Flying-machine Michael Dunlopgrabbed fourth win on island

With scorching temperatures and excellent conditions all around the course Wednesday’s Monster Energy Supersport Race two was always going to be a classic.

As Michael Dunlop blasted his way around on a final lap of 128.667mph he proved it would be more than just a footnote in TT history. Not only was the lap a record for the class, it also wrested the lead from Bruce Anstey and gave the Ballymoney man his fourth race win at the 2013 Isle of Man TT fuelled by Monster Energy.

Anstey led the race through every sector for three laps but Dunlop’s blistering final lap pace was too much for the nine-time TT winner, especially as he was still recovering from a heavy chest infection.

John McGuinness scored his fourth TT podium of the week with a strong third place ride. The finish was particularly significant for the Morecambe man as it brings his total number of podium results at the TT to forty - equal to his hero Joey Dunlop.

William Dunlop missed out on the podium by just under a second as McGuinness recorded his quickest ever 600cc lap at over 127mph.

He smashed the lap record on his final circuit with a 128.666mph lap and is now edging towards equalling Ian Hutchinson’s five wins in a week.

Anstey had led the race until Ballaugh Bridge on the last lap when Dunlop pulled three seconds from Grandstand to lead by 1.5s which he increased to two seconds at Ramsey. Despite losing the front at the Bungalow he was still 2.4s in front and then just lost a tenth on the run down the Mountain.

Padgett’s HM Plant Honda man Anstey, fully recovered from the flu that plagued him earlier in the week, was also under the previous lap record, going round in 127.889mph while John McGuinness won a titanic scrap for third by one second from William Dunlop despite a big scare at Cronk-nt-Mona on the last lap.

Apart from a brief glitch at Ballaugh Bridge on the first lap, Anstey led the entire race and was nine seconds ahead after the pit-stops on lap three. Dunlop, however had got that down to 5.6s at Glen Helen on the next lap and then down to 3.6s at Ballaugh.

Anstey pulled that back to 4.844 at Ramsey and then to more than five seconds at the Bungalow but it was back to 4.1s at the Grandstand. By Glen Helen on lap four, it was just 1.4s and then Dunlop was ahead at Ballaugh and kept it to the end.

McGuinness was always in the mix in his least favourite class but played second fiddle to William Dunlop on the first three laps.