- Michael Dunlop claimed his 34th Isle of Man TT victory
- The win was his ninth consecutive Supersport TT triumph
- Kiwi rider Mitch Rees finished an impressive 13th on his Supersport TT debut
Michael Dunlop continued his remarkable Isle of Man TT reign on Tuesday, powering his Ducati Panigale V2 to a record-extending 34th TT victory and a ninth consecutive Supersport win.
If there were any doubts about who remains the king of the Supersport class at the Isle of Man TT, Michael Dunlop emphatically answered them on Tuesday afternoon.
The Northern Irishman delivered another masterclass around the Mountain Course to claim victory in the first Monster Energy Supersport TT race of 2026, extending his all-time TT wins record to 34 victories and his podium tally to an astonishing 53.
Riding the Scars Racing Ducati Panigale V2, Dunlop overturned an early deficit to Dean Harrison before pulling away in the closing stages to win by 24.47 seconds.
The result also marked Dunlop’s ninth consecutive Supersport TT victory, further strengthening his grip on a class he has dominated since the TT returned following the Covid interruption.
Harrison Fires The First Shot
Following heavy rain on Monday and overnight, organisers delayed the race by four hours while the Mountain Course dried out. The race distance was also reduced from four laps to three.
When the race finally got underway, it was Dean Harrison who immediately looked like the man to beat.
The Honda Racing rider led Dunlop by 1.6 seconds at Glen Helen on the opening lap and stretched that advantage to more than two seconds by Ballaugh.
For much of the opening lap it looked as though Harrison might finally be the rider capable of ending Dunlop’s extraordinary Supersport winning streak.
However, Dunlop gradually began reeling him in over the second half of the lap.
By Ramsey the gap had been cut almost in half, and after the mandatory pit stop at the end of lap one, Dunlop had moved into the lead by the tiniest of margins — just 0.127 seconds.
From there, the race effectively became a demonstration of why Dunlop remains the benchmark around the Mountain Course.
Ducati Continues To Deliver
Since switching to Ducati machinery in the Supersport category, Dunlop has looked almost untouchable.
The Panigale V2 once again proved perfectly suited to the demands of the 37¾-mile circuit, combining strong top-end speed with impressive stability over the bumps and jumps of the Mountain Course.
Sector by sector, Dunlop increased his advantage.
By Glen Helen on lap two, the lead had grown to 2.3 seconds.
At Ramsey it was more than seven seconds.
By the start of the final lap, Harrison trailed by 12.5 seconds.
And once Dunlop began his final assault, there was simply no response available from the chasing pack.
A fastest lap of 127.672mph underlined the scale of his dominance as he crossed the finish line nearly 25 seconds clear.
The victory also moved him one step closer to an extraordinary milestone.
With nine consecutive Supersport wins now achieved, Dunlop is closing in on one of the few TT records he does not currently own.
Hickman Charges Back
While Dunlop disappeared up the road, the battle for the final podium position provided much of the race’s drama.
Paul Jordan rode superbly throughout the opening two laps and looked on course for another podium finish.
But Peter Hickman, recovering from a troublesome pit stop where his fuel cap refused to open, mounted a late charge aboard the Swan Triumph by PHR Performance machine.
The 14-time TT winner steadily reeled Jordan in before moving into third place on the final lap.
Hickman eventually secured third behind Harrison, making it the same trio that filled the podium positions in Sunday’s Superbike TT, albeit in a different order.
Josh Brookes fought through to fifth while Dominic Herbertson, Jamie Coward, Shaun Anderson and Ian Hutchinson completed the top positions.
Rees Impresses On Supersport Debut
From a New Zealand perspective, one of the standout rides came from Mitch Rees.
The Whakatāne rider brought his Milenco by Padgett’s Honda home in an impressive 13th place on his Supersport TT debut.
Having spent most of his racing career aboard superbikes, Rees has spoken throughout the fortnight about the challenge of adapting to the Honda CBR600RR.
However, the former New Zealand Superbike Champion continues to make impressive progress around the Mountain Course and once again demonstrated why he was awarded the Vernon Cooper Trophy as the top solo newcomer at last year’s TT.
With every session and race, Rees appears increasingly comfortable around the world’s most demanding road racing circuit.
More Records Continue To Fall
The victory was significant for another reason.
Dunlop’s 34 wins now place him further clear of the late Joey Dunlop’s legendary tally of 26 victories and continue one of the greatest careers the TT has ever seen.
Only two days earlier he became just the seventh rider in history to reach 100 TT starts.
Now, with another victory added to his remarkable résumé and further races still to come this week, the possibility of adding even more silverware remains very real.
At this point, the question is no longer whether Michael Dunlop will win at the TT.
It’s how many.
Pics: IOMTT
