Michael Dunlop sets the pace as qualifying for the Classic TT gets underway

Michael Dunlop made a statement of intent on the first day of qualifying for the 2026 Historic Senior Classic TT, after setting a best lap that was over 25 seconds faster than second-placed Conor Cummins. 

Riders had to contend with minor drops of rain at different points during Wednesday’s sessions, however, it remained largely dry throughout. 

The Historic Senior and Historic Junior classes were combined into one session, although light rainfall meant that some riders were held at the start line briefly.

Dean Harrison and John McGuinness were among those who set off without encountering any rain, and it was the former who set the slightly quicker pace out of the two.

Harrison clocked a best lap of 101.353mph, while McGuinness ended the Historic Senior session fourth fastest with a speed of 101.061mph. 

But when Dunlop set off aboard his Flitwick Motorcycles/SMV Royal Enfield, it became apparent very early on that his lap time was going to take some beating. 

Cummins eventually split Dunlop and Harrison, but was unable to get near the speed set by the Royal Enfield rider (105.690mph). The 36-time Isle of Man TT winner ended the session 25.4 seconds clear of Cummins, who managed a very respectable speed of 103.637mph.

In the Junior 600 class, Brian McCormack set the early pace after clocking a speed of 114.468mph on the JRC Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.

However, it was Michael Russell that ended the session on top after edging out McCormack by 0.332s. 

In the Formula One class it was Shaun Anderson who secured top spot, narrowly getting better of Dean Harrison’s brother, Nathan. Riding a Suzuki GSX-R 750 SRAD, Anderson set a speed of 122.822mph, which was closely followed by Harrison. Third quickest was David Johnson ahead of Jamie Coward and Dunlop.

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