Harrison remains TT benchmark as Dunlop tops Supersport

TT 2026

Wednesday Qualifying

Dean Harrison’s Tuesday Superbike benchmark remained unbeaten after Wednesday qualifying at TT 2026, but the Honda Racing UK rider underlined his form again by topping Superstock with a lap only fractionally shy of his outright marker.

Wednesday brought another day of strong conditions around the Mountain Course, with lap speeds continuing to build across the major classes before the day ended with further red flag interruptions.

Harrison’s 133.925 mph Superbike lap from Tuesday remained the fastest big-bike lap of qualifying so far, despite Peter Hickman and John McGuinness both moving into the 130 mph bracket on Wednesday. Harrison did not improve on that Superbike marker, but his Superstock pace was arguably just as eye-catching, with a 133.867 mph lap putting him clearly on top in that class and only 0.058 mph shy of his own Superbike benchmark.

Michael Dunlop, meanwhile, led the Supersport standings on the Ducati Panigale V2 and also stamped his authority on Sportbike, where his Paton lap put clear air between himself and the chasing pack. However, Michael Dunlop did experience problems on his Superstock bike on Wednesday, leaving the course at Quarter Bridge to head back to the pits.

The Sidecar class had again looked like Ryan and Callum Crowe’s domain, the brothers improving to 118.468 mph and remaining comfortably clear of their rivals. That momentum came to an abrupt halt when they came off at Crosby during the later Sidecar session. Both rider and passenger were reported as conscious and talking before being taken to Noble’s Hospital by ambulance for further assessment.

Harrison’s Superbike marker still stands

Harrison’s 133.925 mph lap from Tuesday remained the Superbike benchmark after Wednesday’s qualifying, with no rider able to better the Honda man’s opening timed-session pace.

Hickman moved to second overall in the Superbike order with a 131.328 mph lap on Wednesday, while McGuinness climbed to third on 130.863 mph. Dunlop’s Tuesday best of 130.341 mph left him fourth overall, ahead of Nathan Harrison, who remained fifth on 130.010 mph.

Hickman on the BMW across the Mountain Course, where Wednesday’s 131.328 mph lap lifted him to second in the Superbike standings.

Australia’s David Johnson improved to eighth overall in the Superbike standings on the Platinum Club Kawasaki, his 129.425 mph Wednesday lap moving him ahead of Ian Hutchinson and Jamie Coward on the all-sessions sheet.

Josh Brookes is 14th overall on the DAO Racing Honda with a 128.398 mph Wednesday lap, adding another solid big-bike entry to an already strong opening to his TT week.

Superstock pace almost matches Superbike

While Harrison’s Tuesday Superbike lap remained the outright reference, his Wednesday Superstock effort was one of the most striking numbers of qualifying so far.

His 133.867 mph lap on the stock-spec Honda CBR1000RR put him 1.915 mph clear of Dunlop in the Superstock standings, with Nathan Harrison third at 130.318 mph.

Dean Harrison on the Superstock Honda, where his 133.867 mph lap came within a fraction of his own Tuesday Superbike benchmark.

Brookes’ Tuesday lap of 130.197 mph remained good enough for fourth overall, while Mike Browne and Paul Jordan also moved into the 129 mph bracket on Wednesday.

The closeness of Harrison’s Superstock lap to his own Superbike marker is a notable early indicator of the likely race pace in that category, particularly with conditions having allowed riders to build speed quickly across the first meaningful days of practice.

Dunlop leads varied Supersport order

Supersport is shaping up as one of the more technically interesting contests of TT 2026, with four different motorcycles occupying the top four positions after Wednesday’s qualifying.

Michael Dunlop on the Ducati Panigale V2, the Supersport class leader.

Dunlop leads the way on the Ducati Panigale V2, ahead of Hickman on the Triumph Street Triple 765 RS. Harrison is third on the Honda CBR600RR, only fractionally behind Hickman, while Brookes is fourth on the Suzuki GSX-R750.

Hickman was quickest of the non-Ducati riders in Supersport, putting the Triumph 765 second overall in a top four split across four different makes.

That gives the front of the Supersport field an intriguing spread of machinery, with Ducati, Triumph, Honda and Suzuki all represented before the field has even reached race week proper.

Harrison gets the CBR600RR light over the road, the Honda’s Supersport pace adding another front-running class to his already formidable TT week.

Paul Jordan and Dominic Herbertson complete the top six, with Ian Hutchinson, Jamie Coward, Michael Evans and Nathan Harrison rounding out the top ten.

Dunlop makes Sportbike statement

Michael Dunlop also made the strongest statement in Sportbike, moving to the top of the class on the Paton S1-R-650.

Dunlop leaves pit lane on the Paton, the calm before a Sportbike lap that would reset the class order by a sizeable margin.

His 123.557 mph lap put him more than 2.5 mph clear of Mike Browne, also Paton-mounted, with Paul Jordan third on the Aprilia RS 660. Michael Evans was fourth on the Yamaha YZF-R7, while Jamie Coward completed the top five on the Milenco by Padgett’s Paton.

Jamie Coward threads the Paton between the walls, finishing fifth in the Sportbike order despite an otherwise testing Wednesday for his programme.

The broader Sportbike standings continue to offer one of the most varied mixes of machinery at TT 2026, with Paton, Aprilia, Yamaha, Triumph, Kawasaki, CFMOTO and Suzuki all represented throughout the order.

Sidecar pace ends with red flag

Ryan and Callum Crowe had once again looked in a class of their own in Sidecars before Wednesday’s session took a serious turn.

Their 118.468 mph lap put them comfortably clear of Ben Birchall and Mark Wilkes, with Peter Founds and Jevan Walmsley third. The margin again suggested the Crowes had retained much of their advantage despite the revised Sidecar regulations, including restrictor plates intended to reduce performance.

Peter Founds and Jevan Walmsley in full commitment mode, the passenger’s workload clearly visible as the outfit loads up through the corner.

The latter Sidecar session was stopped less than five minutes after it began when the red flag was shown. The Crowes were confirmed to have come off at Crosby, with both reported as conscious and talking before being taken to Noble’s Hospital by ambulance for further assessment.

A separate incident also occurred earlier in the session at Doran’s Bend, with a further update expected.

Evans taken to Noble’s after Greeba incident

Michael Evans also came off at Greeba during Wednesday’s running. Initial reports suggested Evans was okay, but he was airlifted to Noble’s Hospital for medical checks.

The incident added to a difficult opening phase of the meeting, with Tuesday’s Sidecar crash involving Maria Costello MBE and passenger Shaun Parker also requiring further medical updates.

Costello, who came off at Brandish during Tuesday qualifying, was transferred on Wednesday to Aintree University Hospital, where her condition was described as serious but stable. Parker continues to receive treatment for multiple injuries at Noble’s Hospital.

Thursday is scheduled as a rest day for competitors, with the next qualifying session due to get underway on Friday morning.

Superbike Qualifying Speeds

Superstock Qualifying Speeds

Supersport Qualifying Speeds

Sportbike Qualifying Speeds

Sidecar Qualifying Speeds