Dunlop and Hutchinson bring the noise in TT 2017 qualifying

Neither Dunlop or Hutchinson wasted any time in getting up to speed; immediately raising the bar in the Supersport and Superbike categories. Current lap record holder, and 13-time TT winner Dunlop stamped his authority on the big bikes; throwing his leg over his 2017-specification Bennetts Suzuki GSXR-1000.

Weaving his way between the stone walls, kerbs, and street furniture with laser-guided precision; Dunlop posted a lap time of 17:16.361 at a blistering average speed of 131.062 mph to top the Saturday qualifying sheets for the RST Superbike race.

“It’s just been great to get out there and get laps in,” explained Dunlop. You never can predict the weather on the Island – and you always hope that the sun is out for TT fortnight. Today was a good run on the big bike. It’s definitely a good start; there’s still a long way to go, so we’ll be pushing even harder in the races.”

Hutchy told us: “It’s been a challenging TT practice week for everyone, with the bad weather we’ve had to be honest. The sun came out today, and we’ve now got some decent laps in. We have had a couple of little problems on the Superbike, but it’s still running well. I got one lap on the Superstocker and managed a 129.53mph lap. We’ve still got all the racing to go, so we just need to get our head down and go as fast as possible.”

The racing gets underway in earnest now, starting with the 6-lap RST Superbike race on Sunday afternoon (4th July). Keep it locked with us to follow all the action, and find out how Michael Dunlop and Ian Hutchinson get on in the world’s fastest and most intense road race.