TT 2016: Ian Hutchinson equals Hailwood with 14th victory

The Bingley Bullet repeated his brace in the class from 2015 on Keith Flint’s Team Traction Control Yamaha R6 to make it a hat-trick so far this week following his record-breaking victory in the Superstock race.

Hutchinson has now won four Supersport TTs in a row and is the most successful rider ever in the class with eight wins in total.

The 36-year-old claimed the win ahead of Ulsterman Michael Dunlop on his Street Sweep Yamaha, who was using an engine supplied by Robin Appleyard following his exclusion from the results in Monday’s opening race.

Dunlop finished 17.5 seconds back after four laps, with Dean Harrison impressing once again as the Bradford rider secured his third podium of the week in third on the Silicone Engineering Kawasaki.

The race had originally been due to start at 10.45am but a series of delays due to mist and fog pushed the start time back until 12.45pm.

Dunlop briefly challenged Hutchinson on the opening lap with only 0.1 between them at Ballaugh, but the English rider’s opening speed of 127.45mph gave him an advantage of four seconds.

Hutchy increased his pace slightly on the second lap to 127.736mph as he boosted his lead to 7.1 seconds over Dunlop, with Harrison holding a strong third, 14 seconds behind Dunlop.

Bruce Anstey (Valvoline Padgett’s Honda) and team-mate Conor Cummins were followed by James Hillier (Quattro Plant Muc-Off Kawasaki) in sixth.

After the pit stops, Hutchinson’s lead was now up to 11 seconds and there was simply no stopping him as he stretched further clear over the final two laps to score a convincing triumph over Dunlop, whose team worked relentlessly to prepare his new engine for the race.

Harrison, back to the form he showed at the TT previously in 2014, wrapped up third as he crossed the line 16.6 seconds behind Dunlop.

Morecambe’s John McGuinness was reported as a retirement at Braddan Bridge on lap three, bringing his 90th TT race to a disappointing end.

Hillier, who was running in sixth at Ramsey on lap three, put in a hot final lap of 126.968mph to claim fourth place by only 1.3 seconds from Anstey as he finished 13.5 seconds behind Dunlop.

Kiwi Anstey was only 0.6 seconds ahead of Fermanagh’s Lee Johnston, who also lapped at 126mph on his final lap on the East Coast/Burdens Triumph to overhaul Cummins, who came home in seventh place, 3.7 seconds back on the Ulster rider.

Peter Hickman (Trooper Beer Kawasaki), Gary Johnson on the T3 Racing Triumph and Michael Rutter (Bathams SMT Kawasaki) were the top ten.

William Dunlop was a non-starter on the IC Racing Yamaha, sitting out the race due to a back injury he sustained in a crash during practice at Sarah’s Cottage. Dunlop intends to rest up before contesting Friday’s Senior TT on his Yamaha R1.

An incident was reported involving Joseph Newbould, who came off at Douglas Road corner in Kirk Michael, and was air lifted to Nobles Hospital with ankle and wrist injuries.