Super Twins!

Man of the week so far, Michael Dunlop, has set a pace as hot as the Manx weather in the Supertwin class. The Northern Irish rider was immediately under his own lap record in practice and lines up for the races more than 20 seconds faster than second placed qualifier Jamie Coward, on his KTS Racing Kawasaki.

Dunlop is once again mounted on his privately run Paton, the retro styled Italian machine which has proved the weapon of choice in the class. The Patons, which are powered by modified Kawasaki Z650 engines, occupy three of the top four places in qualifying, with only Jamie Coward breaking the deadlock, in second.

Coward and Dunlop were two of the main protagonists in last year’s single Supertwin TT, only for both to be hit with technical problems.

Podium potential

While Dunlop will start both races as a massive favourite, the Supertwin TTs could well see some new names stand on the famous Isle of Man podium for the first time.

With last year’s Supertwin victor Peter Hickman focussing on the bigger bikes at this year’s TT, the only previous TT winners to line up in the Supertwins are Dunlop and 51-year-old Michael Rutter. Both have plenty of form on the small bikes, with Rutter winning in 2017 and Dunlop taking the spoils in 2018 and 2019, when the race was known as the Lightweight TT.

Of the other starters, only Coward and Paul Jordan have stood on a TT podium, with both coming in the Supertwins, or its predecessor the Lightweight TT. Coward finished second in 2019, with Jordan third behind Hickman and the absent Lee Johnston in last year’s sole race.

Johnston’s absence, the popular Ulsterman being seriously injured in an accident at last month’s North West 200, means there are no Aprilias among the top runners at this year’s event. Veteran Irishman Brian McCormack is the quickest of the RS 660 mounted runners, clocking a 115.568mph lap to take the 12^th fastest time in qualifying, while 51-year-old Rutter is the top Yamaha rider – posting the eighth fastest time with a 116.917mph average on the R7’s TT debut.

Behind the top two, there are a host of other hungry up-and-comers looking to spray the champagne on the famous podium. Ireland’s Mike Browne has had an impressive start to the TT and was third fastest on the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Paton, with Pierre Yves Bian an impressive fourth. The French rider was fourth in the Supertwins on his TT debut last year and is focussing on the smaller Supersport and Supertwin machinery this year. Jordan will again be in contention on his PreZ Racing by Prosper² Kawasaki, while fan favourite Dominic Herbertson carries the number one plate and will have the honour of leading the Supertwins away. The popular podcaster set a 116.821mph lap on his Cowton Racing Kawasaki during practice and he will be looking to improve on the career best eighth place he scored in last year’s race, and which he equalled in Sunday’s RST Superbike TT, where he also set his first 130mph lap.

And although all the smart money will be on Dunlop, the unpredictable nature of TT racing – especially in the Supertwin class, means that the results are no foregone conclusion.

What is a Supertwin?

Supertwin racing bikes are modified versions of the relatively humble parallel twin machines you can buy and ride on the road. The engines can be tuned, with the fastest bikes producing in excess of 100bhp, and dripping in expensive chassis parts.

The class was introduced in 2012 as the Lightweight TT. The rules allowed for 650cc twin cylinder machines, but these were opened up to include bikes of a slightly larger capacity, such as the Aprilia RS 660 and Yamaha MT-07, with the class renamed to ‘Supertwins’ last year.

The regulations also allow for comprehensive chassis and bodywork modifications. Frames can be braced and suspension and brakes changed for higher end units. Bodywork can be added to unfaired machines like the Kawasaki Z650 and the aforementioned MT-07, with 250cc Grand Prix style fairings favoured by many teams.

Kawasaki powered machines have been dominant in Lightweight/Supertwin racing since the inception of the class. Modified versions of the company’s ER-6 bossed the class in the early days while, in recent years, the Paton S1-R has been the bike to beat – winning the last four editions of the race. The classic Italian brand produces its retro styled production racer in limited numbers, with a high specification chassis out of the box and a Kawasaki based motor at its heart. The S1-R has retro styling inspired by the company’s 1960s Grand Prix machines, and even utilises a traditional twin-shock rear suspension setup.

This year sees the Supertwins get two outings for the first time, giving the lightweight heroes double the chance to taste glory in a pair of tasty three-lap tussles.

Carole Nash Supertwin TT – top 10 times after qualifying practice