While Michael Dunlop was the favourite to take the second Supersport race and keep his dream of wining five TT wins alive, there were plenty of riders lining up to deny him the chance.
McGuinness chases the podium in Supersport
The main competition looked like likely to come from his brother William on the fast Yamaha YZF-R6. However, having shed his cold, Bruce Anstey was always going to be a threat alongside John McGuinness and Cameron Donald. And would the MV hold together for the four laps this time, giving Gary Johnson the chance of causing an upset? In perfect conditions the riders lined up for what promised to be a thrilling four laps...
At the first set of splits Bruce Anstey topped the sheets with Michael Dunlop hot on his heels and William Dunlop and John McGuinness behind. An on-form Bruce is a very hard man to beat on a 600, could Michael reel him in? Finishing the first lap the gap was just over three seconds between Bruce and Michael with William six seconds behind them and McGuinness another 14 behind. It looked likely to be a battle between the two Dunlops and Anstey as the Kiwi slipped past McGuinness and Cameron Donald on the road early on lap two.
When Anstey is riding well he is spectacular on a Supersport bike and entering the pits at the end of lap two he held a four and a bit second lead over Dunlop. How nervous must his pit team have been? Exiting the pits the lead was up to nine seconds after a superb stop by the Padgetts team. Could he hold on for two laps?
Gary Johnson's MV has won hearts and minds
At Glen Helen the gap was just five seconds as Dunlop pulled the pin, could he make it through the riders ahead without sacrificing too much time?
How scary was it watching Dunlop behind McGuinness? Fair play to Michael, that move at the hairpin took some balls but had he lost too much time passing Donald and McGuinness? The gap was back up to five seconds as Bruce enjoyed a traffic free lap.
Entering the last lap you just had a feeling that with a clear track ahead Michael's determination would see him make up the 4.1 second gap on Bruce, especially as Anstey has been so ill this week and after three hard laps his stamina had to be a factor. At Glen Helen the gap was 1.4 seconds and by Ballaugh Bridge Dunlop was ahead. Could Anstey catch Dunlop over the Mountain? You had to think not considering how fast Michael has been all week. Despite a massive moment (caught on TV) for Dunlop he still took the win and set another lap record. Four from four, how good is the Senior going to be?
And as a final point, top work by Gary Johnson on the MV, who took ninth spot.
McGuinness gets underway in the TT Zero
The electric bike TT was looking like a straight fight between Michael Rutter and John McGuinness, however, having set an unofficial 109mph lap in practice on his Mugen, McGuinness was certainly the hot favourite. One lap, winner takes all, could McGuinness get his first TT win of 2013?
Whispering down Bray Hill, the electric bikes certainly are an odd thing to watch leave the start line. Last year Mugen were pretty hacked off not to win and it pulled out all the stops for this year, something that was obvious as McGuinness flew past Rutter's team mate Mark Miller in a matter of miles. At the Mountain McGuinness had an easy eight-second lead, but his battery was fading and by the flag he was two seconds down on Rutter. It just hasn't been his TT this year and he looked gutted afterwards. A 109.527mph average speed is stunning for an electric bike, but Rutter's MotoCzyst managed to go slightly faster...
Results (Supersport, race two)
1. Michael Dunlop (Honda MD Racing)
2. Bruce Anstey (HM Plant Honda by Padgetts)
3. John McGuinness (HM Plant Honda by Padgetts)
4. William Dunlop (Milwaukee Yamaha)
5. Cameron Donald (Honda Wilson Craig Racing)
Results (TT Zero)
1. Michael Rutter (MotoCzysz E1PC/)
2. John McGuinness (Shinden Ni/Mugen)
3. Robert Barber (RW-2/Ohio State University)
4. George Spence (Kingston 2012/Kingston University)
5. Chris McGahan (Yamaha R6E/Vercarmoto)