Dunlop continues Supersport dominance with 32nd TT win

Michael Dunlop won the Isle of Man TT on Wednesday, earning his third victory of the week in the delayed race two category. He continued to dominate the Supersport category.

The Northern Ireland rider’s overall career winning streak in the four-lapper reached an all-time record-breaking 32 as a result of their success.

Dean Harrison and Davey Todd were both 26.1 seconds ahead of Dunlop, who was a further 15.8 seconds adrift in third.

The 36-year-old has won 15 Supersport TT events in a row, including four doubles in a row between 2022 and 2025.

The county Antrim rider, who was first in Monday’s opening Supersport event, was also notable for being Dunlop’s seventh different manufacturer with success over the 37.73-mile Mountain Course, which had earned the Italian marque their first TT victory for 30 years.

After the race, a delighted Dunlop declared, “The wee bike]Ducati Panigale V2 is mint and never missed a beat.”

I’m happy because we choose our own bikes, our own manufacturers, and winning races. It’s great to be in the 30s.

Due to weather issues, a road traffic accident, and a medical emergency that did not relate to racing, Wednesday’s race started two and a half hours earlier than planned.

On lap one, Dunlop struggled to overcome Harrison and Todd’s challenge on their respective Hondas, with his lead fluctuating, and the team’s yellow livery was predominantly yellow in recognition of one of Ducati’s preferred colors in addition to their customary red.

Before the Hampshire rider retired on the second lap, he had 1.9 seconds to spare over Harrison and James Hillier moved into third.

After his second circuit, Dunlop gradually increased his lead to 15.9 seconds, which he increased to 21.5 seconds by lap three before increasing to 4.5 seconds.

Due to the gloomy conditions, his fastest lap of the race, 129.297mph on lap 2, was a little slower than the 133. 313mph he managed in race one.

The TT wins record holder will have the opportunity to win a fifth four-timer of his career when he competes in Friday’s second Superstock and Supertwins races and Saturday’s Senior TT, the blue riband event.

Paul Jordan placed fourth, James Hind placed fifth, and Josh Brookes placed sixth behind Harrison, who earned his fourth podium of the week, and Todd.

1 Ducati’s Michael Dunlop

2 Honda’s Dean Harrison

3 Honda’s Davey Todd

4 Honda, Paul Jordan (NI).

5 Suzuki Engineer James Hind

6 Honda vs. Josh Brookes

7 Mike Browne (Yay Yamaha)