2024 Isle of Man TT
Monster Energy Supersport TT Race One
Michael Dunlop has done it! The 34-year-old somehow shrugged off the huge weight of expectation on Saturday afternoon to win the Monster Energy Supersport TT and tie with his Uncle Joey on 26 TT wins. The victory means the legendary Ballymoney pair sit at the top of the all-time winner’s tree together; the most successful TT riders ever.
1. Michael Dunlop – 2. Yamaha YZF-R6
2. Davey Todd – Ducati Panigale V2 +8.574s
3. Dean Harrison – Honda CBR600RR +22.381s
24 years on from Joey’s final hattrick in 2000, Michael stormed to a historic Supersport triumph, fending off Davey Todd and Dean Harrison on his way to glory.
An hour’s delay in the morning set things back when an exuberant member of the public ran out of talent on the mountain and wrote off a McLaren Supercar at the Black Hut before the roads closed. The calamity tore down some farm fences, and they had to be repaired.
The sheepish-looking driver was seen being grilled by police while the mess was cleared up, most likely thinking about his enormous repair bill.
The delay did nothing to dissolve the palpable sense of tension that had been building on the island… each and every person in attendance felt the weight of history and knew that today could be the day. How Michael Dunlop dealt with the pressure is anyone’s guess.
Eventually, racing got underway at 1445 in perfect conditions, and it was Dean Harrison who marched into a 0.8-second lead over Davey Todd at Glen Helen on the opening lap.
Dunlop was hovering just over a second back, ahead of Jamie Coward and James Hillier. Peter Hickman, whose Triumph has lost 4mph in top speed since the 765 recently received a firmware upgrade, was already 5 seconds back.
It’s worth noting at this point that Michael had chosen to race his trusty Yamaha R6 instead of the Triumph he’s ridden all year up until the TT. Perhaps his Trumpet also received that update?
At Ballaugh, Todd had caught Josh Brookes on the road and took the lead in the race. But there were only fractions in it, with Harrison just 0.25s behind.
Jamie Coward was leading on the road, but Harrison was hunting him down, which helped Deano retake the lead of the race at Ramsey. The pace was frantic, with Harrison and Todd wrestling over first position all the way.
While Dunlop was only a few seconds back, you did start to wonder whether the occasion had got to him and if he was going to be beaten in a Supersport TT for the first time since 2019.
But as they headed onto the 2nd lap, MD decided it was showtime. He upped the pace and recorded the fastest time yet out to Glen Helen and when they hit the next check point, course commentator, Chris Boyd declared, ‘Dunlop leads at Ballaugh!’
Immediately, the mood changed, and each member of the huge crowd dotted around the 37 ¾ mile course was now hanging on every word.
Michael was putting the hammer down, and the lead was 2s at the Bungalow. By the time they entered the pits to refuel, it was nearly five seconds.
The top three all had good stops, which were under a minute, and ventured out into the second half of the race without any drama.
Jamie Coward wasn’t so fortunate, though, and he retired in the pitlane after some confusion. Marcus Simpson and Johnathan Perry received penalties for speeding. But Perry may feel particularly aggrieved as he was only 0.9 over the 60mph limit, while Simpson was clocked at 75. Nevertheless, the pair received the same 30s penalty.
Back at the front, Micky D had increased the lead to 5.5s at Glen Helen, and it appeared to be business as usual. But by this stage, Davey Todd had taken over from Harrison in 2nd and was really having a go. He took time out of Dunlop at consecutive time checks, causing Boyd in the commentary booth to exclaim, ‘Todd is coming!’, but in the end it was nothing for MD to worry about. He got the message and increased the pace again. Going onto the final lap the lead was back out 5s and by Glen Helen it was 6.8.
Dunlop caught Harrison on the road on the final lap and the pair were a sight to behold as they stormed over the mountain together.
Michael rode into history with a final lap of 129.214mph; finally getting a job done that road racing fans everywhere have been talking about for the past 12 months. In the end it was an 8.5s lead at the flag.
He sat in tears, seemingly dumfounded, at the top of the return road for some time as competitors passed and offered their congratulations. Dunlop was most likely contemplating the magnitude of what he had just achieved and pausing to reflect on those family members who sadly could not be with him to help savour the moment.
His father Robert, his uncle Joey and his brother William were not big in stature, but today they would have walked 10 feet tall had they been here to enjoy Michael’s special moment.
Michael Dunlop
“It’s been hard. There’s been something lingering over my shoulder for quite a while, to take that pressure off me now… it’s a massive weight off my shoulders. Three weeks ago, I thought even riding here would be a problem, never mind winning. (He was injured at Cookstown at the end of April). The bike has been flawless, I want to thank everyone, we’ve done late hours in the workshop. The record itself is regardless, Joey was Joey. I don’t care about me, Joey was something special. But to do it on my own bike, I own the bike, it’s mine. That means a lot. It’s going to the living room now!’
It was a real ‘where-were-you?’ moment in motorcycling history and one that will mean something different to each of the knowledgeable spectators who took in this momentous occasion.
While some giddy fans celebrated and made merry in the sun, swept along in the wave of emotion, others, stunned by the sheer enormity of the achievement, reflected silently and wiped tears from their eyes. It really was that big.
Until recently, many believed it could never happen—that Joey Dunlop would be the King of the Mountain forever. Many challengers have come and gone since Joey sadly lost his life all those years ago, but in the end, they’ve all fallen short, reinforcing just how incredible ‘Yer Maun’ actually was.
Given the 117 years of TT history and the sheer volume (not-to-mention calibre of) competitors who have raced there, it is absolutely extraordinary that two men from the same family, a generation apart, should rise to the top and become the best ever. It’s hard not to allow words such as ‘destiny’ and ‘fate’ into your thoughts at times such as this.
Tonight, celebrations will be on ice, for there is work to do in the morning. Tomorrow, Dunlop goes again in the 6-lap Superbike TT. And that race will present a first chance for ‘The Bull’ to nudge ahead of Joey and go out on his own to become the GOAT himself. While Hickman, Harrison and Todd won’t make it easy for him, it’s a brave man that would bet against Dunlop, now that the pressure is off. If last year is anything to go by, MD could have many more wins by the end of this week, if the cards fall in his favour.
Supersport TT Race One Results
- Michael Dunlop – Yamaha YZF-R6
- Davey Todd – Ducati Panigale V2 +8.574s
- Dean Harrison – Honda CBR600RR +22.381s
- James Hillier – Kawasaki ZX-6R +41.441s
- James Hind – Suzuki GSX-R750
- Josh Brookes – Yamaha YZF-R6
- Paul Jordan – Honda CBR600RR
- Mike Browne – Yamaha YZF-R6
- Peter Hickman – Triumph Street Triple 765 Moto2 Edition
- Michael Evans – Triumph Street Triple 765RS
- Dominic Herbertson – Yamaha YZF-R6
- David Johnson – Triumph Street Triple 765 Moto2 Edition
- Shaun Anderson – Suzuki GSX-R750
- Rob Hodson – Yamaha YZF-R6
- Ian Hutchinson – Honda CBR600RR
2024 IOMTT Schedule
| Race Week | |
| Race Day 2 Sunday 2 June | |
| 1230 | Roads Close |
| 1330 | Solo Warm Up (1 lap) |
| 1440 | RST Superbike TT Race (6 laps) |
| Rest Day Monday 3 June | |
| Race Day 3 Tuesday 4 June | |
| 1000 | Roads Close |
| 1030 | Solo Warm Up (1 lap) |
| 1050 | Sidecar Shakedown (1 lap) |
| 1145 | RL360 Superstock TT Race 1 (3 laps) |
| 1400 | Metzeler Supertwin TT Race 1 (3 laps) |
| Race Day 4 Wednesday 5 June | |
| 1000 | Roads Close |
| 1030 | Solo Warm Up (1 lap) |
| 1145 | Sidecar TT Race 2 (3 laps) |
| 1400 | Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 2 (4 laps) |
| Rest Day Thursday 6 June | |
| Race Day 5 Friday 7 June (Isle of Man Bank Holiday) | |
| 1000 | Roads Close |
| 1030 | Solo Warm Up (1 lap) |
| 1145 | PE Superstock TT Race 2 (3 laps) |
| 1400 | Entire Cover insurance Supertwin TT Race 2 (3 laps) |
| Race Day 6 Saturday 8 June | |
| 1000 | Roads Close |
| 1030 | Solo Warm Up (1 lap) |
| 1145 | Milwaukee Senior TT Race (6 laps) |
