Wednesday June 10, 2009 at 3:56pm
Michael Dunlop took advantage of the damp conditions on the Isle of Man today to pick up his first TT win and the first Dunlop win since Joey last won in 2000.
The second Relentless Supersport race was another thriller with Dunlop winning by 31secs over Bruce Anstey on the Relentless Suzuki. Manx man Conor Cummins took his first TT podium with a third place which he was thrilled with.
The race was due to start at 10:45 but was delayed due to rain and hail until 13:45. Lack of adhesion flags were shown from Appledene through to Ballaugh as the riders headed out into the unknown conditions.
Dunlop immediately hit the front and was leading by Glen Helen and had an 11 second advantage by Ramsey hairpin. Cummins slipped into second place and Guy Martin who is still chasing his first TT win was in third.
Lap two saw Martin drop back out of podium contention allowing Anstey into third. The pit stops on lap two went smoothly for the front runners and Dunlop extended his lead even further. By the Bungalow on lap three he was 21 secs clear.
Martin’s bad luck continued as he went out on lap three with his engine overheating. He wasn’t happy stating that the only unknown quantity in his team was the engine builder and he’d deal with him when he gets back to the main land.
Cummins also looked to have a problem over the line on lap three but thankfully his bike came back on song at the end of the pits. This little problem took some time from him and let Anstey into second place.
Dunlop said: “That makes up for the disappointment so far. It was hard work on the first lap but I just decided to go for it. It feels like nothing else, Dad gave me the knowledge. In the damp I had to go as quickly as possible and gingerly too. Fair play to my team as my pit stop was awesome. Dunlop is back.”
Anstey said: “The bike and tyres worked well today but the first lap was very slippery. I’m happy to finish and I’m looking forward to the Senior. I got stuck with Keith Amor again and we held each other up a bit.”
Cummins said: “That was brilliant. I have to say thinks to my sponsors and the guys at McAdoo who all did their best. I don’t know what happened on the third lap but it dropped my gap from 14 secs to 6 secs. The Ramsey massive were giving it large on the way through. I’m really pleased for Michael and for me this is a dream come true. I’ve gone form watching to a podium.”