Dean Harrison Raises the Bar Again as Mike Browne Leads Superstock Charge at TT 2026
Fourth Qualifying Session Delivers More Huge Speeds Around the Mountain Course
The pace at the 2026 Isle of Man TT Races continued to escalate on Friday as competitors tackled the fourth qualifying session of the week under noticeably different conditions around the Mountain Course.
After several days of bright sunshine and blue skies, riders were greeted by cooler temperatures, heavier cloud cover and stronger winds sweeping across sections of the 37.73-mile circuit. Despite the changing weather, one thing remained unchanged at the top of the leaderboard — Dean Harrison’s dominance.
The Honda Racing UK rider once again emerged as the benchmark around the island, firing in a stunning lap of 134.877mph on his Superbike machine, the fastest lap recorded during qualifying week so far.
As race week edges closer, the pace across every class continues to intensify, with riders now moving from setup experimentation towards full race preparation and confidence-building runs.
Harrison Continues To Dominate Big Bike Sessions
Honda Racing UK Rider Looks Increasingly Untouchable
Friday’s opening Superbike and Superstock session saw most of the leading contenders head out immediately on track, eager to maximise the available conditions before any possible weather changes later in the day.
Nathan Harrison led the field away aboard the H&H Motorcycles Honda, followed closely by Dean Harrison, Josh Brookes and Ian Hutchinson.
Unlike earlier sessions, the majority of riders opted to focus on their Superbikes from the outset as teams fine-tuned final race setups ahead of the opening contests.
Before heading onto the course, Dean Harrison admitted the team had continued refining the Fireblade package.
“We’ve made a few tweaks to make the bike a bit easier to ride,” he explained before the session. “The conditions are trickier today with the wind and the sun, so the plan is to build steadily.”
Even with those challenges, Harrison looked immediately comfortable and aggressive around the course.
His opening lap of 133.653mph placed him comfortably clear at the top of the leaderboard and underlined once again how strong the Honda Racing UK package currently appears around the Mountain Course.
More importantly, Harrison looked increasingly smooth and controlled rather than visibly riding at the limit — a worrying sign for his rivals heading into race week.
Hickman and Dunlop Continue the Chase
BMW and Honda Rivals Searching for Answers
While Harrison maintained control at the front, Peter Hickman and Michael Dunlop continued trying to reduce the gap.
Hickman posted an opening lap of 131.882mph aboard the 8TEN Racing BMW, placing him second fastest initially and just ahead of Dunlop’s 131.710mph on the Hawk Racing Honda.
However, both riders still found themselves more than 13 seconds behind Harrison on corrected lap time.
Dunlop’s week has already featured several technical frustrations, and Friday brought more signs that the Northern Irishman was still not completely satisfied with his setup.
After completing his opening lap, Dunlop returned to the pits for adjustments before later continuing the session aboard his Superbike.
Conditions over the Mountain section also created additional difficulties for many riders. Strong headwinds along the Mountain Mile visibly affected top speeds and stability, particularly during the latter stages of the lap.
Even so, Harrison somehow found more pace on lap two.
His remarkable 134.877mph effort became the standout lap of the week and further strengthened his position as favourite for the upcoming Superbike and Senior TT races.
Hickman also improved with a best lap of 132.712mph — his quickest of qualifying so far — but he still remained more than 16 seconds behind Harrison’s outright pace.
Browne Leads Competitive Superstock Battle
Irish Rider Emerges as Serious Contender
Away from the outright Superbike battle, Mike Browne continued his impressive form in the Superstock category.
Riding the Boyce Precision Engineering by Russell Racing Honda, the Irishman produced a superb lap of 129.798mph to top the Superstock leaderboard.
Browne has quietly developed into one of the strongest privateer threats in recent seasons and once again demonstrated both speed and consistency around the demanding circuit.
Paul Jordan and Jamie Coward also remained competitive in the class, both operating in the high 128mph range.
Coward’s performance was particularly encouraging after mechanical problems earlier in the week forced his team to replace the engine in his Rapid Honda machine.
Meanwhile, TT legend John McGuinness continued building confidence with another strong showing. The 23-time TT winner recorded a lap of 130.903mph, once again proving he remains capable of elite speeds despite his vast experience around the island.
Ian Hutchinson and Josh Brookes also joined the growing list of riders breaking the 130mph barrier during the session.
Technical Issues Continue to Affect Riders
Cummins and Herbertson Forced to Stop
Not everyone enjoyed a smooth session around the Mountain Course.
Conor Cummins and Dominic Herbertson both suffered problems during the opening laps, forcing them to pull off the circuit at Ballacraine and the Railway Inn respectively.
Mechanical reliability always becomes increasingly important as TT week progresses, particularly with teams now focusing heavily on race-spec machinery and longer runs.
The Mountain Course places enormous stress on engines, suspension and electronics due to the combination of long full-throttle sections, heavy braking zones and unpredictable road surfaces.
Even small setup errors can dramatically affect rider confidence at speeds now regularly exceeding 130mph.
Hickman Admits Superstock Setup Concerns
BMW Rider Searching for Better Stability
Peter Hickman later revealed that his Superstock BMW was still not behaving exactly as he wanted.
“The Superbike actually feels better than the Superstock at the moment, which is unusual,” Hickman admitted after the session.
“The Superstock isn’t holding the line properly and I’m missing a few apexes. We made some changes after Wednesday, but they made things worse, so we’ll go back the other direction for the next session.”
Hickman remains one of the most dangerous riders around the Mountain Course and continues to improve steadily, but Harrison’s current pace advantage appears significant heading towards race week.
Supersport Session Produces Another Tight Fight
Hickman Edges Harrison Before Dunlop Strikes Back
Following a short break, attention switched to the Supersport and Sportbike categories.
Several major contenders opted to begin on their Supersport machinery, including Dean Harrison and Peter Hickman, who immediately resumed their increasingly close battle.
Through the opening sectors, almost nothing separated the pair.
At the end of the lap, however, Hickman edged ahead with a speed of 127.215mph, just over two seconds quicker than Harrison’s 126.899mph.
Harrison lost valuable time while attempting to overtake Michael Dunlop through the Mountain section, slightly compromising the latter stages of his lap.
Paul Jordan looked strong early in the session before suffering a frustrating mechanical problem when his chain failed approaching Creg-ny-Baa, forcing him to abandon the lap.
Michael Dunlop Reasserts Supersport Dominance
Ducati Rider Finishes Session on Top Again
As has become familiar throughout qualifying week, Michael Dunlop eventually returned to the top of the Supersport leaderboard.
After initially running the Paton in the Sportbike class, Dunlop switched to the Scars Racing Ducati Supersport machine and immediately began pushing harder.
His lap of 126.366mph placed him firmly in contention before he delivered one final statement lap at the end of the session.
Dunlop’s superb 128.351mph effort moved him back to the top of the Supersport timesheets and once again reinforced his reputation as the rider to beat in the middleweight category.
The 33-time TT winner continues to demonstrate remarkable adaptability across multiple machines and classes, often appearing strongest during the closing stages of sessions as conditions evolve.
Josh Brookes also impressed in Supersport trim, recording his fastest-ever middleweight lap around the Isle of Man at 126.848mph.
Sportbike Class Continues Growing in Competitiveness
Hickman and Jordan Challenge Dunlop
The Sportbike category once again delivered close competition throughout the session.
Dunlop initially led aboard the Paton with a speed of 123.020mph, while Michael Evans continued recovering strongly after his earlier spill at Greeba Castle with a solid lap of 118.717mph.
Peter Hickman later switched to the Swan Racing by PHR Performance Yamaha Sportbike and immediately moved into second place with a speed of 120.803mph.
Paul Jordan managed to return to the pits following his earlier chain issue and successfully completed a final lap on his Aprilia, climbing into third position with a speed of 120.649mph.
The increasingly competitive Sportbike field has become one of the standout stories of TT 2026, with several riders now approaching speeds that would have seemed unimaginable in the class only a few years ago.
Qualifying Pace Suggests Record-Breaking TT Ahead
With race week now rapidly approaching, qualifying has already delivered some of the fastest laps ever seen around the Mountain Course.
Dean Harrison currently holds the advantage in the big bike categories, but Michael Dunlop’s continued Supersport dominance and Peter Hickman’s improving pace suggest the fight for victories is far from settled.
The combination of ideal conditions, evolving machinery and increasingly confident riders has created one of the quickest qualifying weeks in TT history.
If weather conditions remain favourable, TT 2026 could still produce even faster laps once racing officially begins.
Photos: Isle of Man TT Races
