Fresh from his NW200 250cc win, Michael will race in the Superbike and Senior race
MICHAEL DUNLOP, son of the late Robert Dunlop who was killed in an accident
during testing for the North West 200 road racing event a fortnight ago, has
announced that he will race at this year’s TT event.
Dunlop, 20, will compete in the Superbike race this Saturday and the Senior
Race next Friday on the Phase One Yamaha R1. He will also compete in the
Supersport 600, 250cc and 125cc races at Billown. The offer of the ride at the TT itself came about from Phase One after
regular rider James McBride was injured in practice on Monday. 2007 saw Michael make his debut at the TT after winning a race at the 2006
Manx Grand Prix.
Speaking to the BBC, Michael – who took an emotional win in the 250 race at
the North West just two days after his dad died - explained his reasons for
racing at the TT, saying: "I just felt it was something I had to do. It was a
hard decision as I had to think about my mum and I don't think she really
wanted me to do it with the safety aspect in mind. It's a hard, tough circuit.
"We sat down and talked about it but, in the end, I made my own decision.
I'll see how it goes and if I don't like it, I can pack my bags and come home
again.
"When you go out onto that course you are very much on your own and it's up
to yourself but I was able to lap at over 120mph last year as a newcomer so I
hope to increase that to 124 or 125mph this time.
"Racing helps to take my mind off dad's death but normality returns the
moment I take my helmet off. We are just sitting in the house and I decided it
would be best to get on a motorbike. I hope it is the right thing to do.”
