Austrian Horst Saiger has set the Superbike Classic TT pace on the opening night of practice in the absence of Michael Dunlop who is racing in the Ulster Rally this weekend and who will join the fray on Monday.

Saiger, riding the Greenall Racing Kawasaki, clocked the fastest lap of the evening with his opening lap of 117.18mph. Double Manx Grand Prix race winner Andrew Dudgeon, also riding a Kawasaki, was second fastest on the night with 115.39mph from Australian David Johnson (114.67) and the returning Lee Johnston (114.14) on the Team York and Team Classic Suzukis respectively.

In the Lightweight class Kiwi Bruce Anstey, on the Padgetts Motorcycles Honda, predictably picked up where he left off last year with an opening lap of 113.07 while former British 125 Champion Dan Cooper showed his two-stroke experience with a lap of 109.84.

Jamie Coward posted the fastest (108.04) and third fastest laps (105.69) in the Senior Class, which got underway shortly after 7.10pm with Alan Oversby (106.52) separating his two laps while Maria Costello signalled her intention to follow up last year’s Senior Classic TT podium with an opening lap of 103.31 on the Team Beugger Racing Paton and Dominic Herbertson (103.22) on the Davies Motorsport Honda completing the top five.

In the Junior Classic TT session, Australian Cameron Donald put down his TV microphone and clocked 94.65mph on the much anticipated McIntosh Racing Norton with Lee Johnston, the 2014 Race winner opening up with a lap of 93.98 on the Black Eagle Racing MV Agusta.