Joey Dunlop extended his winning record in the Isle of Man TT to 26 races today as he comfortably won the 125cc ultra-lightweight title over four laps of the 37.73-mile Mountain Course at an average speed of 107.14mph. The 48-year-old Ballymoney publican led throughout, winning the event for a fifth time in his 25-year career on the island as he finished 16 seconds ahead of Denis McCullough.
"The machine ran perfectly - I knew I was on for the win the first time down Bray Hill because it felt right there and that gave me the heart to go for it," said Dunlop. "But the racing is tiring me out. On the 125 you have to be really tucked in so it's hard work."
Dunlop was out again later in the day, taking fourth place in the four-lap Junior TT which was won by Shipley rider David Jefferies, 28. He powered his V&M Yamaha to victory at a record speed of 118.81mph, ahead of Ulsterman Adrian Archibald. Lancastrian John McGuinness romped to victory by 48 seconds from his Chrysalis AMDM team-mate Jason Griffiths in the four-lap Singles TT.
Meanwhile, Ulsterman Geoff McMullan has been stripped of his 400cc Isle of Man TT victory after race officials discovered his Yamaha had an oversize engine. When the machine was checked by scrutineers the measurement of the engine showed it to be 599.06cc. McMullan was excluded from the results, banned from the remaining races during the annual festival and fined £500. The victory was instead awarded to New Zealander Brett Richmond, who had finished the three-lap race 16 seconds adrift of McMullan.
PA Sports
