Hutchinson and Browne confirmed with MLav Racing
Sixteen-time Isle of Man TT winner Ian Hutchinson and Republic of Ireland Mike Browne have been confirmed as the riders for MLav Racing's debut appearance at the Isle of Man TT.The team is owned by former British Supersport champion and 10-time British Superbike race winner Michael Laverty and has competed in the Moto3 World Championship and Junior categories, including the FIM Junior GP Championship and British Talent Cup.Hutchinson will have both Superbike and Superstock BMW M1000RR machinery available for the Superbike, Senior and Superstock races, with Browne opting to concentrate on a Superstock-spec bike for all four 1000cc events.Hutchinson will also contest the two Supersport races on machinery that has yet to be finalised.The 45-year-old missed the 2023 TT after suffering a stroke but returned last year with the Milenco by Padgett's team, securing 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th place finishes.Browne clinched his second TT podium in 2024 thanks to a third position in the second Supertwin race.The Killeagh rider finished inside the top 10 in all seven of his races."Anyone who knows me knows I've always loved the TT and even though I never raced the Mountain Course, it's the pinnacle of our sport," said team boss Laverty."Plans for setting up a new team started with a casual conversation back in September and although initially, I was approached to assist a team, the more I thought about it the more it made sense to do it ourselves. "My Grand Prix commitments keep me busy, and it's taken me a bit longer to get everything boxed off in terms of sponsors, team personnel and infrastructure, but I spoke to a couple of riders, getting Hutchy signed up first and then Mike."
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Belfast Telegraph
4 hours 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.
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Dominant Dunlop completes Supertwins double at TT
Michael Dunlop claimed his fourth victory at the 2025 Isle of Man TT by winning the second Supertwin rider Dunlop had also dominated the opening Supertwin race on Tuesday, and he took victory by 26.774 seconds in Friday's three-lap race ahead of Davey completes a Supertwin and Supersport double for 36-year-old Dunlop, who extended his number of victories at the road race to 33 with the help of a new lap record for the class of 123.056mph around the 37.7-mile Mountain the leading pair, Dominic Herbertson took a popular podium as he held off Paul Jordan in a thrilling battle by just 3.141 seconds. "The bike's been good," Dunlop told TT Plus. "The main thing is getting the win, the last lap I was surprised [about the lap record] as I maintained the bike to make sure it was alright."The Paton boys did a fantastic job. The main thing is winning races, so I'm glad to still be at the front. "This week has been fast, hot and heavy. Four wins is the main achievement for me and I want to keep winning."Dunlop and Todd will be two contenders for victory, along with Superstock TT winner Dean Harrison, in the blue ribband Senior TT on Saturday, which closes out the event. Manx rider Michael Evans, who claimed his first TT podium in race one, pulled over at Glen Helen with a mechanical issue on the first lap, as Dunlop led Todd and Adam McLean at the first timing sector by three advantage was up to eight seconds at Ramsey Hairpin, with Rob Hodson and Mike Browne slotting in ahead of held a 12-second lead over Todd at the pit stops, but lost six seconds to Todd in the service to put pressure on his the leading pair, Hodson, Browne, Herbertson and McLean were split by two-and-a-half seconds in the battle for soon restored and then extended his lead throughout the second lap, as he set a sector record from Glen Helen to Ballaugh Bridge, and Todd held a comfortable second. The battle for third took a twist when race one podium sitter Hodson retired at the Gooseneck on the second lap, which promoted Herbertson into third ahead of Browne and ended the second lap 14.5 seconds up on Todd, while Herberston, who took his first TT podium in the class in 2024, held a 3.8 seconds advantage over Browne, with McLean, Paul Jordan and Barry Furber split by less than five seconds being overtaken on the road by Dunlop, Jordan, who was the first bike down Bray Hill, started flying into podium contention by slipstreaming behind the race Ireland's Jordan managed to complete the lap tucked in behind Dunlop, but fell just short of his podium bid as Herbertson claimed third by 3.141 seconds for his second-ever TT was a lonely second for his fifth podium of the TT, while Herbertson was emotional after racing onto the podium after a last-ditch effort to make the event after his original plans fell through."To do it twice, it's fantastic," England's Herbertson told TT Plus."Doing that last lap, I was praying to everyone 'please make it home'. I'm over the moon. "It's been bananas. Five and a half weeks to turn it around to get to the TT, thanks to friends and even strangers. "Strangers saying, 'I want to see you there'. To get back on the box, I hope they're proud." Supertwin TT Race Two result 1. Michael Dunlop (NIR, Paton) Three laps2. Davey Todd (ENG, Paton) +26.774 seconds3. Dominic Herbertson (ENG, Paton) +20.5854. Paul Jordan (NIR, Aprillia) +3.1415. Mike Browne (IRL, Kawasaki) +6.0276. Adam McLean (NIR, Yamaha) +5.3447. Barry Furber (ENG, Yamaha) +5.5948. Joe Yeardsley (IOM, Aprillia) +44.184
Belfast Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Dean Harrison completes Isle of Man TT Superstock double: ‘I can go fast, I've proved that'
Harrison took advantage of Davey Todd's pit-stop woe when the 8TEN Racing rider struggled to restart his BMW machine, losing approximately 12 seconds, while fellow top rival Michael Dunlop had more issues with his MD Racing BMW after an electronics problem in the first race. Harrison won the three-lap Opul Superstock race – delayed from 10:45am until 2:30pm because of damp patches – by 16 seconds from a disappointed Todd, who had 32 seconds in hand over Dunlop. 'Massive thanks to the whole team and Honda, everyone's put a brilliant bike together and it's great to see the Honda Fireblade on P1,' said Harrison. 'We're constantly trying to adapt. Everyone's in the same boat here, really, it's such a difficult place. Trying to set your bike up around here is a bit of a compromise. 'We had a little bit of a stability issue which we've near enough cured now, and it just means that I can ride the bike how I want to ride the bike. 'I can go fast, I've proved that this week; I just need a bit of luck on my side on the day and here we are.' Harrison's wins are his first at the TT since 2019 and the Isle of Man-based Bradford man could not hide his elation in the winners' enclosure. 'Words can't describe it,' he added. 'I'm absolutely over the moon to get two wins in the Superstock race. 'I got off to a real hard start, I read my pit board and I was P1, P2, and P1 over the Mountain. I saw P1 +13 coming out of Glen Helen on lap two, I thought 'Oh'. 'I carried on as hard as I could and thought, 'I'll carry on this lap to try and manage that, if I can keep that lead the same there's no way someone's going to make 13 or 14 seconds on me in a lap'. 'So, I just kept my head down and I got to P1 +20, and I just read my board from there and just managed it and sort of knocked it off a little bit on the last lap and just brought it home.' Todd won last year's only Superstock race but the Saltburn-by-the-Sea man had to settle for the runner-up spot again after finishing second in the opening race. 'Another frustrating one,' Todd said. 'I'm just disappointed. 'I really felt like we could challenge for that win there, made some improvements to the bike. Then it didn't start in the pit-stop – not a clue why. 'I had the same thing last year, for a different reason, but it just wouldn't start. 'I felt like I had a really steady first lap and we were in the mix there. 'I guess I half-gave-up [after the pit stop] because you're not going to reel that time back on someone like Dean [Harrison] when he's riding the way he is.' Dunlop was equally dismayed after struggling on the first lap especially with his BMW, when Dunlop dropped to 20th by Glen Helen after running on at Braddan. 'I don't know what's going on, we tried everything but something's not working for some reason,' he said. 'Then I ran on – I just couldn't get a gear – I ran on at Braddan and then I knew that was the race [over] after that. 'You can't drop time against these boys and it was just damage limitation after that.' Ian Hutchinson had been in the hunt for a podium on the opening lap before retiring on the MLav Racing BMW. Fourth went to James Hillier on the Muc-Off Honda from Conor Cummins on the Burrows/RK Racing BMW, while Australian Josh Brookes rounded out the top six on the Jackson Racing Honda. Brookes' team-mate Paul Jordan was forced out with a problem.
