievable end to this year's qualifying, it's set to be an incredible week of racing and fans can follow all the action live on TT+.

What's happening with Cycle News‘ Rennie Scaysbrook? Here's his second video update below:

Practice day had a bit more drama than Rennie would like. Thumbnail photo credit: Dave Purves

June 1, 2023 | DAY FOUR

Heat Continues to Rise in Scorching Fourth Qualifying

This is a press release from IOMTT Races…

BY PHIL WAIN

The speeds continued to soar in fourth qualifying for the 2023 Isle of Man TT Races, with the quickest laps ever seen during a qualifying week being set on both two and three wheels.

It was Peter Hickman who was quickest in the Superbike class with a standing start lap of 133.797 mph on the Monster Energy by FHO Racing BMW, which was just 0.162s quicker than Michael Dunlop, the Hawk Racing Honda rider posting a lap of 133.775 mph.

On three wheels, Ben and Tom Birchall not only set the best qualifying lap ever in the Sidecar class but they also dipped inside their own lap record with a speed of 119.414 mph, which was again done from a standing start.

Conditions were again perfect for the fourth day in a row with James Hillier leading the field away this time on the Superstock OMG Racing Yamaha, followed by Hickman, Davey Todd, Jamie Coward and Dunlop. Coward got less than ten miles though as he stopped at Sarah's Cottage with Rob Hodson another early retirement at the exit of Kirk Michael.

Hickman was quickest on the opening lap with his near 134 mph lap and, indeed, several riders set their quickest laps of the evening on the first lap including Todd (131.561), Hickman's team-mate Josh Brookes (129.883), and David Johnson (128.392). Dunlop's opening gambit was 133.191 mph.

Second time around and Hickman did another 133 mph+ lap, this time at 133.553 mph, with Dunlop and Dean Harrison lapping at a similar pace on their Superstock mounts with respective laps of 132.728 mph and 132.700 mph. The gap between the two was just two tenths of a second with Hickman putting in a late lap of 131.952 mph during a solo session which lasted 1hr45min.

Back to the Superbike class and after two laps on his Superstock machine, Dunlop switched to his Superbike and only narrowly missed out on the quickest lap of the night with his lap of 133.775 mph. Harrison went third quickest after lapping at 132.921 mph ahead of Todd, Brookes and Hillier.

Meanwhile, local newcomer Ryan Cringle broke the 120 mph barrier for the first time with a lap of 121.48 mph.

In the Superstock class, the top three was Harrison, Dunlop and Hickman with Hillier in fourth after posting his first 130 mph+ lap of the week at 130.195 mph. Mike Browne was a fine fifth, after a personal best lap of 129.104 mph, with John McGuinness rounding out the top six at 128.821 mph.

As well as the Superstock class, Dunlop was also quickest in the Supersport category with a lap of 127.557 mph – the quickest of the week so far – with Coward (124.675) in second after just getting back in time for a lap on his Yamaha. The top six was completed by James Hind (124.553), Hillier (122.276), Harrison (122.518) and Craig Neve (122.036). Newcomers Jorge Halliday and Jack Petrie went quicker again at 112.932 mph and 112.568 mph, respectively.

That just left the Sidecars to complete the evening's action and the Birchalls ensured their two-wheel counterparts weren't going to get the headlines as they lapped inside their 2018 lap record on their very first lap with a stunning 119.414 mph effort.

Ryan and Callum Crowe slotted into an early second, increasing their pace to 116.142 mph ahead of Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley (113.536), Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes (111.841), John Holden/Maxime Vasseur (111.706) and Gary Bryan/Phil Hyde (110.878).

The Birchalls pulled in but Founds/Walmsley continued for another lap, recording a speed of 117.587 mph to move into second on the leaderboard, with Steve and Matty Ramsden (110.878), the only other crew to break the 110mph barrier. Newcomer Daryl Gibson, with Tom Christie in the chair, came close though with a first lap speed of 109.795 mph.

What's happening with Cycle News‘ Rennie Scaysbrook? Here's his second video update below:

Practice day had a bit more drama than Rennie would like. Thumbnail photo credit: Dave Purves

May 31, 2023 | DAY THREE

Qualifying for this year's Isle of Man TT Races hotted up on tonight with the first 133 mph laps of the week and it was Dean Harrison (pictured below) who was quickest, the DAO Racing Kawasaki rider topping the Superbike class at 133.514 mph.

Harrison was only a second quicker than Michael Dunlop's lap of 133.367 mph on the Hawk Racing Honda with Peter Hickman (FHO Racing Monster Energy BMW) also breaking the 133 mph barrier but in the Superstock class, topping it with a speed of 133.284 mph.

Hickman was also fastest in the Supersport class, his lap of 127.206 mph on the K2 Trooper Beer by PHR Triumph the quickest of the week, whilst Jamie Coward topped the Supertwins with a speed of 120.970 mph on his KTS Racing Kawasaki. Ben and Tom Birchall were again quickest in the Sidecar class at 118.523 mph on their Steadplan/Hager LCR Honda.

With the Island once again enjoying sun-kissed conditions, the Superbike/Superstock session was first out and in a change to previous sessions it was Hickman was the first to leave the line followed by Harrison and Davey Todd (Milenco by Padgetts Honda).

They were quickly followed by Josh Brookes (pictured above) , Michael Dunlop and David Johnson with Hickman, Brookes, Todd and Dunlop all Superstock-mounted but it was Harrison who was quickest on the opening lap with a speed of 133.284 mph.

Hickman lapped at 131.92 mph on his Superstock BMW but Dunlop was quicker at 132.694 mph while Todd posted a lap of 131.711 mph with team-mate Conor Cummins slightly slower at 129.825 mph. Jamie Coward lapped at a similar pace on his KTS Racing Honda, albeit in the Superbike class, at 129.818 mph with James Hillier (pictured below), John McGuinness and Michael Rutter the other riders over 128 mph on the opening lap.

Harrison upped his pace to 133.514 mph on his second lap but Hickman wasn't too far behind on his Superstock BMW with a speed of 133.284 mph. Dunlop switched to his Superbike and recorded a lap of 132.896 mph with Jamie Coward (pictured below) setting a new personal best, albeit unofficial, at 130.940 mph. John McGuinness also broke the 130 mph barrier for the first time this week at 130.035 mph.

Rutter was another to increase his pace with a lap of 129.147 mph while Rob Hodson impressed, the SMT Racing rider lapping at 127.38 mph which, like Coward, was an unofficial best for the Wigan rider. Newcomers Matthieu Lagrive and Ryan Cringle were also improving with respective laps of 117.088 mph and 116.319 mph.

Third time around, Dunlop looked to be on course for setting a new best of the week but a short lap, due to the Supersport/Supertwin session getting underway, meant he fell a second short of Harrison's lap with a speed of 133.367 mph. Hickman lapped just shy of 132 mph while Cummins went fifth quickest with a lap of 130.615 mph just behind Coward but ahead of John McGuinness (pictured below).

In the Supersport session, Dunlop opened with a lap of 124.973 mph but Harrison went slightly quicker at 124.99 mph only for Hickman to knock them down to second and third after a lap of 125.070 mph. Harrison responded with a 125.145 mph only for Hickman to have the final say with an impressive lap of 127.206 mph. Fourth to sixth was occupied by Todd (124.579 mph), Coward (124.484 mph) and Hodson (123.195 mph) and, elsewhere, newcomer Jorge Halliday posted his first 110 mph lap of the Mountain Course.

In the Supertwin session, Coward's strong evening continued as he set the second fastest lap of the week at 120.912 mph. That was the quickest of the night although Mike Browne was continually getting to grips with his Paton and, after a first lap of 118.415 mph, he increased that to 119.787 mph on his second lap. They were followed by Brookes (116.937), Hodson (115.932), Rutter (115.163) and Francesco Curinga (114.552).

At 8.25pm it was the turn of the Sidecars with the Birchalls (pictured above) leading the way on the opening lap at 118.523 mph, seven seconds quicker than Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley (117.786 mph) while Ryan and Callum Crowe were back on track after their spill at Laurel Bank on Monday and recorded a solid lap of 114.128 mph.

Founds/Walmsley improved to 118.159 mph on their second lap and although the Birchalls went back out after changing a front tire, they stopped at Ballacraine.

May 30, 2023 | DAY TWO

This is a press release from IOMTT Races…

Peter Hickman set the quickest lap on the second night of qualifying at the Isle of Man TT Races with the FHO Racing BMW rider lapping at 132.079 mph on his FHO Racing BMW Superbike. That was a second quicker than Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki) with Michael Dunlop a further second back on the Hawk Racing Honda.

Dunlop did, however, top the Superstock class after lapping at 131.843 mph with Ben and Tom Birchall fastest in the Sidecar class with a lap of 118.316mph on their Steadplan/Hager LCR Honda.

With clear blue skies and sunshine once more, riders were warned of the bright sun on the west part of the circuit, including at Union Mills, Ballagarey and the Hawthorn, and it was Harrison who was first away on his Superbike followed by Dunlop who opted for his Superstock machine first time out.

Next to go were David Johnson, Jamie Coward, James Hillier, Josh Brookes, Michael Rutter, Peter Hickman, Davey Todd and Hickman and it was Harrison who was first to complete a lap at 131.974 mph with Dunlop only a fraction slower on his Superstock Honda after lapping at 131.843 mph.

Hickman was quickest on the opening lap though with a speed of 132.079 mph, the first man to break the 132mph barrier this week, whilst Conor Cummins (130.924 mph) slotted into third on the Superbike leaderboard ahead of his Milenco by Padgett's Motorcycles team-mate Todd (129.920 mph), Coward (128.488 mph) and Hillier (128.029 mph).

Brookes, meanwhile, was second quickest in the Superstock category at 126.282 mph with newcomers Erno Kostamo and Matthieu Lagrive lapping at 114.976 mph and 111.560 mph respectively.

Second time around and speeds were slightly slower with Hickman again the quickest at 131.712mph with Harrison lapping at 131.351 mph. Dunlop switched to his Superbike and posted a speed of 131.141 mph but Todd (129.261 mph) and Coward (129.60 mph) were two riders who managed to improve. Cummins was out of luck though, the Manxman reported to have stopped at the 33rd Milestone.

Hillier was another to improve, at 128.189 mph, with Julian Trummer impressing on the WH Racing with Dynobike BMW at 124.247 mph. Shaun Anderson was up to third on the Superstock leaderboard at 125.841 mph just ahead of Mike Browne, the Cork man lapping at 125.745 mph.

Hickman, Harrison and Hillier all went out for a third lap on their Superstock machines with Harrison posting a lap of exactly 125 mph but Hickman experienced problems and pulled off the course at Ballacraine. Speeds were all reduced though due to the setting sun but also due to yellow flags being displayed from the Bottom of Barregarrow to Kirk Michael after Mark Goodings’ bike expired.

Oil on the course, led to the evening's Supersport and Supertwin session being cancelled and it was 8.25 p.m. before the Sidecar class got underway.

The Birchalls were first to complete a lap at 116.828 mph ahead of Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley (116.110 mph) and Gary Bryan/Phil Hyde (110.146 mph) with Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes completing their first lap of the week at 109.623 mph.

Second time around and the Birchalls really upped their tempo with a speed of 118.316 mph and although Founds/Walmsley didn't go any quicker, Reeves/Wilkes did with a lap of 112.338 mph. Steve and Matty Ramsden were also above the 110 mph barrier with their lap of 110.236 mph putting them fourth quickest on the night.

Tomorrow's qualifying session is set to get under at 18:30. However following the disruption to this evening's qualifying session, a revised schedule for Wednesday evening's qualifying has been announced.

What's happening with Cycle News‘ Rennie Scaysbrook? Here's his first video update below:

Rennie is back for the 2023 Isle Of Man. This year he's racing a CBR1000RR prepped by the Wilson Craig Honda Team.

Chris Pritchard and Mike Booth bring you latest news from in and around the paddock from Day 1 of the 2023 IOMTT Races.

Qualifying highlights from the opening session of the 2023 Isle of Man TT Races.

May 29, 2023 | DAY ONE

It was Michael Dunlop that set the pace in last night's qualifying session, topping all four solo classes including an unofficial lap record in the Supertwin category.

This is a press release from IOMTT Races…

BY PHIL WAIN

In the opening qualifying session of the 2023 Isle of Man TT Races it was Michael Dunlop that set the pace, topping all four solo classes including an unofficial lap record in the Supertwin category, with a lap of 122.907 mph, quicker than his 2018 best of 122.750 mph.

Dunlop was also quickest in the Superbike class on the Hawk Racing Honda (131.782 mph), the Superstock class (130.426 mph) on his MD Racing Honda and the Supersport class where he lapped at 127.019 mph on the MD Racing Yamaha. In the Sidecar class, it was Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley who were quickest at 117.431 mph.

It was perfect conditions all around the Mountain Course, the morning's free practice sessions took place under blue skies and sunshine with the first qualifying session getting underway at 2pm. The Supersport and Supertwin machines were first away, Dunlop and Dean Harrison the first to head off towards Bray Hill.

They were quickly followed by Michael Rutter (Bathams Ales Yamaha) and Dominic Herbertson (John M Paterson Ltd/CC Engineering Kawasaki) on their Supertwin machines with James Hillier (BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha) and Paul Jordan (PreZ Racing by Prosper Yamaha) next to go, both Supersport-mounted. Jamie Coward (KTS Racing Kawasaki) and Josh Brookes (Dafabet Racing Kawasaki) were also amongst the early Supertwin starters.

DEAN HARRISON HIT THE FIRST 130 MPH OF THE EVENT ON HIS SUPERBIKE

Harrison was the first to complete a lap at 125.494 mph followed by Jordan (121.796 mph) and Hillier (120.607 mph) but it was Hickman who went quickest at 125.958 mph, four seconds faster than Harrison's lap. Todd slotted into third with a lap of 123.913 mph with Mike Browne (122.161 mph) and Conor Cummins (121.554 mph) also in the mix.

However, the big news was in the Supertwin class with Dunlop unofficially breaking the lap record from a standing start at 122.907 mph. This was almost half a minute quicker than Coward (119.758 mph) with Brian McCormack (118.971 mph), Herbertson (115.895 mph), Brookes (115.518 mph) and Junior Manx GP winner Francesco Curinga (115.183 mph) completing the early leaderboard.

Hickman continued for a second lap on the K2 Trooper Triumph and improved to 126.814 mph with Todd (124.604) and David Johnson (121.788) also bettering their opening lap speed only for Dunlop to go to the top of the leaderboard with a lap of 127.019 mph, 1.7seconds quicker than Hickman.

Supertwin speeds were also on the up with Herbertson (116.821), Brookes (116.470) and Rutter (116.425) all going quicker second time around.

REIGNING CHAMPION PETER HICKMAN WAS ON FINE FORM THROUGHOUT TODAY’S SESSION

The Superbikes and Superstocks were next out at 2.45pm and Harrison was quick out the blocks delivering the first lap over 130 mph with a speed of 130.752 mph on his Superbike which was just quicker than Dunlop's Superstock speed of 130.426 mph.

John McGuinness (127.881 mph) and James Hillier (127.581 mph) were next quickest on their Superbike mounts with Rutter (125.888) and Brookes (125.742) not too far behind, Rutter on the RC213V-S and Brookes on the Superstock BMW. Hickman was late out on track but immediately slotted into second on the Superbike leaderboard with a lap of 130.272 mph with Coward (127.975 mph) going third quickest.

Dunlop switched to his Superbike and posted a lap of 130.658 mph but Harrison increased his pace on lap two to 131.764 mph as did Hickman (131.254 mph), McGuinness (129.398 mph), Coward

(129.017 mph) and Todd (128.211 mph). Dunlop saved the best until last though with a final lap of 131.782 mph putting him quickest on the Superbike despite smoke reported to be coming from the Fireblade.

Brookes was second fastest in the Superstock class with a second lap speed of 126.404 mph ahead of Phil Crowe (126.067) and Mike Browne (125.262).

Meanwhile, newcomers Erno Kostamo (115.468), Matthieu Lagrive (111.839), Ryan Cringle (111.658), Jack Petrie (107.696), Jorge Halliday (107.527) all had a successful first day around the Mountain Course.

IT WAS FOUNDS/WALMSLEY SETTING THE PACE FOR THE SIDECARS

The final session of a busy day was for the Sidecars with Founds/Walmsley setting the initial pace on their FHO Racing Honda at 116.286 mph, which was six seconds quicker than the Birchall's lap of 115.689 mph. Founds/Lowther slotted into third (113.485) ahead of Molyneux/Sayle (112.082) and Bryan/Hyde (111.944).

Both Founds/Walmsley and the Birchalls upped their pace on lap two with the former coming out on top by 2.7seconds with a lap of 117.431 mph compared to 117.153 mph. Newcomer driver Daryl Gibson, who was passenger for Molyneux twelve months ago, impressed with a lap of 107.497 mph with Tom Christie.

Tomorrow's qualifying session is set to get under at 18:30.

Chris Pritchard and Mike Booth bring you latest news from in and around the paddock from Day 1 of the 2023 IOMTT Races.

Qualifying highlights from the opening session of the 2023 Isle of Man TT Races.

What's happening with Cycle News’ Rennie Scaysbrook? Here's his first video update:

Rennie is back for the 2023 Isle Of Man. This year he's racing a CBR1000RR prepped by the Wilson Craig Honda Team.