TT 1992
Steve Hislop returned for the 1992 TT Formula One race, riding a 588 NRS Norton, and topped the practice leader board at 121.38mph, with Honda-mounted Phillip McCallen second fastest at 120.48mph and Carl Fogarty on the Yamaha third at 120.05mph.
These three led the race at the end of the opening lap, but in reverse order! Joey Dunlop, Mark Farmer and Robert Dunlop completed the top six.
The top five remained the same by the time lap two had been completed, but Nick Jefferies was sixth, Robert Dunlop having retired the Norton at Kirk Michael with a seized engine.
At half distance, Fogarty led McCallen by 37 seconds with Hislop 22 seconds down in third. Fogarty increased his lead at the end of the fourth lap to 46.6 seconds over McCallen, but Hislop moved closer to the second placeman - the gap was down to 15 seconds.
Then, as often happens at the TT, drama struck on lap five - Carl Fogarty toured into the pits in sixth place to retire. The new leader was McCallen by 18.8 seconds from Hislop, Joey Dunlop was third.
On the final lap, Steve Hislop set the fastest lap of the race at 123.30mph, just 1.6 seconds outside his 1991 lap record, to close the gap to 12 seconds, but Phillip McCallen won his first TT Race at 119.80mph. Steve finished second with Joey third.
After his spill in the 1991 TT, Brian Reid scored a popular victory in the Supersport 400 Race, leading from start to finish. At the end of the opening lap he was 1.2 seconds ahead and at the chequered flag he was almost a minute from Phillip McCallen and Steve Linsdell. Brian won at a record average speed of 110.50mph.
Joey Dunlop on his 125 Honda, finally achieved his ambition of equalling Mike Hailwood's record of 14 TT wins, with a start to finish record-breaking ride in the four lap 125cc race, with younger brother Robert, winner of the last three Ultra-Lightweight races, chasing him hard all the way.
At the end of the opening lap Joey led Robert by 3.6 seconds with Mick Lofthouse 26 seconds down in third place. Lap two saw Joey lead by just 0.2 seconds, Lofthouse was still third. Lap three saw Joey open the throttle a bit wider to lead his brother by 7.6 seconds.
The final lap saw the brothers really going for it, flat out - both lapped at over 108mph. With Joey slightly faster he won his 14th TT by 8.4 seconds from Robert. Lofthouse remained third.
Looking for a victory in the race that had so far eluded him, Steve Hislop topped the practice leader board, some 20 plus seconds faster than 1991 winner Robert Dunlop, with Johnny Rea third.
At the end of the opening lap it was Brian Reid in front of Hislop with Robert Dunlop third. The top three remained the same at half distance. On the final lap, Steve Hislop set the fastest lap of the race, and actually led at Ramsey Hairpin, at 117.51mph, but Brian Reid took his second win of the week by 3.2 seconds from Hislop and the leader board was completed by Robert Dunlop.
Although Nick Jefferies topped the practice sessions, it was McCallen who led at the end of the first lap of the four-lap Supersport 600cc race from Bob Jackson and Johnny Rea. Steve Hislop, Ward and Jefferies completed the top six.
Phillip further increased his lead on the second lap, with Jackson still holding second, but the two Steves swapped places and by the time the third lap had been completed McCallen had an advantage of over forty seconds, this time from Hislop who had moved to second.
Phillip McCallen won his second race of the week by 22.4 seconds from Steve Hislop, despite the Scot setting a new lap record at 117.01mph. Steve Ward was a creditable third.
Geoff Bell and Keith Cornbill achieved a personal ambition when they lapped at over 100 mph in practice and proved during their winning ride in Sidecar race A that it was no fluke by setting a new record on their second circuit at 102.54 mph. Geoff and Keith went on to win by 35.2 seconds from Eddy Wright and Pete Hill after Dave Saville and Nick Roche retired, with Mick Boddice and Dave Wells third.
Bell and Cornbill went on to complete a Sidecar double with a start to finish victory in race B, not as fast as the opening race - he was 0.6 of a second slower! The double winners went on to win by 33 seconds from Mick Boddice and Manx crew Dave Molyneux and Karl Ellison.
What a tremendous climax to TT week 1992 when the A McAlpine (IoM) Senior TT provided a race-long battle between Steve Hislop on the Norton - The White Charger - and Carl Fogarty on the Loctite Yamaha. They swapped the lead practically every lap - and finished up setting a course record lap and the fastest ever speed between them.
At the end of the first lap Carl led Steve by 1.2 seconds with Robert Dunlop (Norton) just 3.4 seconds down in third place - and all three had lapped at over 121mph.
At the end of the second circuit Steve led Carl by 2.8 seconds with Robert some 15 seconds down in third place. By half distance the lead had changed again - Carl had a one second advantage over Steve with Robert still in third place.
Lap four saw Hislop back in front by 7.4 seconds. For the first time in the race the lead did not change at the end of the fifth and penultimate lap - and the gap between first and a second was now 5.4 seconds, with Robert Dunlop still holding on to third, brother Joey having retired on the previous lap.
And so to the final lap - Fogarty set a new absolute lap record in 18 minutes 18.8 seconds equal to 123.61mph. Hislop was just a second slower, and also inside the old record, and took victory by 4.4 seconds to give Norton their first Senior TT win since 1961.