Isle of Man TT 2022: Davey Todd sets Superstock pace as qualifying continues
Saturday afternoon's fourth qualifying session at the Isle of Man TT Races was shaped by dry but windy conditions, as the morning fog lifted just enough to allow a full run.
Davey Todd grabbed the spotlight with a scorching lap of 133.155mph on his Monster Energy by 8TEN Racing Superstock BMW – not only the fastest of the session but also the quickest Superstock lap of the week so far.
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A strategic shift saw Michael Dunlop first off the line on his MD Racing BMW Superbike, closely pursued by Dean Harrison on his Honda Racing Superbike. Ian Hutchinson (moobob/MLav Racing BMW) spearheaded the Superstock pack off the start line.
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Also choosing Superbike machinery were David Johnson (Platinum Club Racing Kawasaki), John McGuinness MBE (Honda Racing), James Hillier (Muc-Off Racing Honda), and Josh Brookes (Jackson Racing powered by Prosper2 Honda), all tweaking their setups ahead of the RST Superbike Race.
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Harrison hit the ground running – over six seconds faster than anyone else to Glen Helen having passed Dunlop on the road by Kirk Michael. Dominic Herbertson (HRRC/Adam Hewitt Ltd Honda), Nathan Harrison (H&H Motorcycles Honda), Michael Evans (Dafabet Racing Honda), and James Hind (North Lincs Components Honda) made up the top six through that sector.
By the end of the lap, Harrison's standing start speed of 132.484mph put him more than 13 seconds ahead of Dunlop (130.762mph), followed by Johnson (127.976mph), Brookes (127.650mph), and Hillier (127.572mph). The fastest among the.
Herbertson clocked the third fastest overall speed in Superstocks, with a 128.737mph lap, narrowly outpacing Nathan Harrison (128.501mph), Conor Cummins (128.389mph), and Mike Browne (127.949mph). Todd, however, stole the show with his late entry into the session.
His single lap of 133.155mph not only topped the Superstock class for the session but was also the fastest in the category all week. The session was soon suspended due to cloud cover descending over the Mountain section.
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Riders already on course were allowed to return to the Grandstand under yellow flag conditions, unable to begin another flying lap. Despite this disruption, Johnson managed a second lap at 128.895mph, while Jordan achieved his fastest lap of the week at 128.694mph – a solid pace, even if the lap couldn't be completed under green.
Herbertson and Nathan Harrison both clocked additional laps over 128mph, albeit slightly slower than their earlier efforts. Dunlop jumped to second fastest in Superstock with a strong 130.262mph, while newcomer Mitch Rees continued his steady progress with a 124.326mph lap.
Conditions remained unchanged over the Mountain, but at 2.30pm, the Sidecars were allowed out on track to run at full pace up until Ramsey before being escorted back to the Grandstand by travelling marshals under speed-controlled conditions. Although full lap speeds weren't possible, split times provided some insight.
Crawford/Hardie led to Glen Helen by a mere two-tenths over Founds/Walmsley, with Birchal.
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Trailing behind were Birchall/Rosney, a further 1.2 seconds adrift. The Crowe brothers, who have been setting the pace all week, came in fourth as they focused on breaking in a new engine.
At Ballaugh, the gap between the leading two teams remained consistent, with Birchall/Rosney lagging by 4 seconds. They momentarily topped the Sulby speed trap at a blistering 153.005mph before being outpaced by the Crowes' roaring run of 161.317mph.
However, that marked the end of the day's action as light rain began to fall, shifting focus towards tomorrow's schedule.
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