Michael Dunlop and Jamie Coward set best times in other classes
Michael Dunlop was the fastest rider in the Supersport class. He reached a speed of 126.917 mph (204.287 km/h) on his MD Racing machine. Jamie Coward led the Supertwin class on his KTS Racing Kawasaki with a speed of 119.285 mph (191.975 km/h). In the Sidecar race, it was once again the Manx brothers Ryan and Callum Crowe who set the fastest lap at 118.814 mph (191.260 km/h).
Exciting races in perfect weather conditions
The Superbike/Superstock session opened the evening on the Mountain Course in sunny but windy conditions. Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) and Jamie Coward (KTS Racing Honda) were the first to take to the track, followed by James Hillier (WTF Racing Honda), Ian Hutchinson (Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles Honda), Davey Todd and Josh Brookes (Monster Energy BMW by FHO Racing).
Michael Rutter (Bathams Ales BMW) and Conor Cummins (Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles Honda) were slower to get going, and Dean Harrison also had problems and eventually had to retire in Parliament Square.
Jamie Coward finished the first lap with a speed of 128.220 mph (206.313 km/h) on his Superstock machine, but Davey Todd was significantly faster on his Superbike at 131.821 mph (212.111 km/h). Michael Dunlop (Hawk Racing Honda) also broke the 130 mph barrier with 130.342 mph (209.766 km/h), followed by Peter Hickman (129.339 mph / 208.150 km/h) and Josh Brookes (129.007 mph / 207.635 km/h). James Hillier was the fastest Superstock rider with a lap of 128.318 mph (206.465 km/h).
More top performances in the second race
Davey Todd decided to go straight out for a second lap, while Coward, Dunlop, Hickman and Hillier pitted. Brookes continued his Superbike lap and reached 205.098 mph (329.999 km/h).
Todd was slightly slower on his second lap at 131.745 mph (211.998 km/h), while Brookes increased his speed to 129.205 mph (207.965 km/h). John McGuinness overtook Brookes and reached 129.269 mph (208.067 km/h), which put him in fourth place in the Superbike class. David Johnson (Platinum Club Kawasaki) was also strong on the track, finishing sixth at 128.348 mph (206.515 km/h). Dunlop came within 0.7 seconds of Todd with his second lap of 131.729 mph (211.972 km/h).
In the Superstock class, Peter Hickman led with a lap of 129.723 mph (208.793 km/h), 7 seconds ahead of Coward, who improved to 128.844 mph (207.359 km/h). Todd overtook them both with a speed of 130.349 mph (209.943 km/h). Cummins finished his first lap at 126.961 mph (204.361 km/h) and was third at 129.286 mph (208.098 km/h). After his initial problems, Harrison finished fourth with 129.226 mph (208.000 km/h).
Supersport/Supertwin session and Sidecar qualifying
The Supersport/Supertwin session started at 19:25 and Michael Dunlop immediately set a best time of 126.034 mph (202.789 km/h), followed by Jamie Coward on his Triumph with 125.674 mph (202.217 km/h). Peter Hickman, Paul Jordan, Mike Browne and Dean Harrison followed. Croatian rookie Loris Majcan finished his first lap at 111.982 mph (180.227 km/h).
Dunlop improved to 126.917 mph (204.287 km/h) and Todd to 125.063 mph (201.262 km/h). Harrison and Jordan also improved their times. In the Supertwin class, Pierre-Yves Bian was initially fastest with 116.930 mph (188.197 km/h), but Mike Browne surpassed him with 118.069 mph (190.009 km/h). Rob Hodson and Jamie Coward overtook Browne, with Coward leading the session at 119.285 mph (191.975 km/h). Hickman later reached 118.851 mph (191.241 km/h).
In the Sidecar session, Founds/Walmsley were first, but were overtaken by the Crowe brothers, who posted their fastest lap on the Mountain Course at 118.814 mph (191.260 km/h). Founds/Walmsley followed with 117.837 mph (189.630 km/h). Birchall/Rousseau and Crawford/Hardie improved before the session was stopped due to a red flag.
Conclusion
The qualifying races for the Isle of Man TT 2024 were characterized by exciting races and impressive speeds. Davey Todd topped the leaderboards, but Michael Dunlop, Jamie Coward and the Manx brothers Crowe also put in strong performances. The anticipation for the races grows with each passing day.
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