LOUGHER LEADS FINAL LIGHTWEIGHT QUALIFYING AHEAD OF RACE
ISLE OF MAN – The final qualifying session for this year’s Classic TT Races took place on Monday, and it was Ian Lougher who stole the headlines in the Lightweight Classic.
The final qualifying session for this year’s Classic TT Races took place on Monday, and it was Ian Lougher who stole the headlines in the Lightweight Classic. The Laycock Racing Yamaha rider clocked a lap of 114.988mph and finished fastest in the morning session. This was ahead of this afternoon’s three-lap race.
In the Formula 1 Classic session, Nathan Harrison again impressed.
The Greenall Racing Kawasaki rider posted a lap of 127.204mph. That put him 16.6 seconds clear of team-mate Jamie Coward. Meanwhile, it was Paul Jordan (108.929mph) and Maurizio Bottalico (97.647mph) who topped the Historic Senior and Historic Junior classes.
With beautiful, sunny conditions all around the course, a single qualifying lap for the Lightweight Classic and Historic Senior and Junior machines got proceedings underway at 10am. Chris Moore, Mike Browne, Lougher, Rhys Hardisty and Harrison were among the early starters.
Lougher set the early pace on the Laycock Racing Yamaha.
However, he was usurped by Michael Dunlop (MD Racing Honda). The latter led for much of the first lap. Nevertheless, Lougher completed the lap first at 114.988mph. Due to Dunlop’s pace easing over the Mountain, that put the Welshman quickest in the session.
Dunlop (114.424mph) placed second quickest. Lougher’s team-mate Mike Browne (112.815mph) was third. However, Browne had the quickest sector times for the second half of the lap. Adam McLean (111.208mph), Craig Neve (110.785mph) and Michael Sweeney (109.751mph) completed the top six. Neve was again the fastest of the 400cc runners.
In the Historic Senior class, Jordan topped the leaderboard at 108.929mph. He was followed by Joe Yeardsley (107.903mph), Barry Furber (106.017mph), Michael Evans (103.620mph), Conor Cummins (102.458mph) and Will Loder (102.114mph). Dutch newcomer Jeffrey Vermeulen was again going well and placed eighth at 99.014mph.
At 1pm, it was the turn of the Formula 1 Classic and Historic Junior session. Harrison, Ian Hutchinson, Dunlop, Browne, David Johnson, Neve, Coward, Brian McCormack, and Julian Trummer all went out early.
Harrison was quickest to Glen Helen. Nevertheless, qualifying pace setter Rob Hodson retired the SMT by Key Racing Ducati at Ballacraine. Team-mate Browne got only as far as Douglas Road Corner. McCormack also stopped on the third Greenall Racing machine. Meanwhile, Hutchinson’s lap ended at Glentramman.
Harrison had no issues though. His lap was clocked at 127.204mph, which was the fastest standing start lap of the event so far. It was just 1.6 seconds slower than Hodson’s lap from Thursday evening. Team-mate Coward was second quickest at 125.257mph. Dominic Herbertson (124.242mph), Dunlop (123.495mph), Johnson (122.875mph), and Neve (122.106mph) completed the top six.
In the Historic Junior class, Italian Maurizio Bottalico’s strong meeting continued as he topped the leaderboard at 97.647mph. That put him 16 seconds clear of Dan Sayle (96.515mph). Michael Russell (96.382mph), John McGuinness (95.537mph), Will Loder (95.055mph), and Vermeulen (94.702mph) occupied third to sixth.
The Lightweight Classic TT is scheduled to start at 17:30.