Michael Evans came within touching distance of the Historic Junior lap record on Friday at the Classic TT, delivering one of his finest performances to date around the Isle of Man’s Mountain Course. The local favourite clocked an average speed of 104.760mph on the Ken Rutter Racing Honda, ending the day just six seconds adrift of the all-time benchmark. Elsewhere, Jamie Coward continued his blistering form in the Formula 1 Classic class with a best of 126.245mph, while Michael Dunlop MBE and John McGuinness MBE topped the timing sheets in the Lightweight and Historic Senior categories.
Ideal Conditions Set the Stage
Competitors were once again greeted by clear skies and dry roads on Friday afternoon – perfect conditions for fast laps on the 37.73-mile Mountain Course. The timetable began promptly at 1:00pm, with the Formula 1 machines given an extended 1 hour 40-minute session to maximise track time.
Leading the field away was Julian Trummer on the TC Racing/DP Coldplaning Kawasaki, followed by a strong group including Nathan Harrison (Greenall Racing Kawasaki), Ian Hutchinson (Steadplan Racing Kawasaki), Joe Yeardsley (Mistral Racing Kawasaki), Coward, Evans (Good with Wood Racing Suzuki), and Dunlop aboard the WizNorton Racing machine.
Formula 1: Coward Lays Down a Marker
The early pace-setters were Greenall Racing’s Harrison and Coward, though it quickly became clear that Harrison was struggling to keep up the momentum. Instead, it was Coward and Hutchinson trading blows at the top of the leaderboard.
Through the opening lap, Hutchinson edged Coward by just 0.021 seconds, with a lap of 124.555mph compared to Coward’s 124.534mph. Close behind came Dominic Herbertson (124.248mph), Paul Jordan (124.035mph), Craig Neve (123.307mph), and Harrison himself at 122.911mph – proof of just how competitive the field remains.
Further back, David Johnson (122.885mph), Evans (122.097mph), Brian McCormack (121.849mph), and Trummer (121.820mph) also showed strong pace. Most riders returned to the pits after their opening efforts, but Coward, Hutchinson, and Herbertson pressed on.
Herbertson’s second run was compromised by a two-minute delay to Glen Helen, but Coward had no such issues. He went on to deliver the standout lap of the session at 126.245mph – almost identical to his personal best from the previous evening. Hutchinson also found an extra gear, improving slightly to 124.670mph, while Trummer, Barry Furber (121.710mph), Sam West (119.327mph), Horst Saiger (119.297mph), Amalric Blanc (118.603mph) and Paul Williams (118.566mph) all set their fastest laps of the week so far.
Williams was one of the busiest men on track, squeezing in four laps in total, with his third run at 119.771mph lifting him to 12th on the leaderboard.
Historic Senior: McGuinness Shows His Class
At 2:50pm, attention shifted to the Historic Senior, Historic Junior, and Lightweight categories. In the Senior, John McGuinness demonstrated once more why he remains such a force at the age of 53. Riding the Winfield Paton, the 23-time TT winner opened with a solid 110.716mph before improving to a session-topping 112.167mph. Not only was this the fastest lap of the session, it was also the quickest seen in the category all week.
Behind him, his Winfield teammate Ian Lougher initially claimed second with 107.242mph, but was later pushed back by Yeardsley, who impressed with a 109.002mph lap on the Flitwick Motorcycles Royal Enfield. Furber (106.444mph), Alan Oversby (106.092mph), and Dan Sayle (105.547mph) rounded out the top six.
Historic Junior: Evans Nearly Rewrites the Record Books
The Historic Junior class was where the day’s biggest headline came. Local hero Michael Evans, who had already been fastest on Thursday, produced another electric performance. Despite suffering a slight misfire on the Ken Rutter Honda, he charged to 104.760mph – a lap that put him just a handful of seconds away from Lee Johnston’s longstanding 2014 lap record of 105.239mph.
Behind Evans, there was a close battle for the podium spots. Paul Jordan (Davies Motorsport Honda) clocked 103.218mph, edging out Jamie Coward on the Craven Classic Racing/Ted Woof Honda at 102.919mph. Joe Yeardsley also joined the “Ton-up Club” with a lap of 101.895mph, while Harley Rushton (99.164mph) and Will Loder(98.647mph) kept themselves firmly in the mix just below the 100mph mark.
Lightweight: Dunlop Dominates with One Lap
The Lightweight session was effectively decided by a single lap. Michael Dunlop went out first and immediately set the bar with an untouchable 116.491mph, a time that left him more than thirty seconds clear of his nearest challenger.
Second place went to the ever-determined Michael Sweeney, who posted 113.115mph, while Stuart Hall produced 112.079mph to slot into third. Chris Moore (109.827mph) came home fourth, chased closely by the leading 400cc trio – Paul Cassidy (109.640mph), Craig Neve (109.562mph), and Owen Monaghan (109.325mph).
A Day of Rising Speeds
Friday’s action confirmed several key storylines heading into race week. Evans is inching ever closer to rewriting the Historic Junior record books, Coward continues to cement himself as the man to beat in Formula 1, McGuinness remains the benchmark in the Historic Senior, and Dunlop once again proved why he is one of the most feared competitors in Lightweight machinery.
With the lap speeds climbing higher each session and several riders showing consistent improvements, the stage is perfectly set for a weekend of thrilling competition on the Isle of Man.
Photos: Isle of Man TT Races
