THE £10,000 prize offered for the first rider to break the 100mph barrier in the TT Zero race looks to be under serious threat for tomorrow afternoon's one-lap challenge.

The final practice session yesterday afternoon saw the Sedgeway Racing Motoczysz team - winners last year - to be the firm favourites for the race with Mark Miller and Michael Rutter both sitting on top of the qualifying leaderboard.

Miller, winner of the TT Zero race last year, was first away in the session followed by all-Manx effort of Dan Kneen riding for the ManTTx. John Burrows was next away for American Outfit Lighting Motorcycles followed by the ION Horse outfit of perennial electric bike competitors Ecotricity Kingston University, the first of the four university outfits.

Another university outfit, prestigious American-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology, were next off the startline with Allan Brew and all-Japanese outfit Team Prozza and Yoshinari Matsushita.

Roy Richardson and Russ Mountford, both competing on behalf of university outfits Imperial and Brunel respectively, were the final university outfits and all eyes will be on the competition within the competition for the fastest university team in Wednesday’s SES TT Zero race that comes with a £5k prize fund.

Last away was Michael Rutter, riding the second Sedgeway Racing Motoczysz outfit and he was quickly into his stride, leading on corrected time at Glen Helen. John Burrows split the Motoczysz pair with a 10 second lead over Mark Miller who was third at the first checkpoint.

Rutter continued to set the pace and, after extending his lead to over a minute from Burrows by Ballaugh with an average speed of 106.647mph, he posted an impressive 138.4mph through the Sulby speed trap.

Rutter finished with a lap at an average speed of 93.353mph.

The teams will now prepare for tomorrow’s SES TT Zero Race and the prospect of the first 100mph lap, which comes with a £10,000 prize fund from the Isle of Man Government remains a possibility.