Michael Dunlop has given enlightening insight into the risks and appeal of road racing in an exclusive new online video.
Produced in association with the 19-time TT-winner’s French leathers supplier, Furygan, the video ‘short’, complete with French subtitles (si vous parlez couramment), includes on-board and TT race footage, including that of some of the Ulsterman’s Isle of Man crashes, with an interview with the great man.
Dunlop begins by talking about the extreme speeds he experiences on his superbikes on the 37.7-mile Isle of Man Mountain roads circuit.
“Once you’re in first gear you’re up to 95-100mph,” he says matter-of-factly. “Then you go through 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th gears and you’re up to 200mph.
“It only takes the slightest second for it all to go wrong,” he continues, to footage of some of his previous crashes. “Life can bite you – which I’ve had the unfortunate side of seeing – your life is all based around your own decisions… the fear factor of it, the risk factor… I like the buzz behind it, about trying to find the limit without over-passing it, really…”
Finally the 30-year-old, who was the also the first man to lap the TT course in under 17 minutes, concludes by saying how the TT’s huge speeds don’t actually seem that fast to him.
“For me it’s not that fast but for somebody else it’s stupidity,” he says. “Everything slows down. I can see everything; I can pick it up because I have to. That’s the job.”
The 1min 30sec ‘short’ has been produced as part of the ‘Inside Out Story’ video series by Furygan and D3O. It’s out now on the Furygan Facebook page, or you can view right here...
