Latest news with #Dunlop
India Today
4 hours ago
- General
- India Today
ISKCON fits Sukhoi fighter jet tyres to Lord Jagannath's chariot in Kolkata
This year's Rath Yatra in Kolkata is set to be a remarkable one as Lord Jagannath's chariot will roll on tyres originally designed for the Sukhoi fighter jet — notably the ones used in India's successful Operation Kolkata has spearheaded the initiative to replace the old tyres of Lord Jagannath's tyres which were first fitted in 1977 and sourced from a Boeing aircraft. With the original manufacturer, Dunlop ceasing operations years ago, the search for suitable replacements were on for the past few had been using second-hand aircraft tyres for many years,' said Radharaman Das, Vice President of ISKCON Kolkata. 'After thorough research, we found that the tyres of Sukhoi fighter jet matched the size and specifications of the old Boeing ones.' In 2024, tyre manufacturer MRF assessed the requirements and delivered the new tyres in early 2025. A 24-kilometre trial was carried out to ensure the tyres could withstand the weight of the chariot and move smoothly through Kolkata's added, 'It is a coincidence that the tyres came from Sukhoi jets that participated in Operation Sindoor, a significant achievement for Indian defence.'While the change is a technical enhancement, it also carries symbolic significance. Das drew parallels with the Mahabharata, noting that Lord Krishna attempted to prevent war between the Kauravas and Pandavas. When diplomacy failed, the Pandavas emerged victorious, reinforcing a message of peace backed by year's Rath Yatra conveys a dual message — of devotion and determination. It reflects Sanatani values and India's readiness to rise against adversity,' said Das, hinting at current tensions with Lord Jagannath's chariot now mounted on tyres built for a combat aircraft, this year's procession is set to combine tradition with a powerful reminder of cultural resilience and national Watch
Belfast Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Michael Dunlop takes Supertwin glory to increase Isle of Man TT tally to 31: ‘I still want to improve'
Dunlop has been the man to beat in the class in recent years and he followed up his double in 2024 with another comfortable win on the Italian Paton S1-R, coming home over 22 seconds ahead of Manxman Michael Evans (Dafabet Racing Kawasaki), who was celebrating his first TT podium on his birthday. Dunlop's latest victory – his second of race week after he won Monday's opening Supersport race – was a record 48th podium for the Ballymoney man. Wigan's Rob Hodson was also celebrating his first TT podium as he finished third on the SMT Racing Paton, 13 seconds behind runner-up Evans. Dunlop said: 'I felt good and just got bedded into it, and I thought it was Michael [Evans]. I was up 10 seconds on him and I assumed that's who it was. 'Obviously this job here is just a nursing match and the bike wasn't overly strong today for some reason – that's not being rude to the lads – the bike was good, but it just lacked a wee bit and Michael kept trying to pass me. 'I think he realised there was no point because I'd jam it back in again! 'Thanks to the Paton lads again and it's 31 wins now, and I'd like to thank them and I appreciate all the work they do for me. 'My Italian's not great and my English is even worse, but I've a great working relationship and I've a lot of time for the boys and we'll sit down tonight, improve and keep going. I'm happy, everything's good.' Reflecting on yet another win around the legendary 37.73-mile Mountain Course, Dunlop said he was feeling good with two wins from four races so far. 'It's nice, 31 wins, and the week's been good,' he added. 'We've had ups and downs, ins and outs, and everything else for that matter, but that's the TT and I'm sitting with two wins this week already. 'Folk come here hunting for wins and I've got two, so just keep pushing and I'm happy riding, so I'm good.' Last year, the 36-year-old surpassed his uncle Joey's record of 26 wins, which had stood since 2000. Dunlop won four races 12 months ago for the second consecutive year and is already on course to repeat the feat. He will have another strong chance in Wednesday's second Supersport race, which is scheduled for 10:45am. The second Sidecar race is also set to take place at 2pm. Tuesday's race schedule was switched to an evening contingency plan after heavy rain and high winds on Monday night left roads wet in places and deemed unsuitable for racing in the afternoon following an inspection lap. North West 200 Supertwin race winner Paul Jordan narrowly missed out on a podium last night on the Jackson Racing Aprilia by only 1.757s to Hodson. Davey Todd, Monday's Superbike winner, was fifth on the Milenco by Padgett's Racing Paton with Dominic Herbertson completing the top six on the Melbray Racing Paton ahead of Ulsterman Adam McLean (Flitwick Yamaha). A second Supertwin race is due to be held on Friday, when Dunlop will be the favourite for honours once more.
Belfast Telegraph
8 hours ago
- General
- Belfast Telegraph
Michael Dunlop takes Supertwin glory to increase his Isle of Man TT tally to 31
It's Dunlop's second win of this year's TT. The Northern Irishman produced a blistering pace to win the two-lap battle. Earlier in the day, Bradford's Dean Harrison won his first Isle of Man TT race since 2019 with victory in the Superstock TT. The Honda rider overhauled Superbike TT winner Davey Todd to win by 11.656 seconds in the delayed two lap race. Dunlop finished in third.
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Davey Todd fends off Michael Dunlop to win delayed Isle of Man TT Superbike race: ‘It was pretty special'
Todd was pushed hard by Dunlop (ROKiT BMW) but held on to win by just under 1.3s after four laps in the first race of the 2025 Isle of Man TT, which was delayed from a planned 10:45am start until 12 noon due to oils spills on the Mountain section and from Bray Hill to Quarterbridge. The 29-year-old was seven seconds up after two laps but a slower pitstop than Dunlop cost him around six seconds. Dunlop began to slash the deficit and was only 0.269s behind at Glen Helen on the final lap, but the Northern Ireland rider lost some ground when he caught Honda Racing's Dean Harrison on the road and also struggled with rear tyre problems. Dunlop still recorded the fastest lap of the race at 135.416mph on the last lap, marginally quicker than Todd's 135.327mph effort. It wasn't enough, though, as Todd held on for his third career victory at the TT, with Harrison taking third, 43.5s further back on Dunlop. 'It's pretty special,' Todd said. 'I don't think there's many guys who can say they've done that. 'I can't take the credit, though, for being team owner. It's the rest of the team who had done the hard miles, and Pete [Peter Hickman] included. 'Pete's worked his butt off to make this happen and I'm gutted for him and I can't wait till he's healed up and back battling with me.' Hickman was ruled out of the TT after crashing in qualifying at Kerrowmoar on Friday evening. Runner-up Dunlop said: 'It was hard. I was really down on the first lap and then started to claw my way back again. 'Then on the last lap I felt good, but I caught Dean at the wrong place and just started dropping seconds. 'Then we blew a hole in the tyre, the tyre's destroyed, so we lost all grip, which is highly disappointing because I knew on the last lap we could have a bit of a second breath and have another go. 'But it's just the way it is. I'm not sure what we can do to cure the issue we've now got. 'We now need to get to change that balance again for Saturday, but the lack of track time hasn't helped.' Manxman Nathan Harrison finished fourth on the H&H Motorcycles Honda ahead of David Johnson (Platinum Club Kawasaki) and James Hillier (Muc-Off Honda), with 23-time winner John McGuinness (Honda Racing) in seventh. Josh Brookes (Jackson Racing Honda) was eighth, with team-mate Paul Jordan 10th behind Michael Evans. Conor Cummins retired on the Burrows/RK Racing BMW and Banbridge man Shaun Anderson crashed out at Joey's on the Mountain, escaping serious injury.
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Michael Dunlop extends his Isle of Man TT record to 30 wins: ‘I just got my s**t together and got on with it'
The Ballymoney man had won the last six Supersport TT races on Yamaha R6 machinery, but he acquired a World Supersport Panigale V2 machine for 2025 and delivered the Italian manufacturer's first win at the TT since 1995, when Robert Holden won the Singles race. Dunlop, who was a Supersport winner on the Milwaukee Ducati at last month's North West 200, found himself over seven seconds down after the first lap of the three-lap race. However, he gradually reeled in leader Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) and went close to breaking his lap record for the class, recording a blistering speed of 130.313mph on the final lap. In the end, Dunlop was a dominant winner, pulling a gap of 10.229s over Englishman Harrison to open his account at TT 2025. It was a confidence-boosting end to the day for Dunlop, who had earlier missed out on a Superbike win by only 1.296s to Davey Todd. 'I think more importantly it's another manufacturer,' said Dunlop of his 30th win around the Mountain Course, where he holds the record for the most victories with different manufacturers – now seven in total after adding Ducati to his past wins for BMW, Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Paton. 'Obviously, the Milwaukee guys really wanted to make an effort with the Ducati and they wanted to win around the TT, and they had all faith in me to have a go. 'The boys have built a lovely wee bike. It was just hard to get used to the bike because it's a V-twin, but obviously the main thing for me is to win for all the boys and especially for Ducati. It's nice to get them back to the top.' Dunlop was left stung by his narrow defeat in the Superbike opener and was determined to come out with all guns blazing in the first of two Supersport races scheduled this week. 'I got my s**t together and got on with it. I just knew it kept coming,' he said. 'It was a bit like the big bike, we haven't had a lot of laps, especially here with a brand new motorbike. 'And obviously to win on a new motorbike I knew it was going to be hard with the little laps we've had in practice and the characteristics of the bike, but just big hats off to the lads. 'The wee bike is dinging away nicely – it just took me a lap to dial into it.' Harrison was 7.48s clear of Dunlop after the first lap but he was unable to match his rival's pace and says there is nothing more to come from his CBR600RR Honda. 'That's all it's got,' he said. 'We can't improve what we have. This is all we have here with us. 'That [Ducati] is a new-generation bike, we're 6mph down through the speed trap. We're not going to find any more power through the week, so we'll just do the same again in race two.' The duo were well clear of James Hillier on the Bournemouth Kawasaki, who was back on the TT podium for the first time since 2019. Hillier was more than 55 seconds down on race winner Dunlop, while Todd (Milenco by Padgett's Honda) claimed fourth. Josh Brookes (Jackson Racing Honda by Prosper2) and Rob Hodson (SMT Racing Yamaha) rounded out the top six ahead of James Hind (North Lincs Components Suzuki) and Dominic Herbertson (HRRC Gilbert Brown & Son Ducati). Paul Jordan from Magherafelt retired on the Jackson Racing Honda. The top ten was completed by 16-time TT winner Ian Hutchinson (MLav Racing Yamaha) and Conor Cummins (Burrows/RK Racing Ducati). Racing is set to continue today with the first Superstock race (10:45am) and the opening Supertwin race (2pm).
