Michael Dunlop claims controversial third win in Superbike race

Belfast Telegraph

10-05-2025

Live |
After ending his nine-year wait for a North West 200 victory on Thursday night by winning two races, can Ballymoney's Michael Dunlop add to his tally on Saturday's second day of racing on the north coast?
He will face stiff opposition from Thursday's Superbike winner Davey Todd, while the likes of Richard Cooper, Dean Harrison, Peter Hickman, Ian Hutchinson and North West legend Alastair Seeley will be keen to knock the local rider off his perch.
Follow all the action on our LIVE blog below!
one minute ago
No time to rest
We'd love to sit back and digest what happened at the end of that race but the Supersports are already on the grid for the next race!
6 minutes ago
Davey Todd's comments
"Fair play to him he is obviously riding well but we should have won the race anyway.
"We were miles in front and we had a technical issue with the bike and it started riding really slow. I don't know what's wrong with it and I wasn't sure if it was going to finish.
"I have no words. There is a rule and they just change the rules to suit whoever it suits."
10 minutes ago
Peter Hickman lives up to his promise
The Englishman does not take his place on the podium as Michael Dunlop is crowned the winner. Davey Todd, to his credit, is up there but he does not look at all happy.
14 minutes ago
OFFICIAL: Michael Dunlop wins the Superbike race
The results are in and the officials have determined that Michael Dunlop does not get a ten-second penalty and, therefore, has won the Superbike race and his third of the weekend!
Davey Todd is not happy. "It's his backyard, isn't it? There are rules and they just change the rules to suit whoever," he fumes.
Peter Hickman comes over and says Todd won that race and that he won't be going on the podium in protest.
17 minutes ago
Hickman thinks it should be a penalty
"It's dead simple, if you run onto a chicane, you have to stop and put your foot down and go again.
"Michael Dunlop obviously got pulled in by me into Mather's Cross and we both missed the chicane. Michael went straight on, I cut across to the stop box and went like you're meant to.
"If you don't do that, it's a ten-second penalty and that's the rules. As far as I'm concerned one of us gets a ten-second penalty and the other doesn't, but who knows what's going to happen."
19 minutes ago
Dunlop thinks he's won
"A good ride there. We were pushed into the chicane, Peter (Hickman) jumped over the grass which was dangerous. We went over the curb. I came back to win. The rules say if you cut the chicane you have to put your foot down. For safety reasons I couldn't do that. It was too dangerous. End of story, I didn't gain an advantage, got past everybody and won the race. You can't start swerving all over the road. I didn't gain an advantage, people got past me and I made another mistake. I think I deserved the race, I lost a load of time and came back again."
We're going to treat this as if Dunlop has won but, as I keep saying, that could change.
21 minutes ago
Confusion reigns
Michael Dunlop has parked in the winners' spot in the paddock, while Davey Todd looks perplexed as Glenn Irwin wanders over and tells him he thinks he's won.
25 minutes ago
MICHAEL DUNLOP WINS?
We wait to find out!
The Ballymoney man is across the line first, leading Davey Todd in second and Peter Hickman in third, but now we wait to see whether the clerk of the course Mervyn White decides if Dunlop needs to be penalised for not properly taking a chicane on lap one.
Todd, who at one point led by over ten seconds and was 20 seconds clear of Dunlop, comes into the paddock and looks at his rear tyre. For him to be caught like that, there had to be some kind of issue.
25 minutes ago
Dunlop stretching away
As we head back into Portrush for the last time in this race, Michael Dunlop is over half a second clear of Davey Todd and is flying towards the win on the track. The good news is he is going to finish on the podium as, even with the ten-second penalty, he's in third, but will it be on the top step?
27 minutes ago
Dunlop 'leads'!
Michael Dunlop has produced one of the most remarkable comebacks in North West history as he overtakes Davey Todd into Station corner and is top of the tree on the track! He was 20 seconds back at one point!
Now we wait to see if that penalty does indeed apply...
28 minutes ago
End of lap 5 (of 6)
1. Davey Todd
2. Michael Dunlop +0.549
3. Peter Hickman +1.976
Davey Todd must surely have some problems with his bike because he's lapping four seconds slower than Michael Dunlop, who has closed right up behind him! Could Dunlop stretch far enough away to win regardless of his penalty?!
30 minutes ago
Dunlop into 'second'!
I have no idea how to report this but, on the track at least, Michael Dunlop is into second place as he catches Peter Hickman on the way down to University and is now just over three seconds behind Davey Todd! What a finish we could have in store here!
31 minutes ago
Reprieve for Dunlop?
According to reports on the ground, Michael Dunlop wasn't able to stop at the chicane because he was on the grass, so could that ten-second penalty be rescinded?! What drama!
Replays show that he went down the footpath beside the chicane and then moved over the grass into the slip road, but did not stop. So this is a very grey area.
32 minutes ago
End of lap 4 (of 6)
1. Davey Todd
2. Peter Hickman +5.996
3. Michael Dunlop +0.695
4. Alastair Seeley +5.507
5. Dean Harrison +5.204
6. Ian Hutchinson +0.496
Tell you what, all of a sudden Davey Todd is within touching distance of Hickman and Dunlop, who have closed a lot of time very quickly.
34 minutes ago
Dunlop on some pace
His best lap is 4:19.089. Only Alastair Seeley has broken 4:21, let alone dropped into the 4-teens. This is some pace from Dunlop who, even with the ten-second penalty, is seventh.
36 minutes ago
End of lap 3 (of 6)
1. Davey Todd
2. Peter Hickman +10.328
3. Michael Dunlop* +3.677
4. Alastair Seeley +3.162
5. Ian Hutchinson +0.641
6. Dean Harrison +1.694
*will receive ten-second penalty
Tell you what, even if he's not actually in it to win it because of the penalty, we're about to have a thrilling battle between Michael Dunlop and Peter Hickman. The Ballymoney man is the fastest man on the track right now, so it's set up for another cracking race to end the day between Todd and Dunlop.
38 minutes ago
Seeley into third
And this is actually third this time as he gets past Ian Hutchinson heading down towards Metropole. Long way to go still.
39 minutes ago
Dunlop up to 'third'
But he is actually in 13th because he has indeed been assessed the ten-second penalty. So Ian Hutchinson is still holding onto third as it stands.
Sorry, folks, this looks like a procession here. Davey Todd is over ten seconds clear of Peter Hickman.
40 minutes ago
End of lap 2 (of 6)
1. Davey Todd
2. Peter Hickman +9.219
3. Ian Hutchinson +5.420
4. Michael Dunlop +1.488
5. Michael Rutter +0.550
6. Alastair Seeley +0.094
7. Erno Kostamo +0.351
Disaster for John McGuinness as he runs through a chicane and drops down the leaderboard! We also believe that Michael Dunlop is likely to take a ten-second penalty for running through a chicane and not stopping, so his fourth place might be a little misleading but we will see.