IoM TT Qualifying 2 and 3
Photographing the IoM TT
30 May 2025
The Clerk of the Course cancelled yesterday’s Thursday evening IoM TT Qualifying session due to poor weather. We were all set up for an evening of road racing photography, but hey, it’s the TT and it happens. Slightly overcast, it was looking good for another session of sitting in a hedge with bikes speeding past; however, it was not to be. Having not a lot else to do after the cancellation, we headed over the mountain for a bit of high-speed fun in the van. The Clerk was right, it’s only a small island but has its own microclimates; the clouds had rolled in.
IoM TT Qualifying 2
The extra day, Friday, now had back-to-back action! Two qualifying sessions were planned, midday and evening. As a team, we decided to split up and shoot from two different spots. I would take Quarter Bridge as a spectator photographer, and RPW would head over to Union Mills.
The plan was as soon as the Superbikes and Stockers had gone through, we would move. However, someone didn’t stick to the plan.
Chatting to the fans around me, the conversation was all about Dean Harrison. In the first qualifying session, he threw the gauntlet down with a scorching lap of 133.069 mph – the fastest ever recorded on the opening night of qualifying. Would he do it again? We waited for the session to start.
The plan worked. Concentrating on the bikes and moving when the sidecars came through worked. We had to sacrifice the sidecars to get to the other side of the island for the next location in Ramsey. A spirited ride over a single-track road got us to the main road.
Ballaugh
A short wait at Ballaugh while the road opened to the general public, and we were off again. Of course, we had to get the cameras out. Having shot here a few days ago, we both tried something different than the standard shot everyone takes.
In the morning session, Davey Todd on the BMW set the fastest Superbike lap at 132.673 mph. Peter Hickman was second at 131.326 mph, and Conner Cummings third at 131.027 mph.
Milntown
Milntown would be our last shooting spot for the day. When you drive past this spot, there is not much to see. Straight roads are not what we usually look for when we take a motorsport picture. Looking closer, you can see a small rise in the road going over a slow-flowing stream. It doesn’t take much to launch a Superbike skyward.
First out was the fastest rider, Dean Harrison. To be honest, he took me by surprise arriving at a blistering speed, but I still managed to get a shot of him landing. New locations are like that; it takes a few riders to go past to get your eye in. The problem is at the TT it’s the best riders out first on the most competitive bikes. So you need to be on your A game; I gave myself a B- for that first shot. Seconds after he headed off to Ramsey, a red flag came out.
Peter Hickman had come off his bike at Kerrowmoar. He was reported as conscious and stable and was airlifted to Nobles Hospital for further assessment. I do hope it’s nothing too serious. We will know more in the coming days. Peter’s crash had delayed the session, but the rain had made a welcome return. The red flag stayed in place, so that was the end to the day’s qualifying.
Thanks to RPW Photography for the images included in this report. All of the 2025 PistonClick IoM TT Reports can be found below.
You can read more about PistonClick at the IoM TT here.
