TT riders get track time in free practice session
Competitors in this year's Isle of Man TT availed themselves of some valuable track time in Tuesday's untimed free practice session for the event.The session went ahead after inclement weather earlier in the day cleared sufficiently, although riders reported that they were exercising caution due to damp patches on areas of the circuit which made conditions difficult.The sidecars were first off the line at 18:35 BST in bright sunshine, followed by the Supersports and Supertwins and finally the larger capacity Superbikes and Superstocks.Each session was afforded 35 minutes, with the solo sessions held in more overcast conditions.The opening day of the 2025 TT meeting on Monday had seen all laps except the newcomers' speed-controlled lap cancelled.It had initially been planned that Tuesday's session would be a timed qualifying one but ultimately rain showers during the day led to the practice being declared as untimed.Among those out on the Mountain Course for the first time this year were the most successful rider in the history of the races, Michael Dunlop, who took his wins tally to 29 last year courtesy of the fourth four-timer of his career at the event.Dunlop took out all four of his machines, including his World Superbike-spec Rokit BMW and World Supersport-spec Ducati V2 Supersport bike.The Northern Ireland rider has changed manufacturer for both classes, having campaigned Hondas in the big bike classes and a Yamaha in the middleweight category in 2024.Despite his prolific winning record of recent years, the 36-year-old has not tasted success in the blue riband Senior race since 2017, an eight-year gap the Ballymoney man will be keen to bridge this year.Other leading contenders for this year's races include 14-time winner Peter Hickman, Honda Racing's Dean Harrison and Davey Todd, who earned his first two TT wins 12 months ago.Todd's mounts this year include a Padgett's Paton for the Supertwins class, a first foray into that category for the renowned Yorkshire-based team.Among those getting acclimatised to new machinery were Mike Browne from the Republic of Ireland, who has replaced the injured Jamie Coward in the KTS Racing team for the 1000cc races.James Hillier had first outing of the season on a closed public roads circuit after missing the recent North West 200 in Northern Ireland.Qualifying sessions are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday evenings, followed by an afternoon session on Friday, before the scheduled start of racing on Saturday.
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