Photos: IOMTT
Michael Dunlop stamped his authority on the PokerStars Senior TT to collect his fourth success of the annual Isle of Man TT, as he completed his second four-timer in two years to boost his tally of TT wins to 11, joining Steve Hislop and Phillip McCallen on the roll of honour. The 25-year-old from Ballymoney in Northern Ireland gave BMW another victory in the Senior race, 75 years after Georg Meier’s win in the same race on the Mountain Course and repeating his earlier win on the same bike in the Superbike category.
His winning margin in the six-lap Senior race was 14 seconds over local ace Conor Cummins on the Honda Racing Fireblade, with Tyco Suzuki’s Guy Martin finishing on the podium in third place with his Tyco Suzuki.
Martin, probably the fastest rider never to win a TT, said, “The bike was just mint and the boys have done a great job again today. We rode a good race, which you can see by the lap times, but we have to take our hat off to Michael – he’s riding well this week and that’s why he has won four.
“That’s probably the best Superbike set-up I’ve ever ridden around here, so yeah, we’ll have to come back next year and try again, won’t we.”
Dunlop set a new lap record for the Senior race at 131.668 mph on his second lap. Outright lap record holder Bruce Anstey finished fourth on the Valvoline Padgett’s Honda ahead of Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s James Hillier, with John McGuinness completing the top six on the second Honda Racing Fireblade.
McGuinness, with 21 TT victories to his credit, has been riding with a barely-healed broken scaphoid bone in his right wrist. The 42-year-old finished a hard-fought sixth on his Honda Fireblade in the Senior race and has vowed to come back for more in 2015. “I’m happy with today’s result and it’s nice to end the week with a good, strong performance on the Superbike. It was always going to be tough and by the middle of race week, it was getting harder and harder, race after race.
“Opting out of Wednesday’s Supersport race gave me that little bit of rest I needed and it made a big difference so I set off in a good frame of mind today. Considering everything that’s happened … to finish inside the top six in both the Superbike and Senior is no disgrace.”
The Lightweight race went to Dean Harrison, whose brilliant week at the Isle of Man TT continued as the Bradford prospect grabbed his maiden victory on the Mountain Course. The RC Express Kawasaki rider joined his father Conrad on the winners’ list at this year’s TT, Conrad winning the opening Sidecar event as the pair became the first father and son to win on the Mountain Course in the same week.
Harrison has long been regarded as a rising star at the TT and has showcased his potential this year, finishing fourth in both Supersport races on the Mar-Train Yamaha and securing an excellent runner-up result in the Superstock event behind Michael Dunlop.
