Road Racing: Michael Dunlop breaks 130mph in Supersport

June 7, 2023 June 8, 2023

Michael Dunlop wins his 25^th TT and became the first rider to set a 130mph in Supersport, with Ben and Tom Birchall dominating in Sidecars.

The first race of Wednesday’s race action was the 3wheeling.media Sidecar TT for their second race of the week. The competition was high after the Birchall brothers broke the lap record in race one.

John Holden would announce his retirement before the second race after a very successful career. Conrad Harrison and Andrew Winkle also announced both of their retirements before the start of the race.

As the race got underway, it was Ben and Tom Birchall who was first on the road and first on the timing sheets at Glen Helen. They led early in the race from Peter Founds and Jevan Walmsley.

Ryan and Callum Crowe had a strong start to their race, fighting for the final place on the podium. The Crowe brothers have shown tremendous grit and determination at the 2023 TT after returning after a crash.

Ben and Tom Birchall began to extend their race lead to five seconds from Peter Founds and Jevan Walmsley. Ryan and Callum Crowe managed to create a comfortable gap between themselves and John Holden and Maxime Vasseur. Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes had a great start to their race and sat in fifth.

Birchall’s break the lap record

The Birchall brothers began to put the hammer down on lap two, and the duo created one of the most spectacular Sidecar laps. At the line, the lap speed was incredible, setting an average lap speed of 120.645mph. This lap speed allowed their lead to extend to 11.629 seconds.

Dave Molyneux and Dan Sayle would retire from the race on lap two, ending their nettle for sixth place. Dan Knight and Ben Hughes also retired from the race on the second lap after sitting in 13^th.

Ben and Tom Birchall were unstoppable once again, putting in another great lap and ending their race 9.147 seconds ahead. Peter Founds and Jevan Walmsley joined the 120mph club after a great lap. They set a lap speed of 120.079mph, setting a great lap time on the final lap.

Ryan and Callum Crowe rounded out the podium positions ahead of Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes. Steve Ramsden and Mathew Ramsden rounded out the top five after a great Sidecar race two.

Supersport Race two

Michael Dunlop was a man on a mission in the opening stages of the race, leading the way on the #6 R6. Dean Harrison was just behind in second position after starting second on the road. Peter Hickman was in third place in the early stages, with Davey Todd and James Hillier behind.

Dunlop would expand to over five seconds in the opening stages of the race, showing his consistency once again. Peter Hickman was a further two seconds behind, racing the Triumph 765 machine.

Hickman eventually made his way into second, ahead of Dean Harrison and Jamie Coward onboard the KTS Racing machine. Davey Todd continued his fight for the podium in fifth, ahead of James Hind.

The riders would make their pitstops, with everyone getting a clean getaway after some fuel and new tyres. After the pitstops, normal action would resume, with Dunlop leading and looking to add another TT win to his tally.

The final lap of the race was incredible, and they produced the fastest-ever Supersport laps of all time. Michael Dunlop set a lap speed of 130.403mph, becoming the first rider to hit 130mph on a Supersport machine. Just seconds later, Hickman set a 130.219mph lap onboard the Triumph.

At the line, it was Michael Dunlop who took his 25^th Isle of Man TT race win after an epic dual between the two riders. Peter Hickman came home in second position, 9.617 seconds behind. Dean Harrison finished in third position and finished ahead of Davey Todd onboard the Padgetts Honda.

Jamie Coward rounded out the top five, finishing a further 21.623 seconds behind on the Yamaha R6. James Hind, Paul Jordan, and Craig Neve rounded out the top eight in an impressive Supersport field.

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Image credit: iomttraces.com