Road Racing: Peter Hickman hits 132mph on day two

The second day of practice is over, with Peter Hickman already hitting over 132mph.

In the Superstock category, it was Michael Dunlop who ended as fastest on day two of running at the TT. Dunlop set a lap speed of 131.843mph, improving on his time from yesterday.

Davey Todd had a strong day on the Superstock machine, ending the day in second place on the Padgetts Honda. Todd only set one lap on the Superstock machine, as he focused on the Superbike on day two.

Josh Brookes ended the day in third position on the FHO machine, 45 seconds behind Michael Dunlop. Brookes will be racing in three classes in this year’s TT racing in the Superbike, Supertwin, and Superstock classes.

Shaun Anderson had an impressive day two, ending the second qualifying session in fourth place. Anderson will race with the Team Classic Suzuki onboard their Suzuki 2019 GSX-R1000R.

Mike Browne was in fifth, ahead of Dean Harrison and James Hillier in sixth and seventh position. Phill Crowe, Michael Rutter, and Brian McCormack rounded out the top 10 in a thrilling session. Only 13 Superstock bikes took to the circuit on day two, with most riders focusing on their Superbike.

Superbike

Peter Hickman was the fastest rider on Tuesday night, setting the pace for the rest of the week. Hickman set a lap speed of 132.079mph, setting a time of 17.08.386 minutes onboard the FHO machine. 

Dean Harrison was in second place with a lap speed of 131.974mph, just 0.819 seconds behind Hickman. Harrison continues with the DAO Racing Kawasaki and will ride a Yamaha R6 in the Supersport class.

It was the first class of the week that Michael Dunlop did not finish fastest, with Dunlop ending the session in third. Michael Dunlop went faster on Tuesday night onboard his Superstock bike than his Superbike. 

Conor Cummins ended the second night of practice in fourth position, beginning to build up into race week. His teammate Davey Todd was in fifth place as the Padgetts team began to show their pace.

Jamie Coward was impressive on the second night of practice, ending the qualifying in sixth position. Coward will continue with the KTS Racing team in 2023, looking to repeat previous success.

James Hillier was in seventh on the OMG machine, with a lap speed of 128.189mph on day two at the TT. It was a highly competitive field, with David Johnson, John McGuinness, and Phil Crowe rounding out the top 10.

The Supersport/Supertwin practice would be cancelled due to an oil spill at the bottom of Barregarrow. This caused a delay to the later Sidecar session as well, making conditions not ideal for riders.

Sidecars

Ben and Tom Birchall were unstoppable on day two at the 2023 Isle of Man TT, putting down two laps. They sent a lap speed of 118.316mph on the second day of running at the TT, showing their pace.

Peter Founds and Jevan Walmsley’s outfit was in second position, 21.820 seconds behind the Birchall brothers. Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes were a further 39.274 seconds behind, with a lap speed of 112.338.

Steve Ramsden and Mathew Ramsden were in fourth position onboard the LCR Honda-powered Sidecar. It was a tightly packed field, with the outfit of Gary Bryan and Phillip Hyde a further second behind.

Riders and teams will already be looking forward to the third night of running, with the Superbike, Superstock, and Sidecars hitting the track.

Image credit: iomttraces.com