- Dean Harrison again topped qualifying with a 133.867mph Superstock lap
- John McGuinness recorded another 130mph+ lap at 53 years old
- Mitch Rees builds speed in Superstock and Supersport classes
Dean Harrison once again topped the timesheets on day three of TT 2026 qualifying, while 53-year-old John McGuinness continued to prove he remains one of the fastest men around the Mountain Course.
Dean Harrison’s superb form at TT 2026 continued on Wednesday as the Honda Racing UK rider once again ended the day fastest overall around the Isle of Man Mountain Course.
After smashing the fastest-ever opening qualifying lap earlier in the week, Harrison backed it up with another stunning performance, posting a 133.867mph lap aboard his Honda Superstock machine during the evening Superbike/Superstock session.
And while Harrison continues to dominate the headlines, another performance further down the leaderboard perhaps deserves just as much attention.
At 53 years old, John McGuinness once again lapped in excess of 130mph around the 37¾-mile Mountain Course — an astonishing achievement for a rider now competing against racers young enough to be his sons.
Harrison Keeps Raising The Bar
Conditions remained near-perfect for the third consecutive day of qualifying, and Harrison immediately resumed where he left off.
His opening lap of 133.362mph comfortably placed him ahead of Michael Dunlop’s 131.952mph and Nathan Harrison’s 130.318mph in the Superstock standings.
Peter Hickman was initially quickest in the Superbike category with a 131.172mph lap on the 8TEN Racing BMW, while McGuinness immediately showed strong pace with a 130.163mph opening lap aboard the Honda Racing UK Fireblade.
Harrison improved again on his second lap with a 133.867mph run, although several riders had their laps cut short when the field was brought into pit lane to allow an ambulance onto the course for a non-racing emergency.
Even so, Harrison’s pace continues to suggest he could be the man everyone is chasing heading into race week.
McGuinness Still Flying At 53
Although TT fans almost expect Dean Harrison, Peter Hickman and Michael Dunlop to circulate at over 130mph these days, McGuinness continuing to do it at 53 years old remains remarkable.
The 23-time TT winner has now spent more than three decades racing around the Mountain Course, yet still looks capable of running inside the leading group on outright pace.
His second lap of 130.863mph came despite cruising from Governor’s Bridge after the session interruption, suggesting there may have been even more speed available.
In an era where TT lap speeds continue to climb and modern superbikes become increasingly physical to ride, McGuinness continuing to comfortably break the 130mph barrier is becoming one of the event’s most underrated achievements.
Dunlop Strikes Back In Supersport
The day’s action had begun earlier with the Supersport and Sportbike session, and Michael Dunlop wasted little time reminding everyone why he remains the benchmark in the middleweight classes.
Dean Harrison initially topped the Supersport leaderboard with a 126.551mph lap on the Honda Racing machine despite limited track time earlier in the week.
Peter Hickman soon responded on the Swan Triumph by PHR Performance with a 127.245mph lap, narrowly edging Harrison’s 127.242mph.
But then Dunlop arrived.
Switching from his Paton Sportbike machine to the Scars Racing Ducati Panigale V2, the 33-time TT winner immediately went quickest with a stunning 128.315mph lap.
That pace already reinforces the feeling that Dunlop remains the man to beat in the Supersport races once again this year.
Josh Brookes, Paul Jordan and Dominic Herbertson also impressed in the highly competitive middleweight category.
Dunlop Also Leads Sportbike Session
Earlier in the same session, Dunlop had already topped the Sportbike class aboard his MD Racing Paton.
His 123.557mph lap — his quickest ever around the Mountain Course on the Paton — comfortably placed him ahead of Mike Browne and Paul Jordan.
However, with the Lightweight category now operating under new Sportbike regulations, the Paton’s dominance is expected to face stronger challenges from Yamaha R7 and Aprilia RS660 machinery throughout race week.
Crowes Continue Sidecar Dominance
In the Sidecars, Ryan and Callum Crowe continued their commanding form.
The defending lap record holders again headed the field with a 118.458mph opening lap before following it with another 118mph+ run later in the session.
However, the gap to their rivals appears to be closing slightly, with Ben Birchall and Mark Wilkes reducing the deficit considerably compared with earlier sessions.
Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley also continued to show strong pace, while James Saunders and newcomer passenger Robert Coppock impressed with laps above 110mph.
Mitch Building Speed
Kiwi Mitch Rees is building speed through qualifying, with this his second trip to the Island. Racing for the Milenco By Padgetts race team, he produced a 122.64mph lap on the Honda CBR600RR putting him 12th in the standings. He then backed that up, producing a 126.02mph lap on the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade that he’s familiar with from campaigning in the home race series, which placed him 13th in the class.
Pics: Isle of Man TT
