Isle of Man TT 2013: Royal London 360 Superstock Results

We’re only three days into the racing action for the Isle of Man TT and one rider has already established himself as the star of this TT. Michael Dunlop, of the famous Dunlop racing family, took the victory at the Royal London 360 Superstock race, giving him his third win of the 2013 Isle of Man TT.

The latest win gives Dunlop six in his career on the Mountain Course, tying him with such noted names as Geoff Duke, Jimmie Guthrie, Jim Redman and John Surtees.

Unlike his wins in the Superbike and Supersport 1 races where Dunlop led every lap, it took the fourth and final lap for the Honda rider to record the win. It took a record average speed of 131.220 mph on the final lap and an oil leak from race leader Kawasaki rider Gary Johnson for the come-from-behind win.

Up until that final lap, it looked like it would be Johnson putting an end to Dunlop’s win streak. Johnson posted a first-lap time of 17:31.180 to lead Dunlop by nearly five seconds, with Suzuki’s Guy Martin in third.

Dunlop narrowed the gap to 1.5 seconds after the second lap before the riders started heading to pit lane. Coming out of the pit stop, Johnson re-asserted himself and again widened the lead to just under 3 seconds. Meanwhile, Martin was nailed with a 30 second penalty for speeding in pit lane. The penalty ended any chance of winning, though it was a moot issue as Martin was later forced to retire from the race on the third lap.

Dunlop continued to fly, taking over the lead early on the final lap and eventually winning with an average speed of 128.218 mph. Johnson meanwhile had eased up with a mechanical problem. The Kawasaki rider had already retired from the Superbike and Supersport 1 races and was not keen on doing so again, riding conservatively with a big lead over third-place finisher John McGuinness.

[Source: IOMTT]

By Dennis Chung