Isle of Man TT 2026 Qualifying

The organisers of the Isle of Man TT have changed the way the event runs this year, creating a much tighter schedule than in previous editions. That is great news for spectators and photographers when everything runs smoothly, but it also leaves less room for disruption. Contingency days remain in place for unexpected incidents, most commonly poor weather, although racing incidents can also force changes to the timetable.

Last night, a civilian traffic accident on the course delayed proceedings by 20 minutes. During the sidecar practice session, Maria Costello MBE and Shaun Parker crashed at Brandish Corner. Officials immediately red-flagged and cancelled the session. Both riders were taken to Noble’s Hospital conscious following the incident.

The lost road time led organisers to extend the programme to include three qualifying sessions. We planned to take advantage of the split sessions by visiting two different locations around the course. Both spots had delivered excellent results for photography in previous years.

With road closures in place during racing and qualifying, once you pick a viewing spot, generally you stay there until the roads reopen. There are locations where you can move but for the two we are going to look at thats not the case.For spectator photographers, that can be both a blessing and a curse. Some fans stay rooted to a strong location all day, while others move between sessions. The only way to find out is to ride out early and secure your place.

Cronk-y-Voddy Delivers Again

Cronk-y-Voddy remains one of the best viewing locations on the TT course. Multiple connected farm fields provide plenty of space for spectators, while food vendors, toilets and parking make it easy to understand why the area is so popular. Arriving early paid off. We were first into the spot we wanted and settled in before the roads closed.

The Supersport and Supertwin machines headed out first, followed by the Sportbikes. Michael Dunlop looked unstoppable throughout the session. The 33-time TT winner set a new unofficial Supersport qualifying lap record and immediately showed that he means business this year.

Dunlop also dominated the Sportbike qualifying aboard the Paton S1-R-650. Mike Browne and Paul Jordan followed as the next quickest riders in the class.

Dean Harrison continued to build momentum in the Superstock category. His 133.867mph qualifying lap was hugely impressive and showed just how competitive he will be when racing begins. Harrison also topped qualifying in the premier Superbike class with a lap of 133.925mph, only marginally quicker than his Superstock pace.

At this stage of the week, Harrison and Dunlop already look like the riders to beat.

Rhencullen Pushes Spectators to the Limit

Our second stop of the day, Rhencullen, could feature in any television endurance challenge. One side of the road used to offer a grass banking with excellent views, but organisers have now closed that section off. Spectators instead balance along a high wall opposite the course. Standing on a narrow wall for three hours is demanding enough, but it becomes even more interesting when people squeeze past on a platform barely a foot wide and several feet above the ground.

Photographing riders at Rhencullen gives a completely different perspective compared to standard spectating. Long lenses magnify every detail, making the speed and violence of the bikes impossible to ignore.

Several riders landed slightly sideways over the jumps, and through the lens it looked terrifying. The bikes snapped from one side to the other at unbelievable speeds before the riders gathered everything back under control.

Thankfully, the riders at the TT are among the best in the world. Watching them recover unstable machines and immediately pin the throttle open toward the next corner is breathtaking.

The final qualifying session featured the sidecars, although it ended before the crews even reached our position. Ryan and Callum Crowe had already topped the morning qualifying session with a 118.468mph lap, but their evening session ended in disappointment after a crash at Crosby triggered another red flag.

Officials also reported a separate incident shortly before the session stoppage, although no further details have been released at the time of writing. We will provide an update tomorrow when more information becomes available.

Isle of Man TT 2026 Qualifying – 2 Summary

Qualifying remains in its early stages, but Michael Dunlop and Dean Harrison have already laid down serious markers. Dunlop’s pace across multiple classes suggests more records could fall this year, while Harrison looks incredibly comfortable on both the Superstock and Superbike machinery.

The tighter TT schedule continues to place pressure on organisers, teams and spectators alike. Delays and red flags have already disrupted running, but the additional sessions ensured fans still enjoyed plenty of action around the Mountain Course.

As teams continue refining setups and dialling their bikes in, the gap at the front could still close. For now though, Harrison and Dunlop are setting the standard everyone else must chase.