More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Scholtz Wins MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race One At Road America

Mathew Scholtz Beats Danilo Petrucci In Road America Superbike Battle

ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 4, 2022) – Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz finished second in five of the seven MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike races going into Saturday’s race one at Road America. But he refused to finish second again, the South African going head-to-head with Italian Danilo Petrucci and coming out on top of a last-lap brawl to score his first victory of the season and the fifth Superbike win of his career.

With Scholtz and Petrucci well clear of the battle for third place, it all came down to the last lap. Petrucci led, but Scholtz had a plan and he stuck to it. With a late-braking effort and a block pass into turn five, Scholtz took the lead. Petrucci tried to pass in the final corner, but it didn’t work and Scholtz was able to hold off the horsepower of the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 R up the hill to the finish line – by just .015 of a second.

The win, the fifth Superbike victory of Scholtz’ career and his first in the dry, vaulted him to the top of the championship point standings by a single point over Petrucci, 125-124.

Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera was third, the Spaniard earning his first MotoAmerica podium in his second season in the series. Barbera crossed the line 8.5 seconds behind the battle for victory and just .055 of a second ahead of his teammate PJ Jacobsen.

And what of defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne? Gagne and Petrucci touched under braking, and both ran wide on the first lap in turn five. While Petrucci was able to get his Ducati slowed down and turned, Gagne was forced to take to the gravel trap on the outside of turn five and he tipped over. By the time Gagne got going again, he was 29th and dead last.

From there Gagne and his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1 went on a charge through the pack to an eventual fifth-place finish and the 11 championship points that come with it. Points that may prove valuable at season’s end.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis and Richie Escalante were next, the pair separated by some 13 seconds with Lewis sixth and Escalante seventh.

Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander was eighth with Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Larry Pegram ninth, in his return to MotoAmerica Superbike racing, and Aftercare Hayes Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates rounding out the top 10.

With seven races in the books, Scholtz leads Petrucci, 125-124 with Gagne third with 102 points. Barbera moves into fourth with 79 points, one point more than Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen with the South African out of the race on lap five with a mechanical failure.

Mathew Scholtz – Winner

“I kind of thought after corner five, I had a decent gap that he (Petrucci) wouldn’t be close enough to me, but he obviously had a really good couple corners after that and caught up to me. I didn’t realize in the final corner he was going to try to pass me. I kind of heard him turning in and out of the corner of my eye, I saw his front tire. I actually had to give it a little bit of gas to make sure that he didn’t touch me and push me wide. We crossed the finish line and I looked right, and he was right there next to me. I wasn’t even sure that I had won, at that point. I think over the last two races that we’ve had, if you combine both of those finishing times, they’re both less than eight tenths. So, it’s been extremely close. I’m just really happy to be up here battling with this guy. Coming off of MotoGP, winning a Dakar stage, it really shows how the Westby team have made the bike better, how I’m riding better. I think things might have been different if Jake (Gagne) was there, but sometimes you’ve got to take your luck when it comes.”

Danilo Petrucci – Second Place

“I don’t know if I was able to pass him on the straight before the finish line, so I tried to pass him in the last corner. I tried, but I’m happy because since VIR we are facing a big problem with the engine brake. This morning we decided to completely change the setup on the engine brake, especially on braking. It seems this morning the bike was working a little bit better. For sure, it was a tough weekend, but I’m happy with this second place. For sure I wanted to win. I tried until the last moment. For sure I understood that I need to be harder on the pass because every rider that passed me pushed me out of the way. From tomorrow on I will try the same.”

Hector Barbera – Third Place

“It’s a very great moment for me because I work too much for that moment, but I think with that bike we need more time for arrive to go fast. But after today, we try a good line for my bike go better, especially the electronics part. Now I’m faster. Every session I’m more and more fast with more confidence. I’m very happy. The team has worked very good and worked a lot all winter because new bike. Needed too much time for go fast.”

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

Mathew Scholtz Takes Over Superbike Championship Lead With Signature Win On Saturday At Road America

Elkhart Lake, WI – June 4, 2022 – Road America has always been a highlight of the season for Westby Racing. It’s a track where Dane Westby did well, and he and the team built a strong fan base at “America’s National Park Of Speed.” For the team’s Superbike rider Mathew Scholtz, Road America is also a special place since it’s the first track that Scholtz raced at when he came to the U.S. to compete in the MotoAmerica series back in 2016. Mathew’s Superbike win on Saturday at Road America made the track extra-special to him and the team.

Going into the afternoon’s feature event, Mathew had qualified on the inside of row two, and with three riders ahead of him at the start, he anticipated a struggle. But then, that’s why you race. And race, Mathew did. On the opening lap, Jake Gagne and Danilo Petrucci made contact with each other, which sent them temporarily off the track. That left Cam Petersen to take the lead. Then, on lap five, Petersen’s bike had a technical issue, causing him to retire from the race. By then, Danilo Petrucci had recovered from his off-track excursion on lap one and took the lead. Mathew overtook the former MotoGP rider on lap six, but Petrucci overtook him again. With Mathew in second, he stalked the Italian until the final lap when he executed a perfect block pass in turn five and took the lead. Petrucci tried to overtake Mathew in the final corner, but he couldn’t make it stick and Mathew prevailed in the drag race to the finish line, notching the fifth Superbike victory of his MotoAmerica career.

“On the last lap, after passing Petrucci in turn five, I had a decent gap,” commented Mathew. “I didn’t think he could get close enough to pass me back, but he had a really good couple corners after that and caught up to me. I actually didn’t realize, in the final corner, that he was going to try to pass me. I heard him turning and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw his front tire. I actually had to give it a little bit of gas to make sure that he didn’t touch me and push me wide. We crossed the finish line, and I looked right, and he was right there next to me. I wasn’t even sure that I had won. I think, over the past couple of races, if you combine the finishing gaps, they’re both less than eight-tenths of a second. So, it’s been extremely close. I’m just really happy to be up here battling with this guy. With him coming here from MotoGP, and winning a Dakar stage, it really shows how the Westby team has made the bike better, and how I’m riding better.”

With the victory, Mathew now leads the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship by one point. He and the team will prepare for Superbike race two, which starts on Sunday at 3:10 p.m. CT. The race will be broadcast on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) Sunday night at 7 p.m. ET.

For all the action from Road America, as it happens, subscribe to MotoAmerica Live+, which is MotoAmerica’s live streaming and on-demand service.

Meet Mathew, Get An Autographed Poster, And More

Mathew will be available for autographs during the Dunlop Hot Pit Walk & Autograph Session, scheduled for 11 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday on pit lane at Road America. He and the team will be handing out free posters and T-shirts, so don’t miss it.

Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase

BrakeTech USA and Renthal are the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area this race weekend, so be sure to stop by to say hello and learn about some of the companies that support the team.

For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com

Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Gagne Charges Back to Top-Five Finish at Road America

Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne charged back through the pack to score a top-five finish after a tip-over on the opening lap of today’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at Road America. His teammate Cameron Petersen was leading the race in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, but unfortunately retired early with a technical issue.

Gagne once again set the pace, topping the timesheets in every session en route to his fourth pole position in four tries this season. He got a great start and made the pass for the lead going into Turn 5, but he and his title rival went off track and unfortunately, Gagne had a tip-over in the gravel. The defending champion rejoined the race at the back of the field and threw down some consistently fast laps to make his way to fifth on the final lap, scoring some valuable points in the title chase.

Petersen also showed speed straight away, qualifying second to start next to his teammate on the front row. He narrowly missed the holeshot, and then took over the lead on that opening lap as his teammate and title rival went off track in Turn 5. Petersen was running a good pace up front and holding off his fellow Yamaha rider until a technical issue on Lap 5 had him withdrawing from the race.

The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team looks to come back swinging in tomorrow’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at Road America on Sunday, June 5.

Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager

“Our Yamaha R1s and riders have been performing flawlessly all weekend. Unfortunately, Jake got together with (Danilo) Petrucci and fell in the gravel trap, but he did a great job to pick up the bike and run the fastest laps of the race to finish fifth.

“Cameron has been right on schedule with his progression and has been performing great. He was leading the race and looking poised to win when his bike suddenly stopped. We are investigating the source of the technical issue and will be ready for tomorrow no matter what the weather brings.”

Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing

“Both Cam and I got off to a great start but unfortunately got into Turn 5 with another rider and fell in the gravel. Luckily we picked it up and salvaged some points today. These Yamahas are still in winning form and we look to come back tomorrow.”

Cameron Petersen – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing

“I got a good start and was starting to get into a good race pace, and was feeling confident. A couple of laps before halfway, I went into Turn 5 and the bike stopped, and unfortunately, couldn’t finish the race. Yeah, it’s a shame, but that’s racing sometimes. We’ve had a good pace all weekend and we keep progressing. I’m looking forward to tomorrow no matter what the conditions bring.”

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Scott Wins His First Career MotoAmerica Supersport Race

Youth Is Served In Supersport Final At Road America

ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 4, 2022) – Sixteen-year-old Tyler Scott won the first MotoAmerica Supersport race of his career on Saturday at Road America, the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider trailing Josh Herrin for the race distance and then drafting past the veteran and his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V2 at the finish line.

Margin of victory: .039 of a second.

Scott winning a Supersport race wasn’t a matter of if, but when. Today it was when as the Pennsylvanian earned what is certainly the first of many Supersport wins for last year’s SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Champion.

Yuasa Stock 1000 – Alexander’s Bounce Back

Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander made a big comeback from his crash at VIRginia International Raceway when he began the weekend at Road America by setting a new Yuasa Stock 1000 lap record in first qualifying, then going even faster in final qualifying to lower his record even more and set the pole. Then, in the literbike riders’ feature race of the weekend, Alexander led every lap of the event aboard his BMW M 1000 RR and took the checkered flag by nearly three seconds over his teammate Travis Wyman. VisionWheel/DiscountTire/KWS Honda rider Geoff May rounded out the podium in third.

“For sure, this was our plan all year to try to be one and two, Travis (Wyman) and me,” Alexander said. “That’s what we’re here for. Definitely coming into the weekend, I honestly wasn’t 100 percent sure what it would feel like to get back on the bike. It took me every bit of the two weeks to do everything I possibly could to recover for this and get back to a head space where I was comfortable with getting back on the bike. So, just to be out here riding again after that crash, obviously it was very scary. Fortunately, I don’t remember any of it. But it was scary to watch. Just super thankful for my guys and the whole team. This is what we’re here to do. It’s great to have Travis up here with me, and unfortunate for Hayden (Gillim, who is leading the Yuasa Stock 1000 Championship, but suffered a mechanical failure on Saturday). But we need every point we can get after missing those two. I keep bringing it up, but we don’t have double-headers every weekend, so these single-header weekends, there are not that many races left. We’re only three races into the season, but we don’t have a ton left in Stock 1000. So, we’ve got to get every point we can to try to get back in the hunt for the championship.”

Supersport – Scott’s First

Sixteen-year-old Tyler Scott, who won last year’s SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Championship, moved up to Supersport for 2022, and in just his fifth race in the class, the Pennsylvanian notched his third podium of the season, but more importantly, his first victory.

Scott stalked Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider and current point leader Josh Herrin for almost the entirety of the race. And then, on the final go-around of the 11-lap race, Scott made a perfect pass on Herrin and prevailed in a drag race to the checkered flag, winning by just .039 of a second. Third place went to Landers Racing Yamaha’s Rocco Landers, who prevailed in a battle of his own for the final step on the podium.

“I tried to break away in those first couple laps and saw that wasn’t a possibility of happening,” Scott said. “So, I just tried to follow Josh and learn what I could and use it on the final lap and try and draft him to the line. I didn’t expect (to win). I definitely wanted it, but I knew it was going to be a little bit to get used to the team and the bike. I wanted the first win to come as soon as possible.”

SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup – LiMandri Gets It Done

Saturday was a breakthrough day for SportbikeTrackGear.com rider Joseph LiMandri Jr. as the Kawasaki rider won the first race of his career in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup class…but it wasn’t easy. LiMandri Jr. need every one of the seven laps and every inch of the four-mile track to win over Rodio Racing/Warhorse HSBK Racing’s Gus Rodio, who finished second and just six milliseconds behind LiMandri Jr. Rounding out the podium was Altus Motorsports rider Kayla Yaakov.

“A lot of my strategy was kind of what Gus was doing,” LiMandri Jr. said. “I wanted to be out front. Usually I play tag behind, or I just follow behind someone. Obviously, that hasn’t been working too much lately. I’ve either been second or third. Like Gus said, there was so much carnage. There were bikes everywhere. I got hit a couple times. I hit a couple people. So, I was like, you know what? I’m just going to try to get to the front. I messed around with maybe I could pull away. So, I tried to pass in turn five and lead hopefully through the infield and see if I could put a gap, but that didn’t work. So, on the last lap I was hoping to stay in second by the time I got to the front straight, but I got shuffled back. So, I just kind of put my head down. I was really aggressive, and I knew I had to make passes. So, I planned it out in my head right before. I just started making passes right when I saw the opportunity. I saw Gus got a gap, and my confidence was starting to go down a little bit. I didn’t know if I could catch back up. Down the back straight I saw we were closing in Kayla was going in deep into Canada Corner, so I just went a little deeper. I was hoping that it panned out. It worked. Then going down the front straight, Gus was close. I got a good drive out of the last turn. It was just far enough where I knew I could get sucked into that draft and pulled right up next to him and I just popped out. It worked.”

Twins Cup – Barry. Again.

Veloce Racing Aprilia rider Jody Barry had a short hiatus from the MotoAmerica series a couple of years ago, but ever since he returned and started racing in the Twins Cup class, he’s had a lot of success. This year, he’s become the odds-on favorite to win the class championship.

On Saturday at Road America, Barry bided his time at the beginning of the eight-lap race, but then, he took the lead on lap two and held steady to take his fourth straight win this season. BARTCON Racing Yamaha rider Dominic Doyle looked to have second place wrapped up, but Rodio Racing/Warhorse HSBK Racing Aprilia’s Anthony Mazziotto seemingly came out of nowhere and overtook Doyle on the final lap to finish as runner-up, which relegated Doyle to the final step on the podium.

“Daytona was a wild round, so, I figured it would be like that all year,” Barry said. “Thankfully, (Veloce Racing is) putting together a good bike, allowing me to get consistent wins and everything. My rear tire was going and everything, and I figured everybody else’s rear tire was going. Coming to the white flag lap, I’m like, ‘If somebody passes me into five, we can see what we can do for the draft,’ but no one did. So, I was like, ‘Let’s see what we can do as far as lap time goes and just put down a good lap.’ ”

More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, LLC:

TYLER SCOTT WINS HIS FIRST SUPERSPORT RACE FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI

Suzuki GSX-R750s Dominate the Top Ten Results at Road America

BREA, Calif., June 4, 2022 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer celebrated a landmark victory in spectacular fashion as the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season resumed on Saturday at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

That celebration came courtesy of rising star Tyler Scott, who demonstrated both wisdom beyond his years and a flair for the dramatic in a perfectly executed MotoAmerica Supersport contest.

Even before the race, the 16-year-old made his intentions clear by hustling the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 to his, and the bike’s, first-ever Supersport pole position in just their third attempt.

Scott made the most of that prime starting position by rocketing out in the lead at the start. However, once he saw it would be impossible to escape at the front, he made the cagey decision to slot into second position, go to school on a vastly more experienced rider, and then strike at the last possible moment.

He played his cards perfectly, pulling out of the draft in the final sprint to the checkered flag at the last possible moment, sling shotting to a 0.039-second margin of victory.

Scott said, “I tried to break away in the first couple of laps, but I saw there wasn’t a possibility of that so I decided to follow and learn what I could before attempting to draft him to the finish line.”

“I definitely wanted it, but I didn’t expect a Supersport win to come quite this early. I knew I would have to get used to the team and the bike, but I wanted the first one to come as soon as possible. The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 was amazing for the entire race. All thanks to my entire Suzuki team.”

While Scott’s breakthrough win obviously made him the headliner, it was a banner day for Suzuki in the class all around.  Scott’s Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate, Sam Lochoff, engaged in a heated battle throughout the race and came in seventh, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Liam Grant finished in tenth. And Suzuki riders from multiple teams accounted for six of the top ten positions, a dominating performance for the new generation Supersport Suzuki GSX-R750.

Lochoff said, “I got a strong start; I came up to second from fifth, but I outbraked myself in Turn 12 and lost some positions. After that, I settled down and rode what I thought was a pretty good race. I knew I could catch the guys in front of me, but I was weak on the brakes and couldn’t get a good drive out of the chicane. We’ll work on the setup and look forward to tomorrow.”

Saturday’s MotoAmerica Superbike race saw Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Jake Lewis and Richie Escalante both improve upon their starting positions aboard their twin GSX-R1000Rs. Both riders suffered crashes earlier in the weekend that hindered their qualifying performances.

After qualifying ninth, Lewis fought forward and only surrendered a top-five finish late, ultimately coming home in sixth. Premier-class rookie Escalante, meanwhile, made an identical improvement, transforming a fourth-row grid position into a seventh-place result.

Lewis said, “We definitely wanted to be a little bit better, but we put ourselves on the back foot yesterday with a crash early in qualifying. We missed out on some time to get the bike set up and it knocked my confidence down a little bit in qualifying. Still, we got a good start in the race and pretty much held our position. We’ll try to make some changes for tomorrow and see if we finish better.”

Team Hammer and the rest of the Suzuki-mounted contingent will be back hunting more trophies on Sunday at Road America.

ABOUT TEAM HAMMER

The 2022 season marks Team Hammer’s 42nd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 128 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 332 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport.) The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.

ABOUT VISION WHEEL

Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.

ABOUT SUZUKI

Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.

Editorial Note: The previous MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers All-Time Lap Record at Road America was a 2:23.631, which was set by Travis Wyman on Friday in Q1.

The Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge race no longer determines any grid positions. Starting at Road America, it is strictly a dash for cash.

Editorial Note: The previous Twins Cup All-Time Lap Record was 2:26.829, which was set Friday by Jody Barry during Q1.

More, from a press release issued by Isle of Man TT Press Office:

HICKMAN WINS THE RST SUPERBIKE TT RACE

In the first race of the 2022 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, Peter Hickman appears to be starting as he means to go on as he led the six-lap RST Superbike race from start to finish on his Gas Monkey Garage by FHO Racing BMW, coming home 39.9s clear of Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki) and Michael Dunlop (Hawk Racing) for his sixth TT victory.

With sunshine bathing the island, Hickman set the fastest lap of the race at 133.461mph but there was disappointment for several of the leading runners including the Milenco by Padgett’s Motorocycles duo of Davey Todd and Conor Cummins and Lee Johnston (Ashcourt Racing), all of whom were early retirements.

That meant it was Ian Hutchinson (Milwaukee BMW Motorrad) who came through for fourth ahead of John McGuinness MBE (Honda Racing UK) on his 100th TT race start and Jamie Coward (KTS Racing powered by Steadplan). Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing UK) finished in a brilliant eighth place and became the fastest ever newcomer with a final lap speed of 129.849mph.

Moved back 15 minutes for a 12.15pm start, Hickman led through Glen Helen on the opening lap with Todd 0.6s adrift and Harrison a further 0.3s in arrears. Cummins was in fourth, 1.2s behind Harrison, with Dunlop and James Hillier (RICH Energy OMG Racing Yamaha) completing the top six.

By Ballaugh, Hickman had pulled 3.1s clear of Todd but he had Harrison and Cummins for close company, just 1.5s covering the trio, Dunlop and Hillier were still in fifth and sixth but some eight and 11 seconds behind the pace setting Hickman.

By Ramsey, Harrison was leading on the road and up to second albeit just as Todd was only 0.004s further back in third. Cummins was still well in touch though, only seven tenths behind teammate Todd but it was still Hickman in the lead and, indeed, he’d extended his lead to six seconds.

The BMW rider continued to build on his lead and with an opening lap of 133.17mph, he’d soared 9.3s clear of Harrison and it was now Cummins in third, just under half a second clear of Todd. Dunlop was in fifth and it was now Johnston in sixth, the last rider to lap in excess of 130mph. Hillier, Hutchinson, Coward and McGuinness rounded out the top ten with Irwin just outside in 11th after a first lap speed of 128.12mph.

By Glen Helen on lap two, Hickman had increased his lead over Harrison to 11.9s and he, in turn, had eked out a bit more time over Cummins, the gap between the two now 2.5s. There was little to choose between the Manxman and Todd but the latter’s race soon ended in a retirement at Sulby Bridge. That promoted Dunlop up to fourth with Johnston and Hillier now in fifth and sixth.

None of them could do anything about Hickman though who was stretching his advantage at each and every timing sector. Indeed, with a lap of 133.461mph, he arrived at the pits for his first pit stop at the end of lap two with a lead of 16.8s over Harrison.

Dunlop was third though as Cummins was out having stopped just after the Creg and fourth to sixth was now occupied by Johnston, Hillier and Coward. Irwin had moved up to ninth after lapping at 128.32mph but Johnston didn’t get much further as he retired at Quarter Bridge at the start of lap three. In what was proving to be a race of attrition, there were further retirements from Gary Johnson, Phil Crowe, Sam West, Brian McCormack and Derek Sheils.

Back on track and Hickman’s lead at Glen Helen on lap three was 18.1s but although Harrison and Dunlop were still in second and third, the retirements and pit stops saw a shuffle further back with Hutchinson up to fourth from McGuinness and Hillier, Coward had slipped back to seventh with Irwin now eighth.

At half race distance, Hickman was up to second on the road having overtaken Dunlop at Windy Corner and his lead over Harrison had moved out again to 22.8s. Dunlop was a further 18.5s back and McGuinness was up to fourth albeit only three quarters of a second ahead of Hutchinson. Hillier was still holding onto sixth from Coward, Irwin, Shaun Anderson and Michael Rutter.

Just outside the top ten were Dominic Herbertson, local rider Nathan Harrison, Rob Hodson, Craig Neve and Paul Jordan all of whom were having strong rides.

At the sharp end, and with a comfortable advantage, Hickman was controlling his lead, extending it to more than half a minute with two laps to go, but Dunlop tracked him for the entire fourth lap and that helped him cut the gap to Harrison from 18s down to just 6s. The battle for fourth was still wide open too with only 13s separating McGuinness, Hutchinson, Coward and Hillier. Irwin continued to hold on to eighth after another new personal best of 128.49mph.

There was to be no late drama for Hickman and, after two more trouble free laps he duly took the chequered flag by almost 40s whilst Harrison responded to Dunlop’s threat to get the better of the Ulsterman by more than 17 seconds.

The race for fourth went the way of Hutchinson from McGuinness and Coward with Hillier, Irwin, Anderson and Michael Rutter completing the top ten. Herbertson took 11th with Nathan Harrison finishing in a fine 12th in his first TT race, lapping at more than 127mph on his final lap.