2024 Isle of Man TT
SuperTwin TT Race Two
Unfortunately, the second SuperTwins race of the week was red-flagged just as Michael Dunlop was going through Signpost on the 2nd and final lap, and results were taken from the end of lap 1. It truly was a sprint race in every sense of the word.
There had been great drama on the line when Rob Hodson’s machine would not fire. The SMT Kawaski eventually did start and he was allowed to set off at the back of the grid without losing any time.
Hodson’s problems meant that Michael Dunlop had a clear run on the road ahead of him and by the time the leaders got to Glen Helen, MD was leading the race. This time he was 3s up on Peter Hickman, who in turn was 1.2 ahead of Jamie Coward. Mike Browne, Dom Herbertson and Barry Furber completed the top 6.
Rob Hodson eventually wheelied away at the grandstand just as the lead riders had reached Ballaugh. At that point it was obvious we were in for another MD master class. Dunlop had doubled his advantage over Hickman and Browne, but Herbertson was making moves and was up to 4th. Italy’s Stefano Bonetti had pushed Baz Furber out of the top 6.
As the field raced towards Ramsey, there were reports that people were on the course at Creg-ny-baa and that police were on their way. The Manx police do not suffer fools gladly, and you can be sure that the unsuspecting members of the public will regret being on the track once local law enforcement has dealt with them.
Dunlop was right on Pierre Yves-Bian (who was lying in 8th) at Ramsey, and the sound of two Patons climbing the mountain together was a real treat for spectators stationed in the Tower bends area.
Dunlop continued to take time out of the rest over the mountain, and as he crossed the line at the end of lap one, 6.4s ahead of Peter Hickman. He effectively won the race. However, no one was to know that at the time and fans were fully invested in proceedings as the riders raced onto the 2nd lap.
No one was more invested than Dominic Herbertson, who was chasing Mike Browne to get on the podium. When the red flags came out, Dom was indeed in third, but that would be scrapped from the history books as results were taken from the end of the first lap, and Mike Browne was the man who joined Dunlop and Hickman on the rostrum. Herbertson will feel particularly vexed as he took over the position from Browne at Ballaugh but raced on and held the position for many miles before the flag was shown.
Race leader Dunlop had been on a sensational pace when the race was stopped; he was on for a 124mph lap. But we’ll never know if he would have managed to pull it off, as he still had a couple of miles to go to complete the lap when he was flagged down. Mind you, the final check he reached was at Cronk-ny-mona, and that’s just a stone’s throw from the finish. It’s fair to say he would have got it done.
Once the red flag went out, riders were pulled to the side at various points of the circuit, and there was a long pause before they were escorted back to the paddock. Eventually, when they did make it back, a fairly subdued podium celebration ensued, with no one really sure what had caused the stoppage. A red flag is a cause for concern at any race, but at the TT, it’s particularly worrying. Unfortunately, at the TT no news, is not normally good news.
Thankfully this evening a statement was released that stated that Jack Petrie had been the victim of a crash at Handley’s. He was considered stable but was continuing to receive treatment. We wish him all the best.
Josh Brookes carded an eighth-place finish on the Rev2Race YZF-R7.
2024 Isle of Man TT Results
SuperTwin TT Race Two
- Michael Dunlop – Paton S1-R
- Peter Hickman – Yamaha YZF-R7
- Mike Browne – Aprilia RS660
- Dominic Herbertson – Paton S1-R
- Paul Jordan – Yamaha YZF-R7
- Davey Todd – Kawasaki Ninja 650
- Rob Hodson – Paton S1-R
- Josh Brookes – Yamaha YZF-R7
- Adam McLean – Yamaha YZF-R7
- Baz Furber – Yamaha MT-07
