Peter Hickman storms through the Isle of Man TT 2023 at 132.079 mph (212.57 km/h) on his superbike, while the Birchall brothers dominate the sidecar class at 118.316 mph (190.414 km/h).
Peter Hickman trumped everyone else on the second day of qualifying at the Isle of Man TT Races. The FHO Racing BMW rider reached a speed of 132.079 mph (212.57 km/h) on his FHO Racing BMW Superbike. That was one second faster than Dean Harrison on his DAO Racing Kawasaki. Michael Dunlop on his Hawk Racing Honda was another second behind.
Despite being behind, Dunlop claimed the top spot in the Superstock class with a speed of 131.843 mph (212.175 km/h). Ben and Tom Birchall were fastest in the Sidecar class at 118.316 mph (190.414 km/h) on their Steadplan/Hager LCR Honda.
Clear skies and sunshine during qualifying sessions
Despite bright sunshine and blue skies, riders were warned as the sun was very bright or blinding in the western part of the track, including Union Mills, Ballagarey and Hawthorn. Harrison was the first to take to the track on his Superbike, followed by Dunlop who opted for his Superstock bike.
He was followed by David Johnson, Jamie Coward, James Hillier, Josh Brookes, Michael Rutter, Peter Hickman, Davey Todd and Hickman. It was Harrison who completed the first lap at a speed of 131.974 mph (212.390 km/h), with Dunlop only slightly slower on his Superstock Honda.
Hickman breaks the 132-mph mark
Hickman reached the highest speed on the first lap at 132.079 mph (212.57 km/h), the first rider of the week to break the 132-mph mark. Conor Cummins placed third in the Superbike standings with 130.924 mph (210.701 km/h), followed by Todd, Coward and Hillier.
In the Superstock category, Brookes was second fastest at 126.282 mph (203.233 km/h), while rookies Erno Kostamo and Matthieu Lagrive posted speeds of 114.976 mph (185.040 km/h) and 111.560 mph (179.534 km/h), respectively.
The lap times at a glance
In the second round, the speeds were slightly lower. Hickman was again the fastest at 131.712 mph (212.161 km/h), followed by Harrison at 131.351 mph (211.583 km/h). Dunlop switched to his Superbike and hit 131.141 mph (211.046 km/h), while Todd and Coward improved their times. Cummins was less fortunate and had to stop at 33rd Milestone.
Problems and improvements in the third round
Hillier also improved his time, reaching 128.189 mph (206.302 km/h), while Julian Trummer impressed with 124.247 mph (200.162 km/h) on his WH Racing with Dynobike BMW. Shaun Anderson moved into third place in the Superstock standings with 125.841 mph (202.720 km/h), just ahead of Mike Browne, who posted a lap of 125.745 mph (202.564 km/h).
In the third heat, Hickman, Harrison and Hillier went out again on their Superstock machines, with Harrison posting a lap of exactly 125 mph (201.168 km/h). Hickman, however, ran into problems and pulled off the track at Ballacraine . Due to the sinking sun and yellow flags from Bottom of Barregarrow to Kirk Michael following the failure of Mark Goodings’ machine, overall speeds were reduced.
Oil on the track affects the schedule
Oil on the track caused the evening Supersport and Supertwin sessions to be cancelled. It wasn’t until 8:25 p.m. that the Sidecar class was able to start.
The Birchalls completed a lap at 116.828 mph (188.041 km/h), finishing ahead of Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley at 116.110 mph (186.829 km/h) and Gary Bryan/Phil Hyde at 110.146 mph (177.258 km/h). Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes finished their first lap of the week at 109.623 mph (176.421 km/h).
The Birchalls up the pace
The Birchalls increased their pace in the second round, reaching a speed of 118.316 mph (190.414 km/h). Founds/Walmsley were unable to improve their time, but Reeves/Wilkes did with a lap of 112.338 mph (180.792 km/h). Steve and Matty Ramsden also broke the 110-mph mark with a lap of 110.236 mph (177.408 km/h), making them the fourth-fastest team of the night.
