The starting order for both Isle of Man TT Supersport races has been unveiled, with Manxman Conor Cummins setting off from the number one spot.
As is now traditional, two four-lap races for 600cc machinery will take place across race week, with the first coming on Monday June 3 prior to the Superstock encounter, and the second taking place two days later as the headline feature of a packed schedule which includes the Lightweight and Zero TT events.
Cummins, as he will in the big bike classes, will lead the charge down Bray Hill at the start of both SSP races aboard his Padgetts Honda, and will be followed by Dean Harrison.The Silicone Engineering rider won the second 600cc race on his Kawasaki last year, benefiting from a 30-second time penalty given to nearest challenger Michael Dunlop for speeding in the pitlane.
Dunlop, who won the first SSP race last year and set a new class lap record of 129.197mph, will once again race a CBR600 Honda under his own MD Racing banner and will start from sixth.
John McGuinness does have an entry for the class and is due to start from third, but the 23-times TT winner is yet to secure SSP and STK machinery for this year’s event.He was due to ride for MD Racing in last year’s SSP and STK races, and hinted during the TT launch event in March that he had been in contact with Dunlop regarding running his machinery this year.
Ian Hutchinson will start fourth, the Honda rider being followed 10s later by 2018 SSP podium finisher James Hillier on the Bournemouth Kawasaki.
Double SSP winner Gary Johnson will launch from seventh aboard the Lee Hardy Racing Triumph, with the sister Padgetts bike of Davey Todd occupying eighth in the starting order.
Outright TT lap record holder Peter Hickman and his Smiths Racing team have secured more support from Triumph for this year, and will be aiming to build on his runner-up spot in last year’s second SSP race on his Trooper Beer-backed Triple.Hickman will have Ashcourt Racing’s Lee Johnston chasing him 10s up the road on the Yamaha R6 he has been campaigning in the British Supersport Championship, where he currently sits fifth in the standings.
Derek McGee, who has dominated the Irish national scene this season, follows Johnston down Bray Hill, riding ’18 BSS runner-up Ben Currie’s Kawasaki for Keever Racing.
McAdoo Racing’s Adam McLean was due to start from the number nine spot, but has had to withdraw from this year’s TT after suffering numerous injuries in a crash during the Tandragee 100.
Top 20 starters:
1 Conor Cummins – Padgetts Racing
2 Dean Harrison – Silicone Engineering
3 John McGuinness – TBC
4 Ian Hutchinson – Honda Racing
5 James Hillier – Bournemouth Kawasaki
6 Michael Dunlop – MD Racing
7 Gary Johnson – Lee Hardy Racing
8 Davey Todd – Padgetts Racing
9 Adam McLean – McAdoo Racing (WITHDRAWN)
10 Peter Hickman – Smiths Racing
11 Lee Johnston – Ashcourt Racing
12 Derek McGee – B&W/Keever Racing
13 Sam West – PRL
14 Daniel Cooper – KW Electrical/CMS
15 Jamie Coward – Prez Racing
16 Micahel Evans – Wilcock Racing
17 Paul Jordan – Dafabet Devitt Racing
18 Michael Sweeney – EM Building
19 Daley Mathison – WH Racing
20 Dominic Herbertson – Davies Motorsport
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