After a gap of very nearly five days - surely the longest period between sessions in the TT’s history - wheels again began to turn on the Mountain Course on Sunday afternoon.

The sidecars were first on course during the much-delayed qualifying session, John Holden/Lee Cain setting the pace on the opening lap at 114.99mph, with Ben and Tom Birchall marginally slower on lap two when averaging 114.93mph.

Holden/Cain’s time was fractionally quicker than the only other session on Tuesday evening, despite John commenting on the greasy, slippery conditions under the trees and the wind on the higher sections of the course.

John McGuinness was more graphic about the conditions after his opening lap on the Norton Superbike. ‘They have to be the worst conditions I’ve been round here in. There were leaves everywhere. The slicks were spinning up on the damp patches and it was windy up top. It was a scrappy lap.’

Once again it was about Hickman, Harrison and Cummins. Ultimately it was the latter who went quickest in the patchy conditions at 128.923mph on the Superbike, more than five seconds faster than Harrison’s 128.292mph.

Hickman swapped to his Superstock mid-session and topped that class at 128.499mph, but again he was less than happy with the Superbike which gleaned only the seventh quickest time of the session at 125.043mph.

Lee Johnston was quickest in the Supersport class on the Ashcourt Racing Yamaha at 122.926mph, three seconds faster than Gary Johnson (Triumph), but both well short of Harrison’s 126.094mph from the opening Sunday.

Monday’s schedule will be confirmed later this evening.