TT 2022: Hickman finishes qualifying on top

Peter Hickman’s stranglehold on Superbike qualifying continued on Friday as he lapped at 132.874mph on the Gas Monkey Garage by FHO Racing BMW despite damp conditions in the north of the Island.

Elsewhere, Michael Dunlop was the man of the moment as he topped the Superstock (129.299mph), Supersport (125.04mph) and Supertwin (120.303mph) leaderboards, whilst newcomer Glenn Irwin again left everyone in awe with a new personal best lap of 128.268mph making him the fifth fastest Superbike on the night. The damp conditions meant it was the Supersport/Supertwin machines who were the first to take to the Mountain Course and it was 7.18pm before the Superbikes went out on track, Dunlop (Hawk Racing) setting off towards Bray Hill first with Michael Rutter (Bathams Ales), Ian Hutchinson (Milwaukee BMW Motorrad) and Craig Neve (Callmac Scaffolding) next to go. It was Hickman who set the pace on the first lap though, and although Dunlop (129.346mph) was the first to cross the line, Hickman was some 15s quicker at 131.241mph. Jamie Coward (127.546mph) placed third ahead of Irwin (126.196mph), James Hillier (125.958mph) and Shaun Anderson (125.502mph). Mike Browne (124.752mph) was next up in seventh. A number of leading contenders went out first on their Superstock machines with Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki) the early pacesetter at 127.853mph, followed by Conor Cummins (127.635mph), Neve (124.783mph), Nathan Harrison (124.313mph) and Brian McCormack (124.142mph). As riders got more used to the conditions on lap two, the speeds improved especially Hickman’s as he flashed across the line at 132.876mph, no mean feat given the damp patches in the north of the Island. Hillier (127.449mph) also improved but was soon back down in