Michael Dunlop extended his record as the most successful rider ever at the Isle of Man TT Races on Monday afternoon with victory in the first Monster Energy Supersport TT Race, riding the Milwaukee MD Racing Ducati. He overhauled Dean Harrison (Honda Racing) on the final lap to take the win.
It was Dunlop’s seventh win with a different manufacturer, and Ducati’s first TT win since 1995, when Kiwi Robert Holden won the Singles race. The victory also marked Dunlop’s 14th Supersport TT win. Harrison had to settle for second, with James Hillier (Bournemouth Kawasaki) taking a popular third.
Cut from three laps to two, the race got underway at 3:15 pm. At Glen Helen for the first time, it was Harrison who led, holding a healthy 3.4-second advantage over Dunlop, with Hillier slotting into third, a further 1 second behind. Davey Todd (myCOOLMAN by Padgetts Honda) lay in fourth, just 0.5 seconds behind Hillier, with Michael Evans (Smith Racing Triumph) running well in fifth. Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing Honda powered by Prosper2) completed the top six.
By Ballaugh, Harrison had extended his lead to 4.6 seconds over Dunlop. Hillier lost another second to Dunlop but still held onto third, albeit by just 0.033 seconds from Todd. Evans was now 1.6 seconds clear of Jordan.
Harrison added another half-second rounding Ramsey Hairpin for the first time, and it remained close for third, with Hillier leading Todd by 0.416 seconds. However, Jordan was out, retiring at Glentramman, promoting Mike Browne (Boyce Precision by Russell Racing Yamaha) up to sixth, while Evans continued to hold a fine fifth.
An opening lap of 127.888mph gave Harrison a 7.4-second lead over Dunlop (126.993mph) as the riders came in for their compulsory pit stops. Hillier (125.773mph) was now 1.1 seconds ahead of Todd (125.634mph). Evans (124.610mph) and Browne (124.571mph) completed the top six, separated by just 0.3 seconds, ahead of 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).
Through Glen Helen on lap two, Harrison continued to lead on the road, but his advantage had narrowed slightly to 6.4 seconds. Hillier was now 13.2 seconds adrift in third but held a more comfortable 5.1-second cushion over Todd. Dunlop was pressing hard, setting a new best-ever Supersport sector time from Glen Helen to Ballaugh.
Dunlop repeated the feat from Ballaugh to Ramsey, and the gap was down to 4 seconds at the hairpin. Hillier continued to pull away from Todd, who had Brookes for company. The Australian was on the move, overhauling both Evans and Browne to move into fifth. However, both Evans and Browne's strong runs came to an end - Evans retired at Stella Maris, and Browne slipped off at Sulby Bridge, fortunately uninjured.
The battle for the lead was now truly on, with Dunlop cutting Harrison’s lead to 2.9 seconds as they started the third and final lap. Hillier was increasingly secure in third, now 11.4 seconds ahead of Todd, who still had Brookes close behind. The retirements of Evans and Browne promoted Hodson to sixth.
At Glen Helen for the final time, Harrison’s lead had shrunk to just 0.8 seconds, and by Ballaugh Bridge, it was Dunlop who led - albeit by just 0.104 seconds. The Northern Irishman was on lap record pace as he hunted yet another TT win.
Another record sector time saw Dunlop’s lead stretch to 3.4 seconds at Ramsey, almost doubling by the Bungalow. With a final lap of 130.313mph, he powered to his 30th TT victory, finishing 10.2 seconds clear of Harrison.
Hillier secured a fine third - his 15th TT podium, and first since 2019. Todd and Brookes, who circulated together for much of the second half of the race, took fourth and fifth respectively. Hodson claimed a strong sixth, with the top ten completed by Hind, Dominic Herbertson (HRRC/Gilbert Brown & Son Ltd Ducati), Hutchinson, and Conor Cummins (Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Ducati).