Smith’s BMW’s Peter Hickman topped the TT 2018 Thursday Superbike practice with a personal best lap of 132.806mph with Conor Cummins’ Padgetts Honda in second while Michael Dunlop was third fastest but has still to set a flying lap on the Tyco BMW.
Hickman grazed the 17-minute barrier with a 17:02.757 on his second lap of the evening with Cummins’ flying lap ending on a 131.175, 13s behind Hickman as they crossed the line.
Dunlop’s third lap from a standing start ended when the marshals short-flagged the session but he finished with a 130.959, two seconds slower than Hickman’s fastest standing-start lap.
Harrison set a 130.612 for fourth place, losing time to Hickman at Ramsey on comparative laps and Hickman’s standing lap was four seconds quicker than the Yorkshireman as he opted to spend time on other classes.
David Johnson, who topped the Superstock session, sent the Gulf BMW round in 129.632 on a flying lap for fifth and those men set the ten fastest laps of the evening.
Josh Brookes’ flying lap on the Norton was enough for sixth place and his best lap of the week so far, ending towards the 130mph marker with a 129.174. The Australian was just ahead of James Hillier’s Kawasaki. The Bournemouth rider is sticking to his methodical plan and put in two laps four seconds apart, the fastest at 128.065 for seventh.
Not-as-big-as-he-used-to-be Phil Crowe ended in eighth place on a 127.648 while Michael Rutter’s sole lap of 127.745 was enough for ninth. The Bathams BMW man stopped at Cruikshanks on his second lap. Lee Johnston completed the top ten with a 127.232.
Martin Jessopp, Shaun Anderson, Sam West, Derek Sheils and Gary Johnson rounded out the top 15. Davy Todd clocked a 123.995 lap which puts him in the top six fastest newcomers ever. Probably.
