Dunlop dominates red flagged Entire Cover Insurance Supertwin TT
29th win for MD
Michael Dunlop took the honours in the Entire Cover Insurance Supertwin TT race two today, a result which was declared after one lap of racing due to a red flag on the second and final lap.
The now 29-time TT winner was on target to smash his six-year old lap record with a projected 124mph flying lap before the stoppage and was never headed during the race. He won by over six seconds from Peter Hickman, with Mike Browne third.
Dunlop was in typically indominable form in the twins races, taking his second class win of the week, with his 650cc Paton S1-R proving as reliable as it was fast. Hickman put in a strong showing on his Yamaha R7 but despite some pre-race set-up changes seemed to lack the outright speed of the many Patons around him.
Much of the interest in the delayed and shortened race focussed on the battle for third, which was played out between Kawasaki-mounted Jamie Coward, Dominic Herbertson, on another Paton, and Browne, who was the fastest of the Aprilia RS 660s. Coward had been leading the battle for a podium spot but slowed over the Mountain and pulled out at the Creg-ny-Baa.
That left Browne, starting at 16, lying third at the end of the opening lap but the popular Herbertson, who was ninth away, had closed the gap at the time of the stoppage. He had been overtaken by Hickman, who started 10 seconds behind him, and had been able to use this to his advantage – following the Yamaha and benefitting from its slipstream.
Speaking after the race, Dunlop said:
“It felt a bit like it was struggling to pull a bit due to the wind but otherwise the wee bike was mint. Lorenzo and Andrea (Paton bosses) did a great job and after last year’s problems (when he broke down) Andrea was on top of the job. The track had a few wet patches but otherwise was good.
I would have liked to have finished the lap but it’s understandable. I pushed a bit and the bike felt really good. I came into the TT with a few injuries but the week has been good to us and I am looking forward to getting back onto the big bike for the Senior TT.”
Hickman admitted to making some changes to his Yamaha between races, in a gamble which didn’t really pay off, but was magnanimous in defeat. He said:
“I made a few changes to the bike, including the gearing, but it didn’t work as I seemed to lose a few more miles per hour. It was always going to be a tall order today. My guys at PHR Performance have only had two years with this bike, compared to more than eight years of data the factory Paton guys have, but we are not far away and I already have some ideas (on how to improve the bike) for next year.
The bike also looks great in the Swan livery and again it was great to stand on the podium in a race where Michael has made more history.”
Browne, who scored his second career podium in the class, was another who made changes from Wednesday’s race. He explained: “We made some changes to the front end of the bike, as well as the gearing and throttle response. It felt good and the Aprilia has a lot of potential. It was a good race for me and it’s nice to get on the podium.”
