Todd holds off charging Dunlop to take Superbike TT win

In a thrilling Isle of Man TT Superbike race that was reduced from six laps to four, Davey Todd held off a sustained charge from Michael Dunlop for the victory.

By the end of the race, the 29-year-old had a lead of just 1.2 seconds over Dunlop, and the 8TEN Racing BMW rider was able to claim the victory with his fastest lap of 135.327mph on his final circuit.

Todd won the Superstock and Senior races at the event in 2024, which is his third TT victory of his career.

After lap one, the two-time British Superstock 1000cc champion jumped 7.9 seconds to take command, but his advantage came in just a little less after lap two, which was 7.1 seconds.

Todd’s advantage was overcome when the riders passed Glen Helen on the final lap, but Todd lost six seconds to his rival in the pits, which left him trailing by 43.5 seconds in third.

This sounds wonderful, I’m over the moon. After the race, Todd thanked the boys for their excellent work.

“I was more anxious than ever this morning, but I was aware that the pace was right and that we weren’t going to overdo it.”

The other fancied riders, Todd, Dunlop, and Harrison, predictably set the pace at the front from the beginning as Peter Hickman was ruled out of the race as a result of a qualifying crash at Kerrowmoar on Friday.

Todd’s lead was significantly diminished when Rokit BMW-mounted Dunlop and him pulled a long way off Harrison’s timesheets before the setback in the pits.

The outcome hung in the balance as the two battled over the next two laps of the 37.73-mile Mountain Course’s stone walls, but Dunlop won the race to the chequered flag despite posting a 135.416 on his final circuit.

Nathan Harrison, a manx rider, came out in fourth place on his Honda, followed by Australian David Johnson in fifth place on a Kawasaki, James Hiller in sixth place, and John McGuinness in seventh.

Conor Cummins, James Hind, James Hind, and Mike Browne were the riders who were the riders who were retiring after lap one and the Mountain section at lap one.

1 Davey Todd (BMW)

2 BMW Michael Dunlop

3 Honda’s Dean Harrison

4 Nathan Harrison (Honda)

5 Sakasaki David Johnson