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TT 2018: Lightweight win and lap record for Dunlop

Michael Dunlop took a record breaking win in the Bennetts Lightweight TT on Wednesday afternoon with the Paton rider smashing both the lap and race records on his way to an 18th TT win.

Despite a relatively steady start, Dunlop took advantage of early leader Ivan Lintin’s demise on lap two and with a new lap record of 122.750mph, he came home 14.6s clear of Derek McGee and Michael Rutter, McGee claiming his first ever TT podium. Dunlop beat the old race record by one minute 14.292s.

It was McGee who led at Glen Helen on the opening lap with the Irishman flying on the KMR Kawasaki although it was close with his lead over Lintin just half a second. Dunlop was 1.6s back in third as Stefano Bonetti, James Cowton and Rutter slotted into fourth, fifth and sixth.

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By Ballaugh, Lintin had nosed ahead by 0.8s but one man in trouble was David Johnson, the Australian stopping to make adjustments to his KMR Kawasaki at Douglas Road Corner. Lintin was having no such trouble and at Ramsey, he was 2.9s clear of new second placed rider Dunlop as McGee slipped back to third albeit only 0.3s. Bonetti, Cowton and Rutter continued to fill fourth to sixth place positions.

A new lap record of 121.603mph gave Lintin a 5.7s lead over McGee and was also inside the old lap record. Dunlop was only a further second behind in third as Bonetti, Cowton and Rutter remained in fourth to sixth.

Second time around Lintin still led at Glen Helen by six seconds but Dunlop had got back up into second with McGee now a second back in third and coming into the pits at the end of the second lap, half race distance, there was drama as it was Dunlop who led with another new lap record of 122.257mph. Lintin retired at Bedstead and that promoted McGee up to second, only four seconds behind Dunlop, with Cowton now third.

Rutter was up to fourth but he was coming under pressure from Peter Hickman and Bonetti as just 0.3s covered the trio. There was another change after the pit stop with McGee’s team doing a great job on the fuel and he led Dunlop by 3.1s at Glen Helen on lap three. There were changes further back too with Cowton going out at Crosby and Hickman made it two KMR Kawasaki’s in the top three as he overhauled Rutter.

Dunlop called on all his extra experience around the Mountain Course though and going into the fourth and final lap and, he’d overhauled McGee and the Ulsterman wasn’t to be denied as he came home for his 18th TT win and third of the week.

McGee was delighted with his maiden TT rostrum but team-mate Hickman went out at Union Mills on the final lap and that promoted Rutter up to third for his 17th TT podium and with Bonetti finishing fourth and Thompson in fifth, four Patons finished in the top five.

Michael Sweeney, Ian Lougher, Adam McLean, Julian Trummer and Dominic Herbertson completed the top ten.

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