Michael Dunlop takes 20th TT win with hard fought Supersport victory

2022 Isle of Man TT
Supersport TT Monday

By Ben McCook

Michael Dunlop has won the Monster energy Supersport TT. The Ballymoney racer made it  20  TT wins and counting, charging home on his own MD Racing R6 3.9s ahead of Kawasaki’s Dean Harrison. Peter Hickman completed the podium on the Trooper Triumph. 

The race was an absolute thriller with Dunlop and Harrison trading blows throughout the 3 lap contest. In the end Dunlop had just a little bit more than the DAO kawasaki rider but there was barely anything between them. Dunlop needed a new lap record of 129.47 mph to seal the deal on the final lap.

A fine battle for 3^rd raged behind them, with Hickman, Lee Johnston and Hiller all involved. In the end they finished in that order.

The race kicked off at the earlier time of 10:45 and was cut to 3 laps to allow Saturday’s abandoned Sidecar race to be slotted into the programme later in the day. 

Despite the nip-and- tuck nature of the bout, Dunlop led from start to finish. At the first split on lap 1 he had a 0.5s advantage over 2019 winner, Lee Johnston. At Ballaugh the lead was 1.4s over Harrison and by Ramsey it was out to 2.5. But Michael had caught Hillier and Hutchinson on the road; after the race he said he could feel them ‘sucking’ behind him once he got by.

Unlike 3 lappers of the past, the organisers made it compulsory to pit at the end of lap 1. Previously, choosing which lap to come in on had added a tactical dimension to proceedings but for whatever reason the organisers decided that wouldn’t be so today. 

And there was drama in the pits. Lee Johnston lost 8s during his stop, effectively putting him out of the race for the win. 

Dunlop had a fine stop and as they headed onto the 2^nd lap the gap was out to 3s. But Hillier was once again ahead of him on the road after a super quick splash and dash. 

By Glenhelen, Dunlop had caught the OMG Yamaha man which obviously slowed him slightly. Harrison was clawing back time and had halved the difference. Through Ballaugh it was less than a second. 

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At this point Hillier slotted in behind the race leader, just as Dunlop had hung on behind Peter Hickman in Saturday’s SBK TT. The tow pulled Hillier into contention for the podium and he began to make inroads on Hickman. 

The news from Ramsey on lap 2 was that Harrison was 1.3 adrift of the MD Racing Yamaha. But Hillier had overhauled Hickman and had slotted into 3^rd. Lee Johnston was doing his best to make amends for the poor stop and was catching both. 

As they began the 3^rd and only flying lap of the race Dunlop had dropped Hillier but had caught Johnston on the road. The pair crossed the line together at 160 MPH. At this point there was just a second separating Harrison and Dunlop and as the 1 lap shootout commenced, the excitement was nothing ordinary. 

They were almost inseparable at Glen Helen… just hundredths of a second in it. The race was truly on. But that was as close as it got. At every split from then on Michael increased his advantage; he seemed to have the measure of his Yorkshire rival over the bumpy stuff- it was 2.2s at Ramsey and as they negotiated the final 12 miles there was a cautious sense that Dunlop had perhaps done enough. 

As the Yamaha screamed across the Veranda and into the Bungalow it was confirmed that he had a 3.4s lead. Barring misfortune for Michael or a superhuman effort from Harrison, the race was Dunlop’s.

In the end, a new lap record meant that the lead had increased again  by the finish and MD crossed the line to record the 8^th Supersport win of his career, matching Ian Hutchinson in the record books. 

The supporting cast were engaged in a fierce wrestle for the final podium. Without Dunlop’s tow, Hillier was slipping back. Hickman had overhauled the no. 5 and was almost 4s up but Johnston was on the comeback trail. 

While Dunlop celebrated his win in parc ferme, the timekeepers held their breath in anticipation of who would come out on top. In the end it was Hickman’s… the dejected Johnston had given everything to get on the box but it wasn’t enough.

For this race, the historic Junior trophy was presented to Dunlop. The Junior trophy is 100 years old this year and was first presented to Manxman, Tom Sheard in 1922.

It was fitting that Michael should rack up a win at this year’s Jubilee TT, for his uncle Joey took his first win in the 1977 Jubilee TT race. 45 years on Michael has made sure the Dunlop name continues to be etched into the history of this wonderful event. 

John McGuinness failed to fire in the Supersport TT, coming home 19th, more than three-minutes behind the leaders.

Aussie debutante Rennie Scaysbrook completed two laps but was flagged off the course at Signpost Corner after the incident that saw Davy Morgan lose his life on the final lap at the 27th Milestone.  It was Davy’s 80^th start on the Isle of Man. 

Supersport TT Monday Results

1. Michael Dunlop – Yamaha
2. Dean Harrison – Kawasaki +5.617s
3. Peter Hickman – Triumph +29.437s
4. Lee Johnston – Yamaha +3.546s
5. James Hillier – Yamaha +7.070s
6. Jamie Coward – Yamaha +17.222s
7. Conor Cummins – Honda +3.793s
8. Davey Todd – Honda +31.887s
9. Dominic Herbertson – Kawasaki +21.329s
10. Ian Hutchinson – Yamaha +3.587s