Michael Dunlop flew past me on North West 200's opening night… I must give my all to respond, says Davey Todd
Davey Todd and Richard Cooper had no answer when Michael Dunlop rocketed past them both on his way to victory in the first Supersport race on Thursday.
Dunlop made his move on the final lap on his new Ducati Panigale V2 machine and once he powered into the lead, neither Cooper nor Todd could get close enough to strike back.
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Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Telegraph
Majority rule as Isle of Man TT feature race cancelled for only second time in 118-year history
It was the anticlimax that thousands had feared all week, but 10 minutes before the start of Saturday night's rain-delayed Senior TT on the Isle of Man, the fact that not a single bike had made its way onto Glencrutchery Road gave the game away. Several riders, including Honda Racing's Dean Harrison and 8Ten Racing BMW's Davey Todd, who had both already won races this week and were hotly fancied to battle it out for Senior TT honours, had made their feelings known to clerk of the course Gary Thompson that conditions were still the wrong side of dangerous to go racing. Many expressed their frustrations with the decision after what had been a heavily disrupted fortnight because of the weather. Frequent rain showers and gale-force winds of up to 60mph had battered the island earlier in the week. Long delays before sessions could get under way had left fans patiently waiting in the fields and pavements that line the 37.73-mile course. But there were several clues throughout the week that point to why Thompson had no choice but to listen. Some riders wanted to go racing. But many more did not. 'It was clear, after speaking with a number of competitors from across the field following the Course Inspection Lap, that conditions were not where they needed to be,' Thompson said. 'A couple of competitors said they'd be happy to ride to the conditions, but the overwhelming majority felt that the wind speeds – the way they were gusting, and the fact they were coming from the opposite direction to what they had experienced over the past two weeks – made the conditions too unpredictable and not fit for racing.' We had already witnessed what the wind could do. Earlier in qualifying week, the sidecar outfit of Pete Founds and Jevan Walmsley had suffered a terrifying crash at the Rhencullen jump when wind got under their DDM Honda. The pair were lucky to survive a frightening and fiery crash with just arm injuries for Founds. There had been several scares for the solo riders, too. Michael Rutter, the 30-year veteran of the TT, is still being treated for spinal injuries after suffering a crash in the second Supertwin TT, having been transferred to the Walton Centre in Liverpool. Jonathan Goetschy, the French rider of several years' experience at the TT who finished 19th in this year's Superbike TT, remains in a serious condition after suffering head, chest and spinal injuries. Veronika Hankocyova also remains in hospital after a crash in the first Supertwin race. The dangers were not just restricted to competitive sessions either. James Hind, the rapidly improving Lincolnshire rider who was knocking on the door of his maiden TT podium this week, suffered a huge scare during a Course Inspection Lap when he hit a hidden damp patch. This is the James Hind moment on the inspection lap that the TT+ coverage is talking about. The mother and father of all moments!!! 😲 @ttracesofficial #IOMTT #TT2025 — Steven Gaitt (@gaittman) June 6, 2025 Tom Weeden was not so lucky earlier in the week. The Maidstone racer clipped the wall on entry to Glen Helen during qualifying last week and the impact did enough damage to his handlebars to jam the throttle open, sending him off the back of the bike at high speed and flying feet-first into the barrier. 'Somehow only 'walked away' with left leg tib/fib, dislocated and smashed up ankle on right leg, broken T12 vertebra, broken hand and a messed-up little finger. I feel extremely lucky to be here at all,' Weeden said from his hospital bed. At the TT there are accidents that cannot be avoided. Mechanical failures can strike anyone at any time, as Peter Hickman learned the hard way. The 14-time TT winner was unable to add to his collection this week after suffering injuries in a qualifying accident at Kerrowmoar understood to have been caused by a mechanical failure on his 8Ten Racing BMW that sent him hurtling into a wall at 140mph. Well this isn't quite how I'd planned my TT to go!! 🤕😂 Had a bit of a get off on Friday night… Nothing quite like a 140mph slap against the Manx countryside 🙈 Battered and bruised, but we'll be back 💪🏼 @bmwmotorraduk @bmwmotorradmotorsport @phrperformance — Peter Hickman (@peterhickman60) June 1, 2025 The six serious accidents that occurred over the course of the week will have been at the forefront of Thompson's mind when riders came to see him on Saturday evening, fully in the knowledge that those crashes happened in significantly better conditions than they were experiencing ahead of the Senior TT. 'You've got damp patches, it's just difficult,' said Harrison, winner of both Superstock races earlier in the week. 'It's half-past seven at night, it's cold. It is disappointing but upwards and onwards from here.' Todd, who claimed victory in the Superbike TT, added: 'I've rode in much stronger winds mile-per-hour-wise, but I've never experienced riding a bike like that. The conditions are crazy out there.' And so, at 6.54pm on Saturday, just six minutes before the big finale of the week was due to get under way, Thompson's klaxon rang out over the paddock to deliver the news no one was surprised to hear. 'Delaying or cancelling any qualifying session or race is never an easy decision,' Thompson explained. 'Of course, in situations like this, the prestige and profile of the Senior TT naturally come to mind, but there are far more important matters at stake. Ultimately, we're here to deliver the event in the safest possible manner – and unfortunately, that simply wasn't achievable this evening.' Given the challenges faced this week, it was impressive that nine of the 10 scheduled races were completed, albeit the majority at reduced length. But when weather forced the Senior TT to be cancelled for only the second time in the event's 118-year history, and several high-speed crashes had already been recorded throughout the week, perhaps the most impressive thing is no one lost their life at the TT this year. For that, the riders have Thompson to thank.
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Davey Todd left devastated as unsafe conditions lead to cancellation of Senior TT race
Reigning Senior TT champion Davey Todd could not mask his bitter disappointment after the blue riband race at the Isle of Man TT was cancelled on Saturday night due to high winds. The final race of the 2025 festival was originally scheduled for a 10:45am start but was pushed back following a series of delays, initially to allow roads to dry out around the course following rain overnight and into Saturday morning.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Michael Dunlop sets lap record on way to 33rd TT victory: ‘It's a great wee bike'
The Northern Ireland rider's record haul of victories around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course now stands at a staggering 33 wins ahead of today's final Senior race. Dunlop has also won both Supersport races this year and hasn't been off the podium in any race he has started, finishing second in the Superbike race and earning two thirds in the Superstock races. He went into the Entire Cover Insurance Supertwin race as the hot favourite following a wide-margin win over Manx rider Michael Evans in the opener. True to form, Dunlop was rarely threatened, opening a lead of 12 seconds over Davey Todd (Milenco by Padgett's Paton) after the first of three laps. He lost a few seconds during his pit-stop to Todd, but Dunlop quickly restored a commanding advantage of 14.5s by the end of the penultimate lap. He blasted the lap record on his final circuit with a speed of 123.056mph to win by 26.77s from Todd, with Dominic Herbertson 20.5s back in third on the Melbray Racing Paton. Afterwards, Dunlop said he was surprised by his lap record feat and felt he had rolled off the pace slightly to nurse his Paton home safely for another TT success. 'Very nice, was that on the last lap?' Dunlop said. 'I'm a bit surprised because I backed off a little bit because I saw I had a bit of a lead. 'It [gap] dropped away down after the pit-stop and came back up again. I said 'I'll get a push on here', and then on the last lap we just nursed it. 'That's three Patons in here and people say it's because I'm on a Paton [wins races]. 'They are a great wee bike and the bike has been mint, that's a double again. 'I'd like to have a lap on my own without any stress to see what I could really do but thanks to everybody. 'My main thing is it's another win under the belt. I'm happy enough and my job is to win the race.' Giving his thoughts on his chances in today's Senior, Dunlop added: 'I'll have and that's four this week already, so it's a bit of an achievement again, so I'm happy. We'll just keep going and see what we're made of.' Runner-up Todd said he gave it his all but claimed his Paton was no match for Dunlop's machine. 'We're never going to compete with that thing, there's absolutely zero chance, but not taking anything away from Michael because he's riding super hard,' said Todd. 'I rode that as hard as I could and I'm super-stoke to get the Milenco by Padgett's team up on the box again. 'Clive [Padgett] bought this Paton here and tried to make the best of it. 'I really struggled in that first race and I think the boys really got their heads together, and Clive's given me a great bike.' Herbertson was toasting his second TT podium after previously finishing on the rostrum in the Supertwin class last year on a Paton for John Burrows' team. 'I'm absolutely over the moon,' he said. 'The team bought a Paton, we've dug in and I don't know what to say. 'Five-and-a-half weeks to turn this around and I cannot thank everyone enough. 'Being number 13 – unlucky for some but not for us.' Manx rider Michael Evans, second in race one, retired on the opening lap, while Rob Hodson from Wigan – third in the opening Supertwin race – dropped out with a problem while lying third. Paul Jordan from Magherafelt came home in fourth on the Jackson Racing Aprilia, 3.1s behind Herbertson, with Mike Browne (KMR/Jack Reid Cars Kawasaki) and Adam McLean (Flitwick Motorcycles Yamaha) from Tobermore completing the top six.
