Saturday afternoon’s fourth qualifying session at the 2025 Isle of Man TT Races unfolded under dry but gusty conditions, as morning mist gave way just in time for a full schedule. The standout performance came from Davey Todd, who laid down a scorching 133.155mph lap on his Monster Energy by 8TEN Racing Superstock BMW — not only the quickest lap of the day but also the fastest Superstock time of the event so far.
In a slight shift from previous runs, Michael Dunlop was first away on his MD Racing BMW Superbike, with Dean Harrison in pursuit on his Honda Racing Superbike. Leading the Superstock pack off the line was Ian Hutchinson aboard the moobob/MLav Racing BMW.
Several other top contenders also chose to run Superbikes to fine-tune their setups ahead of the upcoming RST Superbike Race. This group included David Johnson (Platinum Club Racing Kawasaki), John McGuinness MBE (Honda Racing), James Hillier (Muc-Off Racing Honda), and Josh Brookes (Jackson Racing/Prosper2 Honda).
Harrison wasted no time hitting his stride, going more than six seconds quicker than any of his rivals by the time he reached Glen Helen. He had even caught and overtaken Dunlop on the road by the Kirk Michael sector. Rounding out the top six through that split were 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).
By lap’s end, Harrison had posted a blistering standing start lap at 132.484mph, finishing over 13 seconds ahead of Dunlop, who clocked 130.762mph. Johnson came next with 127.976mph, followed closely by Brookes (127.650mph) and Hillier (127.572mph). In the Superstock class, Herbertson led the charge with a 128.737mph lap, placing him third overall. He was followed by Nathan Harrison (128.501mph), Conor Cummins (128.389mph), and Mike Browne (127.949mph).
Todd, who held back initially, made his mark with a single, flying lap late in the session. His 133.155mph effort shot him to the top of the Superstock leaderboard and marked the quickest lap in the class all week.
Soon after Todd’s lap, the session was red-flagged due to thickening cloud descending over the Mountain section. Riders already out on course returned to the paddock under yellow flag conditions and were unable to complete further timed laps.
Still, some managed solid efforts before the stoppage. Johnson logged a second lap at 128.895mph, while Paul Jordan recorded his best of the week at 128.694mph, even though the lap was interrupted. Herbertson and Nathan Harrison also turned in additional laps above 128mph, slightly down on their earlier times. Meanwhile, Dunlop moved up to second in Superstock with a strong 130.262mph run, and newcomer Mitch Rees continued to build pace, notching a respectable 124.326mph.
Although conditions over the Mountain didn’t improve significantly, the Sidecar class was given the green light at 2:30 p.m. to run at full speed as far as Ramsey. From there, they were escorted back to the Grandstand under controlled conditions by traveling marshals.
While full lap data wasn’t possible, the split times offered some valuable insight. Crawford/Hardie edged Founds/Walmsley to Glen Helen by just 0.2 seconds, with Birchall/Rosney a further 1.2 seconds back. The Crowe brothers, who have led the pace all week, slotted into fourth, spending the session bedding in a new engine.
At Ballaugh, the lead gap remained steady, with Birchall/Rosney now four seconds adrift. They briefly topped the Sulby straight’s speed trap at 153.005mph — until the Crowes thundered through at 161.317mph.
Light rain soon followed, drawing the day’s action to a close. Attention now turns to tomorrow’s session and what could be a pivotal day in this year’s TT schedule.
Photos: Isle of Man TT Races
