Tandragee 100: Michael Dunlop seals Superbike pole on BMW with record qualifying lap after 12-year absence
Michael Dunlop set the fastest ever qualifying lap at the Tandragee 100 on Friday to seal Superbike pole on his MD Racing BMW.
Dunlop is competing at the Ulster road race for the first time since 2013, when he claimed a Superbike double on a Honda Fireblade.
The record 33-time Isle of Man TT winner underscored his pedigree by lapping at 107.97mph (2m 58.174s) around the undulating 5.3-mile course to set the quickest ever qualifying lap at the 61st running of the event.
Southern Irishman Derek Sheils held the previous fastest qualifying time of 2m 59.435s (107.212mph), which he set on the Burrows Engineering Suzuki in 2018. Sheils is not competing this weekend after scaling down his racing activities.
The outright lap record was set in 2018 by Dan Kneen at 109.609mph (2m 55.511s).
Dunlop was 2.786s ahead of Skerries rider Michael Sweeney (MJR BMW), who lapped at 106.308mph.
Mike Browne was next with Manx star Conor Cummins fourth fastest on the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing BMW at 105.035mph.
Banbridge’s Shaun Anderson (Team Classic Suzuki) was fifth fastest ahead of the Isle of Man’s Marcus Simpson and Joe Yeardsley, with Ballymena’s Neil Kernohan qualifying eighth on his Yamaha R1.
Dunlop had issues in Supersport qualifying with his Milwaukee Ducati Panigale V2 but later completed a lap on the machine at the rear of the Senior Support session.
A non-championship Supersport race is scheduled over four laps on Friday evening along with a non-championship Senior Support race.
In the Classic Superbikes, Anderson topped the times on the Wiz Norton from Darryl Tweed.
Several qualifying sessions are still to be completed ahead of the first of the weekend’s races this evening.