Michael Dunlop has thrown the gauntlet down at the Isle of Man TT, setting a blistering 131.501 mph lap around the legendary mountain course – the fastest seen so far in 2014. He also set the second-fastest Superstock lap with an incredible 129.333 mph average speed.
Dunlop and the BMW S 1000 RR Superbike stormed to the top of the timesheets during the Friday evening practice session, crossing the finish line of the 37.3-mile course just 1.3 seconds shy of the all-time lap record.
The BMW Motorrad / Hawk Racing rider set a Superbike lap time six seconds faster than second place rider Bruce Anstey, who recorded a lap of 130.86 mph earlier in the week. Guy Martin was third quickest on 130.10 mph.
Friday evening’s practice session was in perfect warm and dry conditions. Dunlop initially set out for one lap on his Superbike to acclimatise, before coming in to swap to his Superstock machine for one lap, before setting out on his final Superbike practice.
Michael completed one out-lap on the BMW S 1000 RR followed by his incredible 131.501 mph lap, by far the fastest of the entire practice week.
Michael, a four-time winner at last year’s Isle of Man TT, will be looking to add to his impressive total of seven victories – beginning with tomorrow’s six-lap Superbike race which starts at 11:00 (GMT).
For more information and live timing visit www.iomtt.com.
Michael Dunlop
“That felt really good – the BMW is really coming together now. We’ve still got some work to do on the bike, but it’s getting there. I think we could even go quicker on the Superbike. I don’t think you can be confident about the TT, but tomorrow should be good. I’ll keep my head down and battle on. If I can be good enough to win, well, we’ll see what happens.”
