New lap record in tragic Isle of Man TT

Michael Dunlop on his way to the first sub-17 minute lap of the Isle of Man TT course. Picture: IOMTT.com

Michael Dunlop on his way to the first sub-17 minute lap of the Isle of Man TT course. Picture: IOMTT.com

Published Jun 7, 2016

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Douglas, Isle of Man - Michael Dunlop broke the all-time lap record around the Isle of Man to win the RST Superbike TT, setting a race record as well as the first ever lap under 17 minutes in the opening race of 2016 TT Week.

Dunlop led from start to finish, breaking the TT lap record on the opening lap from a standing start before pushing his BMW S1000 RR even further to set his fastest speed on the second lap of the race at an average of 213.429km/h around the 60km course.

Despite letting Ian Hutchinson past on the road to take the chequered flag first, Dunlop followed him home to seal his 12th TT victory and move into outright fifth on the all-time winners' list, just two victories behind TT legend Mike Hailwood. Hutchinson took second to continue his run of six consecutive podium finishes, with TT veteran John McGuinness backing off on the final lap to take a solid third place.

Also see: IOM TT promo video - It's Addictive

Dunlop's emphatic victory came as a welcome lift to the mood after two riders died in separate crashes on the opening day. Locally-based Australian Dwight Beare, 27, was killed in Saturday's sidecar race while his passenger Benjamin Binns was in a stable condition with a fractured ankle.

English solo rider Paul Shoesmith, 50, died in evening practice in a crash on the Sulby Straight, which brought out the red flags, bringing an early end to the session.

The Tourist Trophy races around the island off the north-west coast of England between Britain and Ireland have been run since 1907 and rank among the most dangerous in motorsport.

Including the Manx Grand Prix races, held later in the year, there have been 250 rider fatalities to date on the Snaefell course.

The Independent, Reuters

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