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Historic triumph for Michael Dunlop in second Supersport TT race of 2023

7. June 2023

2 min read

In glorious sunshine on the Isle of Man, Michael Dunlop, on his MD Racing Yamaha, managed a record lap with an average speed of over 130mph (approx. 209km/h). This not only secured his fourth win of the week, but also his 25th success overall. Only one victory now separates him from his uncle Joey's record of 26 wins in total.

Close decision and fierce competition in Supersport race

The decision in the race was extremely close: Dunlop was in the lead right from the start, but the competition was close on his heels. Just 0.1 seconds separated him from Dean Harrison (BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha) at Glen Helen on the first lap. With Peter Hickman (K2 Trooper Beer Triumph) and Davey Todd (Milenco by Padgetts Honda) just another 1.7 seconds back, the battle for the top spot was still wide open. Not even two seconds separated the top four riders.

Dunlop extends lead and sets historic lap record

As the lap progressed, however, Dunlop extended his lead. At Ballaugh, his lead over Harrison was already 2.6 seconds, with Hickman just 0.8 seconds behind. Dunlop was able to steadily extend his lead as the race progressed, eventually setting a historic lap with an average speed of 130.403mph (about 209.9km/h). In doing so, he set a new Supersport lap record.

Hickman and Harrison also beat old lap record

But Dunlop was not the only one to shine on this day: Peter Hickman also broke the 130mph (approx. 209km/h) sound barrier and ended up in second place, just over nine seconds behind. Also notable was the performance of Dean Harrison, who also beat the old lap record to finish third.

Good result for newcomers

The newcomers were also convincing: Jamie Coward, who started in eleventh position, fought his way up to sixth place and James Hind, on his Bass Tyre Services Yamaha, also made it into the top six.