- 11.68 seconds ahead of Jamie Coward after four laps covering 242.88 kilometres
- Dunlop’s fastest race lap on lap two: 128.596 mph (206.96 km/h)
- Only 19 of the 44 starters saw the chequered flag
The 2026 Senior Classic TT closed out the racing programme on the Snaefell Mountain Course. Eligible to start were the fastest riders from qualifying in the Formula One, Lightweight and Junior 600 classes, and the race ran over four laps with one pit stop. Michael Dunlop lined up on the Team Classic Suzuki GSX-R750 SRAD, the same machine on which he had won the Formula One race two days earlier. Ulster road racing veteran Phillip McCallen got the field under way.
How did the 2026 Senior Classic TT unfold?
Dunlop took the lead after the first lap and then steadily extended his advantage. In the end 11.68 seconds separated him from Jamie Coward.
The opening was wide open, though. Jamie Coward on the Greenall Racing Kawasaki ZXR750 was 0.2 seconds up at Glen Helen, and four tenths ahead at Ballaugh Bridge. Nathan Harrison sat third, 2.468 seconds back. At Ramsey Hairpin the picture flipped: Dunlop had passed Coward and led by half a second.
After the first lap the gap stood at 1.867 seconds for Dunlop, who managed 127.070 mph (204.50 km/h) from a standing start. Coward recorded 126.849 mph (204.14 km/h), Harrison 126.096 mph (202.93 km/h). On the second lap Dunlop put in the fastest lap of the race: 128.596 mph, which converts to 206.96 km/h. Going into the pit stop his lead was 7.037 seconds.
Coward clawed back a few seconds in the pits, but by Glen Helen on lap three the gap was close to seven seconds again. Dunlop’s third lap including the pit stop was recorded at 121.127 mph (194.95 km/h) and the lead grew to 11.230 seconds. On the final lap Dunlop managed the gap and came home with a closing lap of 128.031 mph (206.05 km/h).
Why did Dunlop’s Suzuki have to be stripped before the race?
After Dunlop’s record win in Sunday’s Formula One race, a protest was lodged against his machine. The team then had to take the engine apart and put it back together in a short window because of the tightly packed race days.
A protest in motorsport is a formal objection to whether a vehicle complies with the rules. If it is accepted, the technical stewards examine the machine in question, often by dismantling the engine. Dunlop described the consequences after the race: „We were protested the other day so they made us strip the engine, then obviously with the races being so close together we just had to scramble together again and we’ve obviously had a wee leak somewhere.“
That leak stayed with him for the whole race. „I was nervous for a lap or two there, we’ve got a bit of a leak“, he said, adding: „We spent the race slipping off the pegs, but apart from that it’s not anybody’s fault apart from the protest, we had to strip the motor.“
Race control reported perfect conditions across the entire Mountain Course. Dunlop himself gave a more nuanced account, mentioning some wind and a rear wheel that kept spinning up. Once he had his pursuers under control, he said, he stopped pushing harder and simply brought the bike home.
Who joined Dunlop on the podium?
Jamie Coward finished second and Nathan Harrison third. Both ride for Greenall Racing, which therefore took two podium places in a single race.
Coward thereby repeated his result from Sunday’s Formula One race. His fastest lap was 127.976 mph (205.94 km/h) and so also very close to Dunlop’s mark. Harrison crossed the line at 126.765 mph (204.01 km/h), 33.956 seconds behind his team-mate. Shaun Anderson on the Stanford Racing by ARD Suzuki GSX-R750 was fourth, a further 39.559 seconds back.
The fight for fifth was the more gripping one. Mistral Racing team-mates Joe Yeardsley and Michael Sweeney traded blows across the full distance, with the outcome only settled at the finish. Yeardsley came out on top by 3.5 seconds. Behind them came Paul Williams, Joey Thompson, Ryan Whitehall and Kevin Keyes.
How many riders reached the finish?
Of the 44 starters, only 19 completed the four laps. That put the retirement rate above 50 percent.
Prominent names were caught out as early as the first lap. Rob Hodson pulled the CK Racing Ducati 916 up at Quarter Bridge. Mike Browne, third in the Formula One race and the fastest qualifier of the week, came to a halt at Crosby on the Electric Van Company team’s Kawasaki. Dominic Herbertson did not make it to Orrisdale on the TAS and Adam Hewitt Racing Kawasaki.
Julian Trummer, who had spent a long stretch inside the top ten, retired in the pits. That is also where Peter Hickman’s race ended when he parked the Wiz Racing Norton. Conor Cummins lost a lot of time after his pit stop because the machine would not fire up again. He dropped out of the top ten and worked his way back to eleventh by the finish. Barry Furber retired on lap three after a strong ride.
What does the win mean for Dunlop’s Mountain Course record?
The result was Dunlop’s 48th win on the Mountain Course and his sixth this year. In total he now has 67 podium finishes on the 60.72-kilometre road circuit.
In the 2026 season Dunlop had already won three races at the Isle of Man TT in June. Three more wins came at the Classic TT: the Formula One race and the Lightweight race on Sunday, plus the Senior Classic TT on Tuesday. In the Lightweight race he rode a Milenco by Padgett’s Honda RS250 and set a fastest lap of 119.081 mph (191.63 km/h). In the Formula One race he set a new class lap record at 129.078 mph (207.73 km/h), toppling the nine-year-old benchmark of 127.496 mph (205.18 km/h) set by Bruce Anstey in 2017.
After the race Dunlop thanked his crew and team owner Steve Wheatman: „Thanks to the boys, the bike’s been mint all week, so it’s nice to come back here and win more races.“
What happens next at the 2026 Classic TT?
With the chequered flag of the Senior Classic TT, the racing programme of the 2026 Classic TT is complete. Three parades were still scheduled on the Mountain Course for the afternoon.
Planned were the Back to 1996 Rewind Parade, the Classic Sidecar Parade and the John McGuinness MBE 30 Years Parade. The last of these marks three decades since McGuinness made his debut on the Mountain Course. McGuinness himself had won the Historic Senior race on Monday, delivering one of the more emotional moments of the event.
Frequently asked questions
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Who won the 2026 Senior Classic TT?
Michael Dunlop won the 2026 Senior Classic TT on the Team Classic Suzuki GSX-R750 SRAD. His winning margin over Jamie Coward after four laps was 11.68 seconds. Nathan Harrison completed the podium.
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How fast was Michael Dunlop’s fastest lap in the race?
Dunlop’s fastest race lap was 128.596 mph, which converts to 206.96 km/h, set on lap two. His class record of 129.078 mph (207.73 km/h) comes from Sunday’s Formula One race instead.
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Why was Michael Dunlop’s engine stripped?
After his win in the Formula One race a protest was lodged against his machine, so the team had to take the engine apart. With the race days following each other closely there was little time for the rebuild. Dunlop blamed that for the small leak that stayed with him in the final race.
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How many wins does Michael Dunlop have on the Mountain Course?
Following his Senior Classic TT success Dunlop now has 48 wins on the Snaefell Mountain Course. He has also collected 67 podium finishes. In 2026 alone he won six races on the circuit.
