Isle of Man TT 2013: Dainese Superbike Race Results

It was delayed by a day but the Isle of Man TT’s Dainese Superbike race finally went underway Sunday. Originally scheduled to open the 2013 Isle of Man TT, the race was pushed back a day because poor weather earlier in the week prevented proper practice and qualifying. Even then, the Superbike race was delayed 45 minutes from its rescheduled start time due to a traffic accident.

When the six-lap race finally started, it was Gary Johnson setting the pace with fellow Honda riders Michael Dunlop and John McGuinness also showing good speed. At the end of the first lap it was Dunlop with the fastest time of 17:18.108 followed by Suzuki rider Guy Martin ahead of more Hondas ridden by Johnson, McGuinness, Cameron Donald and Bruce Anstey.

After Lap 2 it was Dunlop in the lead with an overall average speed of 131.018 mph. He was followed by Honda TT Legends teammate McGuinness with the second fastest overall time followed by Martin and Donald.

Riders then began pulling into the pits to refuel but Dunlop still held the lead over McGuinness by the end of Lap 3. When riders pulled into the pits again after Lap 4, McGuinness was assessed a one-minute penalty for a pit lane infraction, dropping him down to fourth.

Dunlop would continue on to win with an average speed of 128.747 mph. Donald was next with a speed of 127.920 while McGuinness overcame his penalty to finish third with a speed of 127.102 mph, thanks to an all-time record average speed of 131.161 mph on the final lap.

The win was Dunlop’s fourth at the Isle of Man TT and first in the Superbike class. His teammate McGuinness raced in a special livery in honor of Dunlop’s uncle, Joey Dunlop, who holds the all-time record with 26 wins in the Isle of Man TT.

[Source: IOMTT]

By Dennis Chung