The Ulsterman Dominates the TT Superbike Race
In a thrilling display of road racing prowess, Michael Dunlop emerged victorious in the Superbike class at the iconic Isle of Man TT event on Sunday. The Northern Irish rider opened his 2023 time trial account with an emphatic win in the Supersport category a day earlier, notching up his 22nd career triumph.
Leading every single sector of the six-lap Superbike race, Dunlop showcased his mastery of the challenging TT course, moving into a tie for second on the all-time winners list alongside TT legend John McGuinness with his second victory of the event. The 34-year-old took the lead from the start, pulling away from the field and extending his advantage to over 20 seconds at one stage to cruise to a comfortable victory.
Dunlop’s performance was nothing short of dominant, as he set a new race record of 134.519mph from a standing start. He followed that up with an even faster lap of 135.046mph on the second tour, coming close to the outright lap record of 135.452mph set by Peter Hickman in 2018. The Ulsterman’s victory puts him just three wins shy of matching the all-time record held by his late uncle, the legendary Joey Dunlop.
Behind the winner, a thrilling battle unfolded for the remaining podium positions. Hickman, who had been hampered by intermittent quickshift issues on his FHO BMW, managed to overhaul Padgetts Honda’s Davey Todd and close the gap to Dean Harrison’s DAO Racing Kawasaki. A quicker pitstop allowed Hickman to catch Harrison on the final lap, and the FHO rider even threatened his own outright lap record with a blistering 135.445mph effort, ultimately taking second place.
With this victory, Michael Dunlop has firmly cemented his status as one of the all-time greats of road racing, solidifying his place alongside the likes of John McGuinness as the second-most successful rider in the history of the Isle of Man TT.
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