Michael Dunlop made history once again on Monday afternoon, taking his 30th Isle of Man TT victory with a stunning ride in the opening Monster Energy Supersport race. Riding the Milwaukee MD Racing Ducati, Dunlop reeled in early leader Dean Harrison on the final lap to clinch a landmark win.
The result was notable on several fronts: it was Dunlop’s seventh TT win with a different bike manufacturer and Ducati’s first triumph on the island since Robert Holden won the Singles race in 1995. It also marked Dunlop’s 14th career victory in the Supersport class. Harrison, aboard the Honda Racing machine, had to settle for second, while James Hillier brought the Bournemouth Kawasaki home in third to earn a popular return to the podium.
Originally scheduled for three laps, the race was shortened to two due to time constraints and got underway at 3:15 p.m. Harrison set the early pace, arriving at Glen Helen with a 3.4-second lead over Dunlop. Hillier slotted into third, a further second back. Davey Todd (myCOOLMAN by Padgetts Honda) was right behind in fourth, just half a second adrift, followed by Michael Evans (Smith Racing Triumph) and Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing Honda powered by Prosper2) in fifth and sixth, respectively.
By the time the leaders reached Ballaugh Bridge, Harrison had extended his advantage to 4.6 seconds. Hillier remained in third but was now just 0.033 seconds ahead of the charging Todd. Evans had edged out a 1.6-second buffer over Jordan, but the latter’s race ended early with retirement at Glentramman, moving Mike Browne (Boyce Precision by Russell Racing Yamaha) up to sixth.
At Ramsey Hairpin, Harrison added another half-second to his lead over Dunlop, while Hillier continued to fend off Todd. But with Jordan out, Browne moved into sixth, and Evans held firm in fifth.
Harrison completed the opening lap with an average speed of 127.888mph, giving him a 7.4-second advantage over Dunlop (126.993mph) heading into the mandatory pit stops. Hillier (125.773mph) held third by just over a second from Todd (125.634mph), while Evans (124.610mph) and Browne (124.571mph) were locked in a close scrap for fifth, only 0.3 seconds apart. Just behind were Josh Brookes on the second Jackson Racing Honda, Rob Hodson (SMT Racing Yamaha), James Hind (North Lincs Components Suzuki), and Ian Hutchinson (moolab/UGP/MLav Racing Yamaha).
Starting lap two, Harrison still led at Glen Helen, though his margin over Dunlop had reduced to 6.4 seconds. Hillier remained solid in third, now 13.2 seconds behind the leader but with a more comfortable 5.1-second buffer over Todd. Dunlop began to apply real pressure, setting the fastest-ever Supersport sector between Glen Helen and Ballaugh.
He repeated that feat from Ballaugh to Ramsey, slicing the gap to just 4 seconds by the Hairpin. Hillier began to pull away from Todd, who now had Brookes on his tail. The Australian was making ground, having passed both Evans and Browne to move into fifth. But their charge ended abruptly—Evans retired at Stella Maris, and Browne crashed at Sulby Bridge, fortunately escaping injury.
The race for the win was now reaching its climax. As the final lap began, Dunlop had cut Harrison’s lead to just 2.9 seconds. Hillier was now securely in third, 11.4 seconds clear of Todd, who still had Brookes for company. With Evans and Browne out, Hodson moved into sixth.
At Glen Helen on the final lap, Harrison’s lead was down to just 0.8 seconds, and by Ballaugh, Dunlop had edged ahead—by a mere 0.104 seconds. The Ballymoney rider was flying, running well inside lap record pace in pursuit of a 30th TT win.
By Ramsey, his advantage had grown to 3.4 seconds, nearly doubling by the Bungalow. He crossed the line with a scorching final lap of 130.313mph to seal the win, finishing 10.2 seconds ahead of Harrison.
Hillier came home for a hard-earned third—his 15th TT podium and first since 2019. Todd and Brookes, who had shadowed each other for much of the second half of the race, took fourth and fifth respectively. Hodson grabbed a strong sixth-place finish, with the top ten rounded out by Hind, Dominic Herbertson (HRRC/Gilbert Brown & Son Ltd Ducati), Hutchinson, and Conor Cummins (Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Ducati).
Photos: Isle of Man TT Races
