2022 Isle of Man Supersport TT | Dunlop fends off Harrison for 20th TT win

Riding the MD Racing Yamaha R6, while Dunlop led from the first split, the gap between himself and Dean Harrison on the DAO Kawasaki ZX-6R never swelled to more than two seconds until the closing stages of the three lap encounter.

The pace setter on Supersport machinery following qualifying practice, Dunlop’s favourite status was nonetheless tested by a determined Harrison, who capitalised on his second-on-the-road status - which became the lead once he’d quickly overhauled John McGuinness - to get a good rhythm out front.

However, it was Dunlop that set the pace on the timesheets, prompting Harrison to get the hammer down coming into the final lap to a margin that at one stage on the third revolution was as slim as 0.140secs.

Harrison’s proximity was just the spur Dunlop needed on the final lap though, the Ulsterman upping the pace to smash his own Supersport lap record with a 129.47mph.

It means Dunlop joins his uncle Joey Dunlop (26) and McGuinness (23) in winning at least 20 TT races, 13 years after his first in 2009. He has achieved eight of these on Supersport machinery.

Behind Harrison, Superbike TT winner Peter Hickman’s quest for ‘straight-six’ of TT wins came undone in the second race of the week, but he recovered from an indifferent start to take third place on the relatively untested Triumph Street Triple 765 RS. 

That was achieved by overhauling James Hillier, who ran third coming into the final lap before being overhauled by Hickman and also Lee Johnston, who snatched fourth.

Jamie Coward’s impressive TT continued with a second top six finish of the week on the KTS Yamaha, holding off top Honda representatives Conor Cummins and Davy Todd. Dominic Herbertson achieved his second top ten finish of the week in ninth, ahead of Ian Hutchinson.