2024 Isle of Man TT
Supersport TT Race Two
Michel Dunlop closed out TT 24 with a double win on the final day of racing on the Isle of Man. It brought to a close an amazing fortnight for the Ballymoney man that saw him surpass his mythical uncle Joey as the most successful TT rider of all time. His Saturday double takes his tally to 29 wins, and at just 35 years of age, who knows how many victories MD will have by the time he calls time on his career.
Dunlop banked win number 28 in Saturday’s two-lap Monster Energy Supersport race. A Dunlop supersport win has now become a formality in recent years as he has now won the last 6 middle-weight races in a row on the island. It’s hard to imagine anyone getting the better of him any time soon in the category.
Inclement weather conditions continued to blight TT 24 and cause race schedulers real headaches on the final day of the festival. The forecast had been promising for the Saturday, and bike fans all over the island had crossed their fingers and prayed that the three shortened races would run without a hitch, allowing all concerned to sign the week off in style.
Unfortunately, those hopeful fans either hadn’t prayed hard enough, or no one was listening because disruption continued in the same vein that those present had suffered over the past number of days.
Gusting winds and light showers were a slight improvement on what had gone before. However, roads closed at the scheduled time this morning with fans taking up position bright and early in anticipation of seeing some action.
Due to the hard-blowing winds, light rain showers came and went quite quickly. Each time they came, they only splattered a light covering on the track, but it was enough for the organisers to push back the start of the Monster Energy Supersport race time and again.
At midday, we were just 10 minutes away from the start. Lee Johnston and Chris Kinley were in full pre-race mode, interviewing competitors on the line just before the start.
But Sam West was the wisest man in the paddock, for he had brought a deck chair onto the Glencrutchery Road with him in anticipation of further delays, and sure enough, the dreaded ‘attention paddock’ rang out from the Tannoy just as we were good to go. Yet another light shower had just rolled across the mountain. Clearly, this was not West’s first rodeo.
Eventually, at 1 p.m., 2.5 hours behind schedule, Paul Jordan powered away from the line at number one, and we were racing. Fans were as much relieved as they were excited as they desperately waited for news from Glen Helen on lap one.
Riders were warned of damp patches at Glen Helen, Braddan Bridge and Governor’s Dip, which wouldn’t have filled them full of confidence knowing that they had to put the hammer down right from the off. With this being a two-lap sprint race, there was simply no time for bedding in.
Of course, Michael Dunlop is Mr. Supersport. When the riders got to Glen Helen on lap one, the number 6 was at the front.
Davey Todd was just half a second back on the Ducati. But James Hiller was the big news story from the first checkpoint. He had already caught Ian Hutchinson on the road and slotted into 3rd on the striking Bournemouth Kawasaki, resplendent in traditional colours to celebrate 40 years of Kawasaki Ninja. Dean Harrison was hovering just a few tenths behind Hillier in 4th.
At Ballaugh, the gap was just 0.8 seconds, with Harrison now in third ahead of Hillier and Peter Hickman. Jim Hind and Mikey Evans were raising some eyebrows as they circulated in the top 10.
On the opening lap of last Saturday’s opening Supersport race, Harrison had done everything he could to catch Jamie Coward before the mountain so that he could tuck in behind the Stanley Stewart racing man and use the speed of the Triumph to tow him along. He wasn’t quite with him at Ramsey this time, but at the Bungalow, numbers 1,2 and 3 were together on the road.
Dom Herbertson was reported as being out at Kerrowmoar, and Marcus Simpson sustained a hand injury when he came off at the Blackhut. ‘Spartacus’ was airlifted to Noble’s hospital as a precaution.
Dunlop had increased his lead by 2s as he went over the tramlines at The Bungalow, and Harrison’s plan seemed to be working as he closed to within 2-tenths of Todd’s Ducati.
Peter Hickman was making his usual slow start to the race but had caught Craig Neve on the road and was gathering pace. He was just 5s down on Todd at the Bungalow.
Deano was the coming man and was getting more out of the little CBR600RR than anyone had thought possible. By the time they hit the Grandstand and streaked through to start the 2nd and final lap, Harrison was ahead of Todd and within a second of Michael.
However, any hopes spectators had of witnessing a toe-to-toe last-lap scrap for the win would be disappointed. As has been the case all week, when it mattered, Dunlop was able to put the hammer down, and slowly but surely, he pulled away over that final lap. At each time check, he had taken time on Harrison, and he caught and passed Paul Jordan on the road at the Bungalow to lead on the road and on the timesheets. Dunlop majestically soared over the mountain on that final lap to take the win on his famous MD racing Yamaha by 3.9s.
The rest were seemingly powerless to do anything about it. Harrison finished 2.3s ahead of Todd. Jamie Coward was a further 8 behind him after taking lumps out of Hickman on the final circuit. Hickman and James Hillier completed the top 6.
1. Michal Dunlop – Yamaha YZF-R6
2. Dean Harrison – Honda CBR600RR +3.889s
3. Davey Todd – Ducati Panigale V2 +6.232s
Dean Harrison – P2
“I’m super happy to go one better in that Supersport race and get a second. I knew that there were damp patches around the course when we set off, but you didn’t know exactly where it was or how bad it was. So I didn’t quite know how hard to push from the off. My first pit board was P4, and I thought oh, I haven’t gone for it enough. So, at that point, I just got my head down and cracked on with the job. It’s only when the team told me that we were all so close on lap one you realise why it was P4. By the time I had a P2 on a board, I was scratching as hard as I could to keep the position. We’re all so close in lap times; you only need to find a few seconds here and there, and you are a few places better off. To come away with two Supersport podiums from the TT, the first time I’ve raced the bike here, I’m happy with that.”
1. Michal Dunlop – Yamaha YZF-R6
2. Dean Harrison – Honda CBR600RR +3.889s
3. Davey Todd – Ducati Panigale V2 +6.232s
Josh Brookes finished tenth on the Boyce / Russell Racing YZF-R6.
2024 Isle of Man TT Results
Supersport TT Race Two
(Two Laps)
- Michal Dunlop – Yamaha YZF-R6
- Dean Harrison – Honda CBR600RR +3.889s
- Davey Todd – Ducati Panigale V2 +6.232s
- Jamie Coward – Triumph Street Triple 765 Moto2 Edition +14.554s
- Peter Hickman – Triumph Street Triple 765 Moto2 Edition +16.783s
- James Hillier – Kawasaki ZX-6R +22.722s
- Mike Browne – Yamaha YZF-R6 +32.445s
- Paul Jordan – Honda CBR600RR +52.534s
- Michael Evans – Triumph Street Triple 765 RS +73.469s
- Josh Brookes – Yamaha YZF-R6 +74.174s
- Shaun Anderson – Suzuki GSX-R750 +77.512s
- Joe Yeardsley – Yamaha YZF-R6 +90.102s
- Rob Hodson – Yamaha YZF-R6 +90.971s
- Ian Hutchinson – Honda CBR600RR +100.682s
- Craig Neve – Triumph Street Triple 765 Moto2 Edition +115.946s
