David Johnson set the fastest ever lap by a Norton on Thursday evening. The Australian ace put in two laps in excess of 127mph before saving the best until last with a speed of 128.323mph. Not only did this comfortably beat the previous best by the bike - Cameron Donald's 124.681mph in 2015 - it also beat the best ever lap by a British bike, Guy Martin's 126.823mph set on a Triumph in last year's Supersport race.
Peter Hickman and James Hillier were two high profile retirements during last night's session. Hickman only got as far as Westwood on his opening lap after damaging the sump through the Bottom of Barregarrow. With the section of the course difficult to access, by the time he got to the paddock, the session had ended by four minutes.
Hillier, meanwhile, managed two laps on his big bike before stopping at Appledene on his Supersport bike. He too failed to get back out on track despite clambering through shrubs, bushes and marshes in a bid to find his way out.
John McGuinness tried a different engine-spec and K-tech forks during his practice laps last night. Having used the first lap to bed everything in, he lapped at 131.116mph second time around to go third fastest overall.
Bruce Anstey escaped injury after crashing on the approach to Keppel Gate on his Honda Fireblade. The Kiwi did damage the same ankle he'd hurt at the North West 200 but was otherwise ok. However, he has now shaved off his lengthy beard so clearly he sees it as a bad luck charm
Speaking of Anstey, some riders and managers have expressed their anger over how the RC213V was snuck in almost under the radar and that isn’t quite within the rules. However, it you read the rules it, er, is…
A number of riders have set their fastest ever laps during qualifying including Steve Mercer, Ivan Lintin, Daniel Hegarty, Brian McCormack, James Cowton, Michael Sweeney and Derek Sheils.
Dan Stewart has been forced to withdraw from the event as the leg injury he sustained at Croft in April has failed to heal. Although nothing was broken, the muscles and ligaments aren't strong enough to manhandle the machines around the Mountain Course.
