Michael Dunlop Declares National Road Racing “Finished” While Major Events Endure

Road racing icon Michael Dunlop has stated his belief that national road racing is “finished,” even as he anticipates that premier events like the NW200 and Isle of Man TT will “thrive regardless.” The Ballymoney native, who surpassed his uncle Joey Dunlop’s record for wins at the Isle of Man TT this year, observes an increasing presence of competitors from series such as the British Superbike Championship (BSB) in the sport’s most significant road race meetings. Dunlop articulated his perspective, stating, “People will not like it but national road racing is finishing. It’s finished, we can see that,” adding, “The TT will thrive regardless, the North West will thrive regardless. That might be controversial.” He reflected on the past, noting, “National road racing used to be the platform to go international road racing.” He then questioned the current landscape: “Realistically, who is now winning international road races who is a national road racer? We’re racing against BSB people now. That’s who is at the front of the North West now, that’s who wants to be riding at the front of the TT.” Over the weekend, Dunlop’s achievement at this summer’s TT was honored in his hometown, an occasion the 35-year-old described as a “privilege.” He commented, “That’s what we do this game for, to see that reaction.” Dunlop also drew a comparison regarding recognition: “We don’t do it for recognition, but a lot of people doing other sports, if they’re successful, there’s knighthoods, MBEs, OBEs, whatever it may be, but we just get sort of brushed under the carpet.” He expressed appreciation for the local support, saying, “The town doing this is great. It shows some people are still thinking of us.” His record-breaking performance on the Isle of Man has undeniably elevated his standing within the global road racing community. Dunlop shared examples of this expanded recognition: “You’re getting recognition from different parts of the world, Australia, New Zealand.” He described a unique aspect of this fame: “You’re getting pictures sent to you from bars, and even if you walked into the bar, the people would never know who you are, but there’s a picture on the wall of you on a bike.” He found this particularly meaningful, noting, “It’s cool because when I went to some of those different places, there’s pictures of Joey on the bar and now you’re seeing this.” Michael Dunlop, who now holds 29 victories at the Isle of Man TT, confessed that he sometimes finds the public profile accompanying his success unsettling. “People don’t understand people like me. We don’t do it for fame, I don’t classify myself as famous,” he explained. He elaborated on his desire for normalcy: “We’re not used to what’s going on, some people think that’s ignorance. I ride a motorbike, that’s where I do my thing, and afterwards I just want to go back to being normal.” He contrasted his aspirations with others: “People spend their whole lives on social media trying to be famous. I just want to be successful.” He concluded, “People want to be a popstar or a TV presenter or whatever it is. I just want to be a motorbike racer because that’s what we’re reared in.” Acknowledging that Joey Dunlop’s previous Isle of Man record had stood since 2000, his nephew expressed certainty that his own new benchmark will eventually be surpassed. However, he intends to make this more challenging for future contenders by increasing his win tally in the coming years. Reflecting on his recent performance, he stated, “This year I was faster than I’ve ever been.” He also shared an anecdote about his physical condition: “It’s quite funny. With the injury, I thought the TT was going to be a massive struggle [this year].” He concluded optimistically about his future prospects: “To know I went in in that shape, to go back again fit, I think we’re all right.”