By Qualifying finalised, race action 2024 style at the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, Southern 100, quickly began afterwards with the Peel Holdings Senior race.
The race distance originally planned to be seven-laps was trimmed to six-laps.
With conditions changeable, the tyre combination selected by those circulating Billown, would prove crucial.
Pre-race, pole-sitter Jamie Coward admitted to Manx Radio, that this race would be a tyre gamble.
Swiftest away on the run towards Joey’s Gate, Ballabeg Hairpin was Michael Dunlop.
At Cross Four-Ways, KTS Racing Powered by Steadplan’s Coward led Dunlop with Davey Todd third.
As lap two dawned, the gap between Coward and Dunlop was just shy of half a second. Todd third was 1.509 in arrears to the TT wins record holder.
Lap two Cross Four-Ways, no change amongst the leading pack but as lap three opened, Dunlop, lapping in excess, of 105 mph usurped Coward for P1.
At mid-race distance, Dunlop was over one second ahead of Coward with last month’s Milwaukee Senior TT victor Todd solidly holding third.
Unfortunately, as lap four vaulted into fruition, the race was red flagged following an incident, arising across Ballawhetstone.
Not restarted, race results were determined via positions at the time of the red flag, meaning S100 victory No.22 for Hawk Racing’s Dunlop.
Dean Harrison astride jet black liveried Honda tackle placed fourth behind Coward, Todd.
Michael Browne, Michael Sweeney, Paul Jordan occupied placings fifth to seventh.
Scooping finishes of eighth through to tenth were SMT Racing’s Rob Hodson, Jonathan Perry and Nathan Harrison.
Peel Holdings Senior Race Result:
1st – Michael Dunlop
2nd – Jamie Coward
3rd- Davey Todd
4th – Dean Harrison
5th – Michael Browne
6th – Michael Sweeney
7th – Paul Jordan
8th – Rob Hodson
9th – Jonathan Perry
10th – Nathan Harrison
11th – Paul ‘Potchy’ Williams
12th – Paul Cranston
13th – Matt Stevenson
14th – Keelim Ryan
15th – Stephen Parsons
16th – Adrian Kershaw
17th – Barry Furber
18th – Erno Kostamo
19th – Jean Pierre Polet
20th – Keith Pringle
21st – Amalric Blanc
22nd – Dennis Booth
23rd – Sam West
24th – David Brook
25th – Colin Croft
26th – Paul Turner
27th – Austen Webster
28th – Stephen McKnight
29th – Mick Hogan
Photo credit: Mark Corlett
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
