Isle of Man TT live: Latest updates from today's superbike racing

Telegraph

2 days ago

02 June 2025 11:21am
11:21AM
A further 30-minute delay
There's been another delay to the start of proceedings. Originally set to go off at 1045, it'll now hopefully be a 1200 race start as organisers deal with an oil spill on the opening mile of the course at Bray Hill and Quarterbridge, seemingly from a road vehicle before the public roads closed this morning.
That could have a knock-on effect on the rest of the day's action, with bad weather predicted to hit the island around 1700 and organisers already admitting that there's unlikely to be any track action after that time.
11:18AM
No clear favourite after disrupted qualifying
With inclement weather disrupting much of practice week, we've not had too much of a chance to establish which of the three remaining big names is the favourite for today's race.
On paper, it's been Honda Racing's Dean Harrison who has looked the fastest. Building on the success of his strong North West 200 performances throughout practice at the TT, he's been the man to beat - but he's also a rider who in the past has been stronger over one lap than over a full race distance at the TT, so we still need a little more evidence of his form.
Michael Dunlop, now the most successful TT racer of all time with 29 wins, is probably Harrison's biggest rival. Switching from Honda to BMW machinery for 2025, there's a sense that he's been keeping his powder dry during practice and we've not yet seen the real level of his new package, something that in the past has generally bode well for him.
Then there's Davey Todd. Struggling throughout practice week, the reigning Senior TT champion made a big step forwards with finding a more comfortable setting on his 8Ten Racing BMW on the penultimate day of qualifying, something that will propel him into contention.
11:11AM
Riders called to the start line
Isle of Man TT legend and 23-time race winner John McGuinness will lead them off at 1115, the first of 62 planned starters to go off at 10-second intervals. However, there's already a few gaps in the starting order, with number 4 Jamie Coward ruled out before TT thanks to a North West 200 crash, while pre-race favourite Peter Hickman's fall during qualifying on Friday means he too won't start today.
1 John McGuinness
2 David Johnson
3 Dean Harrison
4 -
5 James Hillier
6 Michael Dunlop
7 Josh Brookes
8 Davey Todd
9 Mike Browne
10 -
11:06AM
Hickman absent after qualifying crash
The big story of the week has, so far, been the absence of 14-time TT winner Peter Hickman following his crash during qualifying. Falling at over 140 mph at Kerrowmoar, he's escaped serious injuries and is already out of hospital and back in the TT paddock cheering on teammate and 8Ten Racing co-owner Davey Todd.
But today's opening race will be a little bit less special without having the most recent superbike class master not present in it. Last year didn't go according to plan for him, with a crash at Ginger Hall while leading the Senior TT the low point of a year that saw him winning only a single race, and we've been denied a redemption arc in 20205.
He'll be back in 2026, of course, but in the meantime it means that what should have been a four-horse race between him, Todd, Michael Dunlop and Dean Harrison has been reduced to three.
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 pic.twitter.com/riXRScVESi
— Peter Hickman (@peterhickman60) June 1, 2025
10:57AM
Good morning from Glencrutchery Road!
Good morning from a sunny and bright Isle of Man, where we're finally ready to get some racing action at the TT underway after a weekend of weather delays. Race one and two were supposed to go on Saturday, ahead of Sunday's opening superbike race - but delays during practice week means the schedule was delayed in order to allow for more qualifying laps to be completed.
However, the sun is out, and instead of a Monday rest day, we're instead going to have a compressed race schedule. Superbikes will now lead the way, cut down from six laps of the 37.73 mile Snaefell Mountain circuit to four - and while conditions are looking great right now, there's already been a 45-minute delay to the start of that race thanks to an oil spill on the course, with the start now set for 1130.
Sidecars, originally set to be the second race on Saturday, will follow for two laps at 1330, before the opening Supersport TT, moved from race one to race three, concludes the day at 1500. A yellow weather warning is due to hit the island from 1700, meaning there's a hard deadline on when today's action must conclude.