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Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Davey Todd sets fastest lap of qualifying so far at over 133mph before weather wipes out Saturday schedule
The team, co-owned by Todd and Peter Hickman, was left reeling after Hickman crashed during qualifying on Friday evening, suffering injuries that have ruled him out of the event. Todd lapped at 133.155mph on his BMW Superstock machine from a standing start, which was marginally faster than Honda Racing rider Dean Harrison's 133.069mph lap set in Wednesday's first qualifying session on his second flying lap on the CB1000RR Superbike. Todd will be shouldering 8TEN Racing's TT hopes on his own after Hickman's misfortune and has been in eye-catching form during a disrupted practice week, with the weather causing all kinds of problems for the organisers. The first Supersport and Sidecar races were originally due to have been held on Saturday, but a qualifying session was pencilled in instead, with Saturday's races moved to Monday – initially set to be a rest day for competitors on the island. The weather again stopped play on Saturday after riders had completed two laps, with visibility problems on the Mountain section of the 37.73-mile course and rain showers leading Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson to cancel the schedule. Todd claimed the top spot overall after his Superstock lap from Harrison, who did 132.484mph from a standing start, and Michael Dunlop, who banked his first 130mph lap of qualifying on his new ROKiT BMW Superbike (130.762mph). Dunlop also did a lap on his MD Racing BMW Superstock machine at 130.262mph despite yellow flag conditions from the Bungalow onwards because of fading visibility. Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing Honda by Prosper 2) set his fastest TT lap of 2025 so far at 128.694mph, which left him fourth fastest behind Dominic Herbertson (128.737mph) on the HRRC/Adam Hewitt Ltd Honda. Manx riders Nathan Harrison (28.501mph) and Conor Cummins (128.389mph) were fifth and sixth respectively. Cummins is riding for Ulster team Burrows Engineering/RK Racing on BMW and Ducati machinery and his 131mph lap during Friday's qualifying session was the fastest at the TT by any rider for the Dungannon-based team. Following Satudrday's s cancellation, the Superbike race – due to have taken place on Sunday – has been replaced with more qualifying sessions instead. A new race schedule for Monday is set to be announced by the organisers as they try to mitigate the impact of a week of unsettled weather on the Isle of Man.
Belfast Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
I wouldn't come to Isle of Man TT if I didn't think I could win more races: Michael Dunlop
Practice is scheduled to start on Monday morning, but rain in the forecast later in the afternoon and evening could have a detrimental impact on the first day of the 2025 festival. Dunlop won four races around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course in 2024 to take over from his idolised uncle Joey as the most successful racer in the event's history. The 36-year-old extended his tally of victories to 29, three more than Joey's previous record of 26, which he set with a final treble in 2000. Dunlop began the road racing season on a winning note with victories at the Cookstown 100 before impressing at the North West 200 where the Ballymoney legend returned to winning ways on the north coast for the first time since 2016. Dunlop powered to Superbike success on his new BMW machine and won on his new BMW Superstock and Ducati Supersport bikes for a hat-trick. His performances turned heads at Ulster's top motorcycle race and he goes into the TT on a high. 'The preparations are going quite good, we had a good North West and we were on the money,' said Dunlop, who now has a section of the TT course named in his honour on the approach to the 27th milestone, with a previously unnamed left-hand bend known as MD's. 'We won three races and broke down in a couple, and I'm feeling really good. 'I wouldn't be coming here if I didn't think I could win more races, and I feel like I'm as fast as I ever was. 'We just need a bit of practice, hopefully, to dial them (new bikes) in, but the team's working hard and we're going to push on for them.' Dunlop may be the slight favourite before race week is scheduled to begin on Saturday with the first of two Supersport races, but he faces a formidable challenge from 8TEN Racing BMW riders Peter Hickman and Davey Todd and official Honda Racing UK contender Dean Harrison. Hickman remains the outright lap record holder at the TT after recording a blistering 136.358mph in 2023 on his BMW Superstock machine. The English rider won the Superbike race last June for his 14th victory after Dunlop's dominant lead was eradicated when he had to stop after his second pit stop to fix his visor, which hadn't been correctly fastened in the pitlane. Todd made a huge breakthrough when he won his first TT races in 2024, taking Superstock and Senior victories. The Saltburn man is hungry for more but hasn't enjoyed the best preparation for the TT, with Todd and Hickman – who co-own 8TEN Racing – pulling their team together in just a few months. The 29-year-old is yet to completely gel with his BMW Superbike, and Todd hasn't ruled out riding a Superstock machine at the TT. Roads around the Mountain Course on Monday are due to close at 10.00am with a Newcomers Speed Controlled lap from 10.40am. With adverse weather forecast, all classes will be given two laps of untimed practice and all roads are due to be reopened by 2.45pm. Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi won the British MotoGP on Sunday at Silverstone for the factory Aprilia team. Italian Bezzecchi delivered Aprilia's first victory of the 2025 season as the manufacturer returned to the top step in the premier class for the first time since the Grand Prix of the Americas in 2024. Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) finished second, while Championship leader Marc Marquez (Lenovo Ducati) pipped Franco Morbidelli for third. The race was restarted because of an oil spill, with Marquez and his brother Alex (Gresini Ducati) both crashing while leading. Frenchman Fabio Quartararo retired with a bike problem. The Second Round of the British Talent Cup series was held on the MotoGP undercard and there was jubilation for Northern Ireland teenager Peter Willis, who won his first race in the class.
