Delayed race start and early lead change
Due to two diesel tracks on the Mountain Course, the start of the race was delayed until 12:00 local time. Todd took the lead early – he was already 0.044 seconds ahead of Harrison at Glen Helen. Dunlop, riding a BMW M 1000 RR of the MD Racing team, was 2.8 seconds behind at this point. Nathan Harrison (H&H Motorcycles Honda), Mike Browne (KTS Racing by Stanley Stewart BMW) and James Hind (North Lincs Components Honda) completed the top six. Prominent names such as John McGuinness, Conor Cummins and Josh Brookes were outside the top ten at this point.
Round 1: Todd sets the tone early on
At Ballaugh Bridge, Todd had already extended his lead to 2 seconds, by the time he reached Ramsey it was almost 6 seconds. Dunlop worked his way up to second place, one second ahead of Dean Harrison. Nathan Harrison maintained fourth place, while Dominic Herbertson (HRRC/Adam Hewitt Ltd Honda) moved up to fifth. Todd finished the first lap with an average of 134.275 mph (approx. 216.1 km/h) – that meant a lead of 7.8 seconds on Dunlop (133.236 mph / approx. 214.4 km/h), followed by Dean Harrison with 133.051 mph (approx. 214.1 km/h). Nathan Harrison broke through the 130 mph barrier for the first time with 131.270 mph (approx. 211.2 km/h). Mike Browne (130.748 mph / approx. 210.4 km/h) and Herbertson (130.455 mph / approx. 209.9 km/h) also set strong times.
Lap 2: Dunlop counters, Todd holds off
Dunlop turned up the heat on the second lap and reduced Todd’s lead to 5.9 seconds at Glen Helen. However, Todd countered, extended his lead to 6.2 seconds at Ballaugh and was 7.5 seconds ahead again at Ramsey. While Dean Harrison continued to lose time, Nathan Harrison remained stable in fourth place. David Johnson (Platinum Club Racing Kawasaki) and James Hillier (Muc-Off Racing Honda) climbed to fifth and sixth.
After two laps Todd was ahead at 133.874 mph (approx. 215.4 km/h), Dunlop came a little closer at 133.967 mph (approx. 215.6 km/h). Dean Harrison lost further ground with 132.682 mph (approx. 213.5 km/h). Nathan Harrison (130.824 mph / approx. 210.5 km/h), Johnson (130.603 mph / approx. 210.1 km/h) and Brookes (129.887 mph / approx. 209.0 km/h) rounded off the top six. Mike Browne and Phil Crowe retired at the pit stop.
Round 3: Pit stop brings excitement
Todd lost valuable time at the only pit stop. After returning to the track, his lead had shrunk to 1.8 seconds. At Glen Helen the gap was confirmed at 1.5 seconds, but Todd was able to double it again to over 3 seconds by Ballaugh. However, a small driving error at Parliament Square allowed Dunlop to close the gap again – by Ramsey it was only 1.9 seconds. At Bungalow, Todd was only 1.1 seconds ahead, but he was able to regain some breathing space over the mountain and started the fourth lap with a 1.9 second lead.
Round 4: Heart-stopping final between Todd and Dunlop
On the final pass through Glen Helen, Todd’s lead was just two tenths of a second. A little later, Dunlop overtook Dean Harrison on the road and took the lead on the track. But Todd countered and was 2.2 seconds ahead again at Ballaugh. Ramsey: 1.9 seconds. Bungalow: 2.2 seconds again. It all came down to a photo finish.
Dunlop put all his eggs in one basket and drove the fastest lap of the race at 135.416 mph (approx. 217.9 km/h). But Todd held out, also setting a strong time of 135.327 mph (approx. 217.8 km/h) and securing victory – with a final lead of 1.296 seconds.
Other placings and best performances
Dean Harrison finished around 25 seconds behind the leading duo in third place – his 31st TT podium. Nathan Harrison impressed with fourth place (131.113 mph / approx. 211.0 km/h), followed by Johnson (131.097 mph) and Hillier (131.285 mph). Behind them were McGuinness, Brookes, Michael Evans (personal best: 129.594 mph / approx. 208.5 km/h) and Paul Jordan. Frenchman Amalric Blanc set a new personal best of 127.726 mph (approx. 205.5 km/h) and remains the fastest Frenchman on the Mountain Course.