• William Dunlop rode a 115.844mph lap
• Just 25 seconds behind winner Bruce Anstey
• "The Victory RR bike is a massive step forward," says Dunlop

Victory Racing has surged to a podium finish at the SES TT Zero after William Dunlop rode a 115.844 mph lap to take second place.

The team have been hot on the heels of Mugen throughout practice all week and during the race John McGuiness unexpectedly started slowing past Sulby with a technical issue making it a close race between Bruce Anstey and Victory rider William Dunlop.

John McGuinness and Bruce Anstey set off from the start line ahead of William and at Glen Helen William had closed the gap on Bruce to 7 seconds and then down to 5 seconds just after Ramsey.

But it was Bruce Anstey who took first place with a 118.416mph lap for Mugen. Daley Mathison took third on University of Nottingham's machine, just missing out on the 100mph lap (99.884mph). John McGuinness crossed the line in forth position (94.949).

Last year Lee Johnston placed third for Victory Racing with a 111.620mph lap so William's 115.844mph is a considerable step forward. William had ridden increasingly fast laps on successive practices throughout the week achieving 112.85mph in first practice and 115.43mph in second practice. He put in another sub 20-minute lap at 19:32.504, some 4 seconds faster than in practice.

He said in the winner's enclosure: "I'm really happy, I didn't get to race the electric bike last year, but I could really feel the difference in the Victory RR – it's a massive step forward. The bike has a really, really good motor and massive respect to the Victory Racing boys for putting such a good bike together."

The Victory RR electric racer was the fastest machine through the speed traps too – reaching 160mph through the Sulby Speed trap (159.8mph) and across the Grandstand at 143.11mph.

For just its second time at the Isle of Man TT, the Victory Racing team is thrilled with its competitiveness and how it is pushing electric motorcycle technology forward. Both the Victory RR bike and the Empulse RR bike (that will be raced at Pikes Peak later this month) are test beds for the firm's future products.

Victory Racing Team Manager, Brian Wismann, said: "Victory Racing had a stellar day today and I couldn't be happier for William and the team. As last year, we've managed to hit our goals with the added benefit of moving up one step on the podium and closing the gap on the top team. I'm feeling very fortunate to be involved with this historic race and to get the opportunity to represent the potential for 'Modern American Muscle' performance with Victory Motorcycles. The Victory RR bike and program came together over the span of less than six months, so we really couldn't ask for more.

Hopefully next year we'll have the chance to improve further and give the Mugen team a run for their money."

Gary Gray, Director of Motorcycle Product for Victory Motorcycles, said: "Racing at the Isle of Man TT tests both man and machine. Today was a testament to a team with grit and perseverance. I couldn't be happier with our result and I know we have even more speed and wins ahead of us. We fly back tomorrow to practice on the mountain at Pikes Peak with our Octane-powered Project 156 race bike and our other electric race bike the EMPULSE RR. The knowledge we gain at these races goes into making our production bikes faster and more reliable."

A podium finish has also excited Parker, the makers of the GVM electric motor that propelled the bikes.

Parker's US-based strategic account manager, Kevin Holloway said: "I am proud to be associated with this professional group of people. They work so hard and the results are well deserved. Parker is happy that our GVM motors help power these fantastic machines around the course. To hear William say the bike has a really, really good motor is music to my ears. I hope Victory Racing returns to challenge for the top spot next year."

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