Michael Dunlop won the first Supersport race at the Isle of Man TT on Sunday, stretching his all-time record at the event to 34 victories with a dominant 24.470-second margin. It was his first win of this year’s races and his ninth consecutive Supersport class victory.
The result came over three laps of the 37.73-mile TT course after rain pushed the race back from the morning, and it quickly turned into another statement from a rider who has made the class his own. Dean Harrison finished second, Peter Hickman was third, and the gap behind the podium underlined how firmly Dunlop controlled the contest once he pulled clear on the second lap.
People had reason to watch him closely after Sunday’s Superbike race, when he cut a frustrated figure with issues on his Honda even as he and Harrison dominated that event for the same manufacturer. That mood did not carry into Supersport. Dunlop said the bike had been good all week and had never missed a beat, then added that it was good to be back winning again and to have another victory under his belt.
Harrison said it was difficult going up against Dunlop on the Ducati, while Hickman described the conditions as probably the wettest he had ever ridden the TT course. That mattered because the rain delay changed the shape of the day and left the riders coping with a track that demanded patience as much as speed.
Dunlop was the fastest rider in practice week and has repeatedly been the name to beat in Supersport in recent years, but Sunday’s win also sharpened the sense that he has settled back into the rhythm that made him the rider to catch. He became the first rider to win on a Ducati in 30 years when he completed a Supersport double in 2025, and this latest victory adds another layer to a record that keeps moving further out of reach. The only question left for the week is how many more chances he will have to add to it.
For more on his practice form, see Michael Dunlop tops opening Supersport session as Maria Costello crash halts Sidecars. For the wider backdrop around the event’s changing costs and 2026 plans, see Michael Dunlop Isle Of Man TT faces cost pressure as 2026 changes confirmed.
