Isle of Man TT: Peter Hickman and Michael Dunlop dominate record-breaking TT
- Published
Peter Hickman and Michael Dunlop both stood on the podium in seven races during TT 2023
The 2023 Isle of Man TT will be remembered as a year that Peter Hickman and Michael Dunlop dominated.
The Lincolnshire rider and the Northern Irishman shared the eight solo victories between them and re-wrote the record books by raising the bar in terms of lap speeds and race times.
The epic battles between the two riders with impeccable TT pedigrees made for compelling viewing for the tens of thousands of fans who lapped up the sun-soaked action staged in perfect conditions over this most challenging of road race circuits.
The results reinforced the pair's status as the standout exponents of racing on the 37.73-mile Mountain Course, closely followed by Dean Harrison whose consistency was rewarded with a runner-up finish and five third places to take his overall tally of rostrum finishes to 26.
Dunlop sits tantalisingly close to his uncle Joey's all-time record of 26 wins, trailing that longstanding benchmark by just one.
Dunlop back to his best
Michael Dunlop made it four wins in two years in the Supersport class and broke through the 130mph barrier
Twelve months ago Hickman marked the return of TT racing after a two-year hiatus as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic by winning four races, a feat he repeated this year to take his overall tally to 13.
Dunlop was a double Supersport victor in 2022 but had struggled to establish himself again as a frontrunner in the larger capacity 1000cc classes.
Right from the outset this year Dunlop appeared to be a man on a mission, eager to throw down the gauntlet to his main rivals with a series of eye-catching unofficial lap records in qualifying.
The Ballymoney man had a fresh sense of purpose, a seemingly renewed focus and determination, and looked back to his brilliant best in achieving a first Superbike win since 2018, including his fastest ever TT lap of 135.046mph.
Two more Supersport successes followed to take his record total in that class to 11, while he broke new ground with a stunning first ever 130mph lap in the middleweight class, a remarkable achievement.
Sandwiched between those victories was a third Supertwins triumph of his career to take him clear of John McGuinness into second in the winners' list, but later in the week there was disappointment as he retired out of the lead in the next Supertwins race as he looked poised to equal the all-time wins record.
A perfect example of the vagaries of TT racing which can cause fortunes to change very quickly.
Nevertheless, a successful week for the 34-year-old and his Hawk Racing Honda and MD Racing teams.
Having notched his third four-timer, previously achieving the feat in 2013 and 2014, he will have history very much in his sights when he returns next year aiming to further perpetuate the Dunlop family legacy.
Pendulum swings to Hickman
Peter Hickman won Superstock race two in record-breaking fashion
Hickman, seemingly as laid-back as his rival appeared intense, struggled with a number of technical issues on his FHO Racing BMW in the Superbike opener, before responding by finishing with a flourish by setting a new lap record for the race at 135.455.
Having also been forced to give second best to Dunlop in the two Supersport encounters, it appeared that the psychological edge may have passed to his slightly younger challenger and the 36-year-old's metaphorical 'crown' may have slipped.
A convincing Superstock victory showed the British Superbike regular still had plenty in his locker however and momentum was to swing in the Burton-upon-Trent man's favour in the latter stages of the week.
An even more impressive display in Superstock race two was capped by a sensational new absolute course lap record of 136.358, this on a production-based machine similar to that which the average motorcyclist can purchase in the showroom.
Hickman has firmly stamped his authority on the Stocker class, having won the last five editions of the race now stretching back to 2018.
Hickman joined Dunlop in a very exclusive club of two by also lapping at over 130mph on his Supersport Triumph and was able to pick up the win in Supertwins race two on his own PHR R7 Yamaha following the mechanical failures which afflicted Dunlop and the equally unfortunate Mike Browne.
Further evidence to prove the old adage that 'to finish first, first you have to finish' and also of Hickman's tendency throughout the week to finish races strongly in the closing laps.
The Senior race was billed as an end-of-week showdown between the event's two primary protagonists but ultimately it was Hickman who prevailed, controlling the pace from the front throughout.
Harrison, rather than Dunlop, emerged as his main challenger, but it was Hickman who came away with the quickest lap speed - 135.507 on his second circuit - and a 39-second improvement in the race record.
Dean Harrison racked up six podium finishes in a series of consistently fast performances
Best of the rest and sidecar record
Of the other leading lights, Harrison was the star performer with his podium consistency, while the efforts of Milenco by Padgett's Honda riders Conor Cummins and Davey Todd were hampered by illness.
Both managed best finishes of fourth to salvage some good results from a difficult fortnight.
Australian double British Superbike champion Josh Brookes marked his return after a five-year absence by standing on the rostrum for the first time by taking third in the Supertwins and improving his fastest lap to a creditable 132.529.
James Hillier, John McGuinness and Jamie Coward also performed strongly, occupying top-six positions.
Among the sidecars, brothers Ben and Tom Birchall emphasised their superiority, winning both races to extend their streak of successes to 11 and 14 in total.
Both they and nearest challengers Peter Founds and Jevan Walmsley made history by becoming the first 'three-wheeler' crews to lap the circuit at over 120mph.