The start of the Senior was delayed after an incident where a rider crashed and his bike went into the crowd, injuring 10 spectators. A terrible start to the most eagerly anticipated race of the week which eventually started at 4:30, a time that meant a day of avoiding any news coverage for TT fans waiting to watch the highlights on TV on Saturday!
Before the Senior the tension was unbelievable and most agreed it would be between two men - John McGuinness and Michael Dunlop. If form was a guide then the money was on Dunlop as he had been outstanding so far at the 2013 TT. But with 19 wins under his belt, you can never write off McGuinness. However there was also Bruce Anstey, Cameron Donald, James Hillier, Gary Johnson, Guy Martin, Conor Cummins and Michael Rutter all in the mix. Six laps and two pit stops is a long time...
Dunlop was out to make it five out of five
At the end of the first lap McGuinness was trailing Dunlop by just 1.38 seconds with Gary Johnson within spitting distance. Passing Cameron Donald slowed Dunlop slightly, reducing the gap to just 0.5 seconds on McGuinness by mid way through the second lap, before McGuinness took the lead at the Mountain. What would the first pit stop throw up?
No drama for McGuinness or Dunlop but a slightly slower stop by Dunlop saw John gain 1.3 seconds in the pits, taking his lead to six seconds. By Glen Helen Dunlop had reduced this to just 0.5 seconds as the Irishman started his charge. Could McGuinness respond? By the Mountain McGuinness had extended his lead to 1.6 seconds while down the order Rutter clocked his first ever 130mph lap. Crossing the line McGuinness had a 2.05-second advantage as he started his fourth lap.
With traffic becoming more of an issue, McGuinness' lead was fragile to say the least, could he hold it until the second pit stop? Having extended it over the Mountain, McGuinness pitted with his biggest lead so far on Dunlop.
The winners soak up the love from the fans
Another slower stop for Dunlop saw him lose 2.5 seconds to McGuinness, taking his disadvantage to near 10 seconds as the fifth lap drew to a close. One lap left, could Dunlop make up the time and land his dream five out of five wins? Or would John leave the 2013 TT on a high and with 20 TT wins under his belt?
What a final race. Dunlop looked slightly ragged at times on the final lap and when Anstey passed him you got the feeling the race was McGuinness'. Sure enough, the legend took the Senior by an amazing 10.09 seconds. King of the Mountain.
Lightweight TT
The lightweight TT is generally a Kawasaki-dominated affair with Cameron Donald, Michael Rutter, Jamie Hamilton, James Hillier and Dean Harrison the guys to watch. With just three laps to complete the riders complete a 'splash and dash' rather than a full pit stop with tyre changes.
20 wins and still king of the mountain
Starting from number one position on the road, James Hillier led after the first lap and even broke the 2012 lap record, and that's from a standing start and including slowing down for the pit stop!
Hillier looked like the man to beat and despite technically being second on the second lap, the rider in front hadn't stopped for fuel so wasn't an issue for the flying Hillier who started lap three with a comfortable 21-second lead. A solid last lap saw Hillier take the win by an impressive 33.51 seconds to take his first TT win as well as a new outright Lightweight TT lap record.
1. John McGuinness (Honda TT Legends)}
2. Michael Dunlop (Honda TT Legends)
3. Bruce Anstey (HM Plant Honda by Padgetts)
4. James Hillier (Quattro Plant Kawasaki)
5. Guy Martin (Tyco Suzuki)
1. James Hillier (Quattro Plant Kawasaki)
2. Dean Harrison (Stuart Smith Racing)
3. Conor Cummins (KMR Kawasaki Powered)
4. Ivan Lintin (KMR Mckinistry Racing
5. Jamie Hamilton (KMR Kawasaki Powered)