Indomitable Racing Spirit

Inclement weather may have wreaked havoc at thé Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (IoMTT) this year, with several races being shortened and the Senior TT being cancelled altogether, it certainly did not dampen the spirits of Michael Dunlop, who extended his all-time win record to 34 and broke the all-time podium record with 51. He also handed Ducati their first TT win since 1995

-  Abhisu Poddar

THE ISLE OF MAN TOURIST TROPHY IS the world’s most iconic motorcycle road race held on the closed public roads of Isle of Man since 1907. Its a two-week-long celebration of flat-out speed and bravado as riders fly past, inches away from spectators, stone walls, and cliff edges in an attempt to set the fastest laps around the 60.7-kilometre-long circuit. This year competitors battled in five different classes, with the prestigious Senior TT being cancelled due to inclement weather.

Superbike TT Race

A DELAYED START PROMPTED BY OIL SPILLS and marginal weather set the tone for the much-anticipated RST x D30 Superbike TT.

Reduced from six to four laps due to time and course constraints, the racing circumstances this year demanded masterful skill under shifting conditions. From the opening timing sectors, Davey Todd (8Ten Racing BMW) led every split.

A minor pit-stop hiccup and momentary stall before the finish line nearly cost him the race, but he managed to prevail by a mere 1.2 seconds over the determined Michael Dunlop (MD Racing BMW).

With a final lap of 135.327 mph (217.79 km/h), Todd managed to secure his third TT victory by a nail-biting margin of 1.296 seconds over Dunlop, with both marking a one-two finish on BMW bikes. Behind them, Dean Harrison maintained third place astride his Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SC82, with Nathan Harrison notching a blistering 131.27 mph (211.25 km/h) opening lap and finishing fourth.