Michael Dunlop once again in a class of his own, Chris Meyer a creditable 13th.

Every time the motorbikes are warmed up on Glencrutchery Road before the start of the Lightweight Classic TT and Ultra Lightweight Classic TT, it brings to mind the days when riders on their two-stroke bikes were still competing for World Championship points in these classes at the Tourist Trophy. From 1977 onwards, the British Grand Prix was no longer held on the Isle of Man, but at Silverstone.

It is not just because of his superior fastest practice time ahead of the two Yamaha riders, Mike Browne and Paul Jordan, that Michael Dunlop, on his Milenco Honda, is the favourite to win the Lightweight class. After all, the 37-year-old Northern Irishman has already stood on the top step of the podium 36 times at the Tourist Trophy, making him by far the most successful rider in the history of the world’s most iconic road race.

Michael Dunlop lives up to his role as favourite

Dunlop emphasises that he wants to finish as the winner for the second time on Sunday following the Formula One Classic TT. But Browne is not letting him shake him off. Dunlop’s lead is just half a second after the first 60.725 kilometres, but his pit crew gets him through the pit stop almost nine seconds faster than his rival’s. Michael Sweeney is in third place, 45 seconds behind.

By the time Browne retires with a technical fault between Ramsey and Bungalow, the way is clear for Dunlop. Sweeney takes second place ahead of Chris Moore, Rhys Hardisty and Ryan Whitehall. His deficit is already over two minutes going into the third and final lap.

Although he could have concentrated on managing his lead, Dunlop has no intention of easing off the pace. He completes the final lap in 19:00.637 minutes, finishing over three minutes ahead of Sweeney. Following Moore’s retirement, Hardisty completes the top three. Both Sweeney and Hardisty will remember for the rest of their lives standing on the podium alongside the road racing legend.

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Ultra Lightweight Classic TT: Decided on the final lap

In the Ultra Lightweight class, Germany’s Chris Meyer had to hold his own on his Honda 125 against a field dominated by 400cc motorbikes. Although his bike even stalled briefly at one point, he managed to complete two laps of the Snaefell Mountain Course on Saturday. That was enough to qualify for the race at the very last moment.

Because he lost valuable time during his pit stop, it took until the final lap for Joseph Loughlin to reclaim the lead from Owen Monaghan. Paul Cassidy followed in third place. The trio crossed the finish line in that order. Meyer finished the race in 13th place.

Lightweight Classic TT Results, Isle of Man, 23 August 2026

1. Michael Dunlop (GB), Honda, 3 laps in 57:44.357 mins. 2. Michael Sweeney (IRL), Yamaha, 3 mins 03.560 sec behind. 3. Rhys Hardisty (GB), Yamaha, +3 mins 46.487 sec.

Results: Ultra-Lightweight Classic TT, Isle of Man, 23 August 2026

1. Joseph Loughlin (IRL), Kawasaki 400, 3 laps in 1:01:27.415 mins. 2. Owen Monaghan (GB), Kawasaki 400, 22.369 sec. 3. Paul Cassidy (GBM), Yamaha 400, +71.804 sec. Also: 13. Chris Mexer (D), Honda 125.