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The Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Who is Michael Dunlop and how many races has he won at the Isle of Man TT?
THE Dunlop name has long been synonymous with the Isle of Man TT. Joey Dunlop is the most famous Isle of Man TT rider of them all - with the overall winner of the event handed the Joey Dunlop Cup each year. 3 3 The Northern Irishman also has a statue built on the island. Joey held the record for almost 25 years after his untimely death following a crash in 2000. Now his record has been overtaken - with Michael Dunlop the man to take it. Who is Michael Dunlop? Michael Dunlop is a motorcycle rider most famous for his exploits in the Isle of Man TT. He comes from that famous racing family as the son of Robert Dunlop, brother of William. Dunlop is also the nephew of Joey. Michael made his Isle of Man TT debut in 2007, finishing 25th aged just 18. Since then he has had one of the most spectacular careers in the sport. His first win came in the Supersport TT in 2009, while he has won four races in a single event three times - in 2013, 2014, and 2023. Since 2010, the only year he didn't win a race was in 2015, when did not finish in four races and finished second in one other. With FOUR wins in 2024 he passed uncle Joey as the most successful rider in the history of the Isle of Man TT - as well as taking home a bit of prize money for his wins. Dunlop has been back at it in 2025, winning the Supersport TT Race 1 on day one of the event. Who has won the most races at the Isle of Man TT? Until this year, Joey Dunlop had held the record since 2000. Joey won three races that year, aged 48, just weeks before his death in Estonia in another race. John McGuinness had come closest to threatening Dunlop's record, winning 23 races between 1999 and 2015. But it was Michael who finally managed to overtake the great man. His win in the Supertwins TT made it win No 27 and his eighth in just 17 races since 2022. He went on to win two more races in 2024 - making it four wins for a second consecutive year - to take his overall tally to 29. Most Isle of Man TT wins Michael Dunlop - 30 Joey Dunlop - 26 John McGuinness - 23 Dave Molyneux - 17 Ian Hutchinson - 16 Mike Hailwood, Ben Birchall, Tom Birchall, Peter Hickman - 14 Bruce Anstey - 12 Steve Hislop, Phillip McCallen - 11 Giacomo Agostini, Robert Fisher, Stanley Woods - 10 Mick Boddice, David Jeffries, Ian Lougher, Siegfried Schauzu - 9 3 What did Michael Dunlop say about breaking the record? Michael Dunlop said that "everyone's inspiration was to be a Joey Dunlop around the Isle of Man". He said: "I'm no better than Joey, never was. "Joey's record stood for 24 years and it's an honour. Joey was a special talent. "My record will be beaten one day but I don't care." He also said he had to overcome some issues on the day to win. "We had an issue in first practice and were struggling a wee bit but the boys worked hard on it and the bike was mint. "We had to push on as I knew we would."
The Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Isle of Man TT 2025: Schedule, results, race times, live stream & TV channel as iconic race RETURNS
THE Isle of Man TT is back THIS WEEK as some of Britain's top riders race around country lanes at 130mph! Dubbed by many as the 'world's most dangerous race', the iconic course has claimed the lives of 270 people since its first edition in 1907. 2 Last year, Northern Irish legend Michael Dunlop broke the record for most wins on the course and is back for more this time around. Dunlop broke uncle Joey's record of 26 last year with FOUR wins out of seven to take his overall tally to an incredible 29. There has already been huge drama in the qualifying section with Peter Hickman involved in a major crash. Hickman is one of the most recognisable faces in the Isle of Man TT and has won 14 races in the last five events. The BMW rider has since been released from hospital but will not participate in this year's racing. Here's everything you need to know for the week ahead. What is the Isle of Man TT? The annual event sees professional and semi-professional riders race around the Isle of Man in a time-trial. The 'TT' in the name stands for Tourist Trophy, rather than time trial. Anyone from any country can apply to race as long as they have a valid National Entrants or FIM Sponsors Licence for Road Racing, plus a driver's licence. Last week was the qualifying section and this week is the racing. There are six main events - the Senior TT, Supersport TT, Superbike TT, Superstock TT, Supertwin TT and Sidecar TT - with all roads on the island closed between 9am and 5pm. The Senior TT is the main attraction and has almost run continuously since 1911. It was not held due to World War I (1915-19) and World War II (1940-46), then because of foot and mouth disease in 2001, bad weather in 2012 and Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021. Davey Todd won the race last year. Isle of Man TT 2025 schedule and results Race Day 1 - Monday, June 2 9am: Mountain Road closed 10am: All roads closed 12pm: Superbike TT Race 2pm: Sidecar TT Race 1 3.15pm: Supersport TT Race 1 5pm: Roads re-open Race Day 2 - Tuesday, June 3 9am: Mountain Road closed 10am: All roads closed 10.45pm: Superstock TT Race 1 12.30pm: Sidecar shakedown 2pm: Supertwin TT Race 1 4pm: Solo practice 5pm: Roads re-open Race Day 3 - Wednesday, June 4 9am: Mountain Road closed 10am: All roads closed 10.45pm: Supersport TT Race 2 2pm: Sidecar TT Race 2 4pm: Solo practice 5pm: Roads re-open Rest Day - Thursday, June 5 TBC - Contingency Race Day 4 - Friday, June 6 9am: Mountain Road closed 10am: All roads closed 10.45pm: Superstock TT Race 2 2pm: Supertwin TT Race 2 4pm: Senior TT practice 9.30pm: Roads re-open Race Day 5 - Saturday, June 7 9am: Mountain Road closed 10am: All roads closed 10.45pm: Senior TT Race 9.30pm: Roads re-open What TV channel is the Isle of Man TT on and is there a live stream? The 2025 Isle of Man TT will not be broadcast live on any TV. Instead, race fans will need to purchase TT+ which costs £23.99 for full coverage of every race, plus behind-the-scenes access and in-depth analysis. TT+ can be live streamed via the website on any compatible device. Alternatively, ITV4 has nightly highlights every day at 9pm. What is the prize money for the Isle of Man TT? The total prize money for the 2025 Isle of Man TT sits at £353,115, which is a large increase from last year. The prize pots are as follows: Senior TT - £88,725 Superbike TT - £65,100 Supersport TT per race (2) - £29,820 Sidecar TT per race (2) - £24,675 Superstock TT per race (2) - £24,675 Supertwin TT per race (2) - £20,475 Who has won the most Isle of Man TT races? Michael Dunlop is the most successful rider at the Isle of Man TT. He won four races in 2024 to take his overall tally to 29. The Northern Irishman had been trailing his legendary uncle, Joey, heading into last year's event - Joey had won 26. Michael's four wins in 2024 added to his four wins in 2023.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Telegraph
‘We're not just nutters on a death wish': The riders taking on the Isle of Man TT
Isle of Man TT lap record holder Peter Hickman always puts his left leg into his racing leathers first, followed by his right leg. Then he slides on his left boot followed by the right. John McGuinness MBE, 23 times a TT winner, makes a point of mowing his lawn prior to the event and puts a penny in his leathers before every race. 'We're not just nutters on a death wish,' says McGuinness. 'There's a lot of development that has come out of the Isle of Man TT that goes into road bikes, tyres and technology and fuels.' But that is not to say riders aren't aware that the TT is dangerous. Even non-superstitious riders, ordinarily rational men in other areas of their lives, have rituals before a TT race. And especially for accomplished riders such as McGuinness and Hickman, there is a stark awareness that the 37 and three quarter-mile TT course can bite back. This is, after all, a race that takes place on normal public roads, with the necessary accompanying bus shelters, kerb stones, gable ends, telephone boxes, stone walls, primary schools, mature trees, crowded pubs and pre-war semis. Then there is the Manx weather – a micro-climate that can bring, simultaneously, blazing sunshine to one section of the course and torrential rain to another. And that's without the livestock and wildlife getting involved. Cows, horses, sheep, poultry and gulls have all been known to grace the course during races. And it gets stranger: in 2022 a stray football rolled down the ultra-fast St Ninian's section as McGuinness (aka the Morecambe Missile) howled towards the daunting descent of Bray Hill; in 2019 a practice session was delayed because a man at a bend called the Black Dub was wielding an axe at the marshals; and in the mid-1990s, during a race, a truck was backed onto the circuit from a driveway. The driver happened to be the island's Minister of Transport at the time. All part of the appeal And this – yes, even the axeman – is all part of the TT's charm; and it's been this way since the inaugural race in 1907, when Charlie Collier won the single-cylinder class on a Matchless in a time of 4.08.08 hours, at an average lap speed of 38.21mph. Hickman's lap record of 136.358mph is staggering considering a lap involves a number of 20mph hairpins, stretches of road 2,000 feet above sea level and speeds on the longer straights of more than 200mph, as well as around 167 gearchanges. Setting up a machine for the TT is complicated. The Honda team has been preparing Dean Harrison's TT bikes since the start of the year, with two dedicated mechanics on the job. 'You've got to make compromises on the set-up,' says Harrison, from Bradford. 'You can't stop it bottoming out at the bottom of Bray Hill [a dramatic dip after a 190mph plunge] because the suspension would then be too hard everywhere else.' Leading contenders And the pressure is on to go faster still, certainly for the top contenders at this year's TT. All eyes are on 14-times TT winner Hickman and fellow factory BMW rider Davey Todd (who won his first TT last year), three-times TT winner Dean Harrison (factory Honda) and Ulsterman Michael Dunlop (BMW), the most successful TT racer of all time with 29 wins and current torch-bearer of the Dunlop road racing dynasty. There is fresh talent, too. Kiwi newcomer Mitch Rees is tipped to do well and, backed by the Padgett's Milenco team, has the technical know-how behind him to make the grade, Padgett's having put riders on the TT rostrum for six decades. The pressure is uncomfortably intense for Hickman, not least from his team-mate Todd, from North Yorkshire. Hickman, from Lincolnshire, won the Superbike race last year but the Senior – the prestige event of the week – went to Todd after Hickman crashed at the Ginger Hall pub, which was packed with boozing spectators. Risk factors 'Everyone thinks I pushed too hard but I had actually eased off after gaining six seconds on Davey in one sector, which was a massive chunk and I took a lot of risk,' says Hickman. 'There's only so much risk you'll ever get away with so I rolled off a bit earlier into Ginger Hall; I didn't load the front tyre to give it the grip it needed and I slid away.' Hickman walked away from the crash with no more than dusty leathers. Of his team-mate, Todd, being his chief rival, Hickman says: 'Of course I want to beat Davey but at the end of the day if he wins it's still good for the team, so it's all good.' Todd and Hickman are very different riders. Todd is frantic; Hickman is relaxed and smooth. Indeed, Hickman's heart rate at the end of the first Superbike practice session at this year's TT was 90 beats per minute (bpm) – a pulse rate on a par with, or even slightly below, that of anyone else washing the car or running a bath. Even an experienced campaigner like McGuinness is hesitant to place a bet on this year's winner. 'They're all strong, with very different riding styles,' he says. 'I've been watching the onboard videos of Davey [Todd] and Dean [Harrison] and they are impressive. I'm now learning off them and it's interesting to see the different riding styles. There are some corners Dean takes at least a gear higher than I would; Michael is smooth, like a typical road racer, and Todd rides like a short circuit racer.' McGuinness means Todd's riding style is uncommonly aggressive for the bumpy, off-camber public-roads TT course. 200mph – and more 'The racing is changing all the time. Even in my TT career, since the 1990s, speeds through Sulby Straight – where the speed trap is – have increased from 180mph to 185mph, now the top boys are going through there at 200mph. People say 'The bikes are too fast' but they said that when Bob McIntyre broke the 100mph [average speed] record in 1957 on his Gilera.' In fact, the first complaint that the bikes at the TT were too fast for the circuit were made in the press in 1911. Speeds at the TT are still rising but nothing like at the rate of the dramatic increases that took place in the 1920s and 1930s, partly due to improved road surfaces. In 1920 the lap record was 55.62mph (Tommy de la Hay, riding a Sunbeam); by 1938 this had soared to 91mph, set by Harold Daniell on his factory Norton. And Daniell, famously, in bottle-end glasses, was rejected for military service in the Second World War because his eyesight was so poor. Top riders still learning As for the course itself, McGuinness says: 'You can never fully 'know' this place; I'm still learning. We make hundreds of thousands of decisions on each lap in order to line up each corner. The variety of conditions across the course is insane and then there's the strobing – where the sun comes through the trees and blinds you for a split second. 'There is nothing like this place. Nothing can prepare you for staring down Glencrutchery Road [the A2, a main road through Douglas that is also the start/finish straight, brushing the walls of the island's main cemetery] when you're waiting to set off. Nothing compares to the start of the TT and the sense of apprehension. When I watch the newcomers on the grid I can see the fear in their eyes.' Riders at the TT set off one at a time at 10-second intervals, a necessary feature of a race on narrow roads. It is therefore not so much a race between competitors together on the road but against the clock. When a rider reaches the starting grid the chief start line marshal places his hand on the rider's shoulder and releases it when it's time to go. McGuinness says: 'When they get hold of you that's the worst, but as soon as his hand is lifted the pressure is off. That's why I love it when people talk nonsense in my ear on the grid to distract me up until that point.' Absolute concentration is critical during a TT race: a split-second lapse can result in a fatal crash. Harrison thinks of 'nothing else', other than what is in front of him, as does Hickman. But McGuinness, perhaps due to his long experience, sometimes allows his mind to wander. 'When you get to Kirk Michael village there's normally someone having a barbecue so you can smell sausages and burgers and you think, bloody hell, I wish I was having that.'
