- Molyneux/Farrance top the board in Sidecar Class
- McGuinness looks to make up for last year's disappointment with fast opening SES TT Zero lap

After the trials of tribulations of recent evenings, conditions were perfect for the final qualifying session of the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, and it proved to be a rapid night of action on the Mountain Course as Michael Dunlop threw down the gauntlet with a lap of 131.501mph, not only his personal best but also just 1.3s outside the outright lap record.

Gary Johnson set the pace on the opening lap on his Superstock bike and he was the only rider to break the 130mph barrier first time around with a lap of 130.207mph although Guy Martin wasn’t far behind on his Superbike with 129.992mph.

Second time around and Bruce Anstey went quickest at 130.642mph on his Superbike with John McGuinness lapping at 129.790 which saw him end up fourth overall. Dan Kneen slotted into a superb fifth place at 129.107, comfortably his best ever lap of the 37 and ¾-mile course while Michael Rutter placed sixth (128.883) with William Dunlop, Josh Brookes, James Hillier, Ian Hutchinson and Dean Harrison the other riders to lap in excess of 127mph.

However, Dunlop waited until the closing stages to really set the track alight as he ripped round the course at 131.501mph to end the week top of the Superbike leaderboard and surely heading into tomorrow’s Dainese Superbike race as favourite. Anstey remained in second overall with Guy Martin the third Superbike rider over 130mph with a lap of 130.102mph.

Cameron Donald had his best night of the week on the Norton with a speed of 123.095 with strong performances also coming from Jimmy Storrar (124.286), James Cowton (123.247) and Michael Sweeney (121.039).

Johnson’s superb 130mph lap saw him top the Superstock class although Harrison was also flying on his Superstock Kawasaki with a speed of 128.662mph, which was his best ever lap of the course. Michael Dunlop went slightly quicker at 129.333 to place third with Hillier in fourth and Rutter putting in a late quick lap to go fifth.

Meanwhile, newcomer Peter Hickman put in three laps in excess of 121mph but his fourth was his best of the week at an excellent 123.329mph. Fellow debutante Martin Jessopp just missed out on his first 120mph lap at 119.918mph with Alan Bonner (117.499), Vick de Cooremeter (116.741), Phil Crowe (116.738), Danny Webb (116.510) and Callum Laidlaw (112.058) all improving on their previous bests.

With most riders opting to get out on their 1000cc machines, there were few quick laps in the Supersport class but Johnson had a busy evening with two laps on the Triumph, the quickest of which, 125.934, was the fastest of the week. William Dunlop (124.475) and Keith Amor (124.356) placed second and third respectively on the night although Michael Dunlop’s lap from Thursday, 124.530, means he ended the week second overall. There was a notable performance from Daley Mathison who moved up to 22nd fastest qualifier from an original start number of 81.

In the F2 Sidecar class Dave Molyneux/Patrick Farrance were fastest on the night at 113.422 closely followed by John Holden/Andy Winkle (113.039), Conrad Harrison/Mike Aylott (112.333) and Tim Reeves/Gregory Cluze (111.651).

Karl Bennett/Lee Cain put in their first ever 110mph lap whilst a stunning lap came from newcomers Alan Founds/Tom Peters with a speed of 107.291mph. Fellow debutantes John and Jake Lowther also recorded their best lap of the week at 101.246mph.

All eyes then switched to the SES TT Zero class as fans were treated to their first look at this year's Electric bike class. The eagerly anticipated showdown between Mugen teammates Bruce Anstey and John McGuinness was put on ice when Anstey pulled in at Quarterbridge leaving McGuinness to post a stunning first lap of 20.:13.202 (111.904mph).

Buckeye's Rob Barber and Italian outfit VercarMoto also completed laps to get their qualifying campaigns underway while Paul Owen (Brunel) Rob Wilson (Sarolea) and Russ Mountford (Arc Ev Engineering) all set off from the grandstand but failed to complete their laps.

Neal Champion (Greeba Castle) and Calum Laidlaw (Governors Bridge) were both reported off in the Superbike session but while Laidlaw was reported OK and later went out again, Champion was taken by airmed to Nobles Hospital. Sean Anderson was also airlifted to Nobles in the Supersport following an accident at Guthries while Frank Lelias and Paul Knapton were both taken by airmed for further assessment.

Conditions for the fourth qualifying session at the 2014 Isle of Man TT races, fuelled by Monster Energy, were again cool and overcast with damp roads reported from Guthrie’s to Kate’s Cottage. Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson opted to only send out the F2 sidecars, and Supersport and Lightweight machines but, with conditions improving as the evening wore on, a late lap by Michael Dunlop of 124.537mph saw him top the Supersport times.

The sidecars got the action underway at 18.27 with Dave Molyneux/Patrick Farrance first away followed by Ben and Tom Birchall, Tim Reeves/Gregory Cluze and Conrad Harrison/Mike Aylott and conditions could be seen in the lap times with Reeves quickest at 106.527 followed by Harrison at 105.324 and Greg Lambert/Kenny Cole at 105.108.

Molyneux had stopped at Ballaugh with a punctured rear tyre while John Holden/Andy Winkle also pulled in at Ballacraine. However, at around 18.45 the session was stopped due a civilian emergency in the Quarter Bridge area unconnected with the racing. When it re-started at 19.15 the roads up on the Mountain had dried considerably and Holden put his early problems behind him to go to the top of the times with a lap of 111.586, followed by Birchall (111.280), Reeves (108.306), Carl Fenwick/Phil Knapton (107.586) and Frank Lelias/Paul Knapton (107.069).

The newcomers were also showing well with Alan Founds/Tom Peters and Dwight and Noel Beare lapping at 101.981 and 100.951 respectively.

In an incident at Pinfold Cottage that delayed the start of the solo's qualifying session, Ewan Walker and Dickie Gale were taken by airmed to Nobles Hospital. Walker sustained minor injuries while Gale was reported to have back and knee injuries.

At 8.05, the solos finally took to the Mountain Course and although the light was fading and the roads on the Mountain were still damp, they were drying all the time and the Supersport and Lightweight contenders were able to get three good laps in.

Guy Martin and Michael Dunlop led the field away followed by Michael Rutter and William Dunlop but Ian Hutchinson was out of luck and was soon reported as having retired. Most riders opted for their Supersport machines but Lee Johnston, Keith Amor, David Johnson, Ivan Lintin and James Cowton all took out their Lightweight mounts.

William Dunlop was quickest on the opening lap with a speed of 120.683mph with Rutter, Josh Brookes and Gary Johnson also over the 120mph mark but Brookes improved further second time around to 122.011mph. However, Bruce Anstey went slightly quicker with a lap of 122.290mph although team-mate John McGuinness’ lap of 118.039mph didn’t tell the whole story as he was the quickest rider up until Ramsey, the Morecambe rider easing off through the damp patches.

Right at the end of the session though, the leaderboard changed again with Michael Dunlop lapping at 124.530mph, the fastest Supersport lap of the week, with Dean Harrison only five seconds slower at 123.886mph. Conor Cummins and James Hillier also posted 120mph plus laps.

In the Lightweight category, the SGS International/KMR Kawasaki machines of Keith Amor and Ryan Farquhar were fastest, with the duo lapping at 116.206 and 115.593mph respectively as they circulated together for much of the second lap.

Jamie Hamilton was also on the pace at 114.212mph and following him, in quick succession, were Gary Johnson (113.843), Ivan Lintin (113.478) and Dean Harrison (113.062). Manx GP winner Michael Russell lapped at an impressive 112.508mph to place seventh on the leaderboard.

Due to the disrupted qualifying during the week tomorrow's session will now see Superbikes, Supersport and Superstock machines out between 18.20 and 20.00, Sidecars between 20.05 and 20.35 and the TT Zero qualifying between 20.40 and 20.55.

One of my favourite routes is the Woodhead Pass (A628), which is not far from Manchester and crosses the Pennine chain of hills through a wood cladded road within the Peak District National Park and ultimately leading to South Yorkshire.

The trick here is to get up early to experience the awesome scenery, atmosphere and lovely views at their best, with less traffic and to avoid the snarl of traffic around Hollingworth and towards Glossop.   At the end of the M67 motorway you take the A57 road towards Glossop.

At the crossroads I always smile as I pass the sign on the right to Broadbottom and then enjoy the ride down the hill with the backdrop of the Peak District National Park in the distant. Stay on the road for the A628, rather than take the right to Glossop and the Snake Pass (another popular road with Bikers) and keep an eye out for the signs to the village of Hadfield on the right; Hadfield is probably better known to people as Royston Vasey, the fictional town featured in the cult BBC dark comedy series 'The League of Gentlemen'.  

One of the main reason I love this road is the many Reservoirs, which in the morning are so tranquil, flat and glass-like. There is a few mile stretch of Reservoirs, which are part of the Longdendale chain, starting with Bottoms, past the mammoth Torside, which the road crosses and ending at the Woodhead Reservoir. From here the road climbs to the summit at Salter's Brook Bridge with open countryside all around. Admittedly it is maybe not the best road for twists and turns, however I love it as it is not far from the city of Manchester and the scenery can be stunning!

Whilst working at THE BIKER GUIDE®, some clients in Northumberland had mentioned that Bikers stay with them as they want to visit The Holy Island of Lindisfarne, with a varied history which dates from the 6th century, as an important centre of Celtic Christianity at the monastery and the place where it is said the Vikings first came to our shores. Accessible by a causeway at low-tide and cut off from the rest of the world by fast-moving tides twice-daily, I liked the idea of riding over a road chasing the tides and I wanted to visit… So a trip was planned, with a ride across the causeway as a must do!

We left our accommodation early as we had to cross and return before 11am, otherwise we would be there until the evening. Just off the main A1, you ride through country lanes until you reach the causeway and then it is a single lane road raised over the sand to the island for a most enjoyable three (ish) miles. 

For our final top biking route in the UK, we asked our visitors to the website and we have the following; The Hardknott Pass in the Lake District, Bala to Trawsfynydd in Snowdonia, the Applecross Pass in The Highlands, the dark hedges at Armoy in County Antrim, the single track road that takes in the coast of the Isle of Mull and this… ‘Anywhere and everywhere so long as I am riding’.

When riding, our top safety tips are to read the roads all around you, presuming (I am sorry to say) that others have not seen you and that vehicle indicators are not always correct (!), make sure you are visible on the road, with your headlights on, wearing hi-viz gear, etc… and when riding take regular pit-stops to stay alert, refresh yourself and to enjoy the scenery, your surroundings and a have much needed cuppa.

Article by Sharon Rollisson-Slaughter, THE BIKER GUIDE®

Conditions were cloudy and overcast for Wednesday evening’s third qualifying session at the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, and it proved to be a short session as just one lap was completed due to a combination of the weather closing in and an incident at the top of Barregarrow.

With a few spots of rain in the air around the 6pm, the session got underway at 6.25pm with some riders opting for their 1000cc bikes and others playing it safe on their Supersport machines.

Michael Dunlop and Ian Hutchinson were first away, followed by Guy Martin and James Hillier, with all four on their Superbikes. William Dunlop, Gary Johnson and Michael Rutter also chose their Superbikes but Conor Cummins opted for his Superstock Honda and Bruce Anstey, Keith Amor and Dan Kneen all took out their 600cc machines.

Conditions on the opening lap proved to be fairly good with Michael Dunlop first back past the Grandstand at 128.690mph, just shy of his best lap set yesterday, while Guy Martin was also over 128mph. William Dunlop was next up at 127.911mph with Dean Harrison posting his personal best lap of the week so far at 126.521mph. Michael Rutter, Ian Hutchinson and Dan Stewart were the only other three riders to break the 125mph mark whilst Johnson was out of luck retiring at Douglas Road Corner.

The newcomers again posted good laps with six of them over the 110mph barrier – Peter Hickman (117.895), Martin Jessopp (115.607), Vick de Cooremeter (114.410), Phil Crowe (113.910), Alan Bonner (112.447) and Danny Webb (112.203), with Crowe and Webb both posting personal bests.

Cummins was the quickest Superstock machine at 126.268mph with Anstey posting a speed of 123.127mph to top the Supersport time sheets but with rain falling, particularly from Ramsey onwards, John McGuinness completed a lap at 122.387mph and James Hillier at 121.527mph on their Superbikes, comfortably down on their speeds earlier in the week.

Most riders opted to continue for a second lap but no sooner had they had done than the red flag was shown as a result of an incident that involved newcomer Laurent Hoffmann at the top of Barregarrow. Hoffman was airlifted to Nobles hospital where he was reported to have leg injuries and was undergoing further assessment.

As the incident was being cleared, the rain began to get heavier in the north of the island and the evening’s action was called off just after 7.30pm.

- Holden/Winkle fastest in sidecar session as Molyneux stops at Molyneux's

Conditions and visibility were again excellent for the second qualifying evening of at the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, and Bruce Anstey again set the pace. The Kiwi lapped at an impressive 130.860mph on the Valvoline Racing/Padgetts Honda.

He spent much of the second lap circulating with John McGuinness, who was second fastest on the night at 129.395mph while BMW Motorrad rider Michael Dunlop looked like he’d break the 130mph barrier until coasting to a halt at Governor’s Bridge.

The session got underway at 18.23 and, as with Monday night, the majority of riders opted for their Superbike machines, leaving the line in numerical order. McGuinness and James Hillier were first away followed by Ian Hutchinson and Guy Martin then Anstey and Dunlop, Gary Johnson and William Dunlop with Michael Rutter and Conor Cummins completing the top ten. Hillier was aboard his Superstock Kawasaki as were Lee Johnston and Daniel Kneen.

McGuinness was first to complete a lap at 127.578, followed by Anstey (128.630) and Dunlop (129.032) with Cummins and Rutter also over the 128mph mark. Martin and Johnson lapped at over 127mph while Hillier’s lap of 126.243mph was the evening's fastest Superstock time.

The pace really quickened second time around though with Anstey, Dunlop and McGuinness in close formation and while most eyes were on the Northern Irishman, Anstey went to the top of the leaderboard with his near 131mph lap. Dunlop was delayed through the Grandstand and it shortly emerged that he had stopped at Governors Dip.

Martin went third quickest behind Anstey and McGuinness with a lap of 129.164mph with the top six completed by Dunlop (129.032), Rutter (128.728) and Cummins (128.719). William Dunlop and Johnson were the only other two riders to break the 127mph mark with Kneen and Hutchinson in the 125mph bracket.

Further back, impressive speeds came from James Cowton (122.246) and newcomer Peter Hickman who only just missed out on his first 120mph lap with a speed of 119.684mph whilst the American Buell lapped at an encouraging 118.794mph in the hands of Mark Miller. Meanwhile, Martin Jessopp (117.385), Alan Bonner (115.303) and Belgian Vick de Cooremeter (114.226), all newcomers this year, again proved they were getting to grips with the Mountain Course.

Hillier’s opening lap kept him at the top of the Superstock leaderboard for the entire night and he was followed by Michael Dunlop (125.840), Rutter (125.325), Anstey (125.086), McGuinness (124.529) and Kneen (124.111). Notable laps came from Russ Mountford (123.090) who ended up in tenth and Michael Sweeney who chalked up his first 120mph lap at 120.203mph. Austrian Horst Saiger came off at Governors during the session but was OK after been seen by a travelling medic.

The second part of the session was split between the Supersport and Lightweight machines, the latter getting their first action of the 2014 festival, and a late lap from Lee Johnston of 123.803mph saw him top the 600cc class. Johnson and Rutter improved their speeds of the previous night on the Triumphs to place second and third, with William Dunlop the fourth rider to lap in excess of 123mph. Harrison, Martin, Brookes and Michael Dunlop completed the top eight.

In the Lightweight division Ivan Lintin occupied the top spot, the McKinstry Racing rider’s lap of 117.297mph almost twelve seconds quicker than Keith Amor’s speed of 115.595mph. Cowton was the only other rider above 115mph with Olie Linsdell impressing on the Paton in fourth. Previous Lightweight race winners Hillier and Ryan Farquhar completed the top six.

In the Formula Two sidecar class, which saw just one lap completed before the session was red flagged due to an incident at Kerrowmoar, John Holden/Andy Winkle showed there’ll be contenders come race day once more with a lap of 112.877mph, just under ten seconds quicker than Ben and Tom Birchall. Conrad Harrison/Mike Aylott placed third ahead of Gary Bryan/Jamie Winn, Frank Lelias/Paul Knapton and Carl Fenwick/Phil Knapton but Dave Molyneux/Patrick Farrance stopped on the opening lap, the duo pulling up to a halt at Moly’s own corner at the end of the Cronk y Voddy.

It was later reported that sidecar crew Nev Jones and Milan Vorel were the team involved in the accident at Kerrowmoar. Jones was reported to be OK but Vorel was taken by airmed to Nobles where he was assessed for possible leg fractures.