Michael Dunlop (born 10 April 1989) is a Northern Irish professional motorcycle road racer and the record holder for the number of wins and podiums at the prestigious Isle of Man TT, having amassed a total of 33 victories and having stood on the podium 51 times. These results make him the undisputed greatest of all time for this event. In 2025, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to motorcycle racing.[1]
Forming part of a motorcycle road racing dynasty, Michael is the brother of the late William Dunlop, son of the late Robert Dunlop and nephew of the late Joey Dunlop, whose all time record of 26 TT wins he surpassed in 2024.[2]
Dunlop is a former individual lap record holder for the Isle of Man TT Snaefell Mountain Course set during the 2016 Senior TT in a time of 16 minutes 53.929 seconds at an average speed of 133.962mph (215.591km/h).[3] This result made him the first rider in the history of the Isle of Man TT to achieve a lap of the course in under 17 minutes.[3]
Nicknamed"The Raging Bull,"[4] Dunlop is widely considered as one of the most combative competitors in motorcycle racing[5] having been described in 2015 as possessing of: "an aggressive style which was spectacular to watch."[6] This pugnacious attitude has led to numerous confrontations with race teams,[7] rival competitors[8] and on occasion, his late brother.[9] In addition he has often refused to acknowledge the names of his fellow competitors.[10]
Early racing
Dunlop on the Formula 1 Suzuki machine for the Classic TT race at 2013 Manx Grand Prix
Dunlop made his TT debut in 2007, where his best finish was 25th in the Superbike TT. He made the decision to ride in the 2008 races at the last minute after the death of his father at the North West 200 earlier in the year. He finished 10th in the Senior TT with a fastest lap of 124.773mph, making him the fastest Dunlop around the TT Course. Dunlop joined his father and uncle Joey in the record books in 2009 when he won the Supersport TT race on a 600cc Yamaha.[11]
Dunlop has also won at the North West 200, recording his only victory to date at the 250 cc race in 2008. His father was killed during practice for this event.
Dunlop took part in the Classic Superbike race at the Manx GP on Friday 31 August.[12] He took the win in the Classic Superbike race at the Manx Grand Prix 2012. This was his sixth title on the Mountain Course and his third Manx Grand Prix race win following his debut, and victory, in the 2006 Newcomers MGP race.[13] During the two-week 2012 Manx GP Dunlop worked in the pits for a team in the 600 Junior Race.
Michael Dunlop finished atop the Duke Road Racing Rankings in 2013 to become Champion that season and receive the Geoff Duke Trophy, he achieved this two years earlier than his older brother William who did so in 2015.
2015
At the start of the 2015 Road Racing season, Dunlop had a poor start with race team Milwaukee Yamaha, and during the practice week of the 2015 Isle of Man TT, he dramatically left Yamaha to rejoin his previous team, BuildBase BMW, in order to give him the best chance of a good result.
2016
In February 2016, it was announced that Dunlop would again ride BMW in the Superbike class at International road races during the 2016 racing season, provided by Hawk Racing.[14] The announcement was made at the MCN Motorshow at the Excel, confirming that Dunlop will be riding the 2016 BMW S1000RR.
Dunlop opened his account at the 2016 Isle of Man TT Races in the Superbike race, which he led from start to finish. Astride a BMW S1000RR, Dunlop bettered the existing absolute course speed record attained during one-lap, also setting a new average speed for the six lap race of 130.306mph in a race-record time of 1 hour, 44 minutes, 14.259 seconds for the 226 miles of racing.[15] In addition Dunlop also won the esteemed John Williams Trophy.
Dunlop's second race of the week was the Supersport Junior 600 TT, race 1. The opening lap saw him dicing at the head of the field with Ian Hutchinson. By the end of the four-lap race, Dunlop finished in second place behind Hutchinson. Following routine post-race inspection of the machines, Dunlop's bike was deemed to have infringed race regulations with non-standard parts,[16] and he was subsequently disqualified. Dunlop returned to the start line for the second race of 6 June, the Superstock TT on a 1000cc BMW. However, handling difficulties contributed to him retiring from the race at the end of the opening lap.
In the second of the two Supersport Junior races, Dunlop finished second to Hutchinson. For the last race of Dunlop's schedule on Friday 10 June, he led the six-lap Senior TT from lap one, extending his lead over runner-up Ian Hutchinson, winning with a 31-second margin, raising his own absolute lap record speed previously set on Saturday, 4 June by a small amount, and setting a new race record time.[17]
The qualifying week for the 2017 Isle of Man TT was plagued by poor weather. Following a sporadic week of qualifying the first race day was given over to additional qualifying and practice, which meant the curtain raiser to the meeting, the Superbike TT, was postponed for 24 hours.
Racing got underway on Sunday, 4 June. Dunlop formed up on the grid at the TT Grandstand on board the Bennett's Suzuki in what were ideal conditions. Setting the early pace, Dunlop crossed the line at the head of the field at the end of lap 1, posting a time of 17 minutes 15.79 seconds from a standing start, clocking an average speed of 131.135mph (211.041km/h).[22] Going into the second lap with a slender 1.8 second lead over Dean Harrison, Dunlop continued to head the field until he was forced to retire at Handley's Corner.[23]
In the opening Supersport race, Dunlop took his place on the grid astride his familiar MD RacingYamaha. Dicing for the lead with James Hillier at the end of the opening lap, Dunlop came into the pit stop at the end of lap 2 with a 2.75 second lead. Taking another second from Hillier at the end of lap 3, Dunlop continued to edge ahead on the final lap, coming home with a winning margin of 12.5 seconds.[24]
2018
At the end of March, 2018, it was announced in a press release by TAS Racing that Dunlop had been signed by the team to campaign factory BMWs in the premier racing categories of the 2018 racing season.
After some pre-season testing with the Tyco BMW squad,[25] Dunlop made his way to the curtain raiser to the Irish Road Racing season, the Cookstown 100.[26] Qualifying third fastest in the Superbike category[27] Dunlop opened his 2018 campaign by taking victory aboard his MD Racing Honda in the Supersport Invitation race.[28]
Dunlop's first competitive outing on the S-1000RR saw him competing in the Open A race. Starting in the lead group he crossed the line at the head of the field only to be awarded second place behind Derek Shiels, losing by 5 seconds on corrected time.[26]
A series of crashes plagued the event, resulting in the cancellation of the remainder of the race programme including the highlight of the meeting, the Cookstown 100 Superbike race.[28][29]
Dunlop won the opening Superbike TT race at the 2018 Isle of Man TT with a race time of 01:44:13.398 and an average lap speed of 130.324mph (209.736km/h).
Dunlop followed up his Superbike TT win with a win in the Supersport category.
2019
In 2019, Dunlop competed at the Isle of Man TT, where he secured his 19th career win in the Supertwin TT aboard a Paton, narrowly beating Jamie Coward by just over a second.[30] He also contested the Superbike, Senior, Superstock, and both Supersport races, finishing within the top six in each, including fourth in both the Senior and Superstock events. In July, Dunlop suffered a broken pelvis, wrist, and ribs in a crash at the Southern 100 but returned to racing just 18 days later at the Armoy Road Races, where he won two events, bringing his total at Armoy to 19.[31]
2021
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, major road racing events such as the Isle of Man TT and North West 200 were cancelled in 2021. Despite this, Dunlop had a successful season, dominating the Armoy Road Races by winning all five races he entered, including the prestigious Race of Legends, marking his ninth victory in that event and his 22nd overall at Armoy.[32] During the event, he also set a new lap record in the Open Superbike race aboard a BMW S1000RR.[33] Internationally, Dunlop made his debut at the Daytona 200 in the United States, finishing 11th on a Kawasaki ZX6.[34] He also participated as a wildcard entry in the British Superbike Championship with Buildbase Suzuki.[35]
2022
After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dunlop returned to the Isle of Man TT in 2022, winning the opening Supersport race, where he set a new lap record of 129.475 mph while narrowly defeating Dean Harrison,[36] and later claiming victory in the second Supersport race, bringing his career total to 21 TT wins.[37]
2023
At the 2023 Isle of Man TT, Dunlop won four races: the Superbike, both Supersport races, and the Supertwin race, bringing his total Isle of Man TT victories to 25.[38][39]
He also won five races at the Armoy Road Races, including both Supersport races, the Supertwin race, the Open Superbike race, and the 'Race of Legends' Superbike finale, marking his tenth win in the latter.[40]
Additionally, Dunlop secured a victory in the Supertwins race at the Cookstown 100, marking a strong return after a five-year break.[41]
Isle of Man TT 2024 & 2025
Dunlop’s 2024 TT campaign began with a historic milestone: his 26th TT victory during the first Supersport race on June 1. This victory tied him with his late uncle Joey Dunlop's long-standing record of 26 TT wins. It also marked Dunlop's fifth consecutive Supersport victory and his 40th career podium at the TT.[42]
The Superbike race seemed poised to add another win to Dunlop’s record, as he held a commanding 25-second lead before a helmet visor issue after his pit stop forced him to stop and fix it. Despite losing around 50 seconds, he still managed a fourth-place finish.[43] Dunlop later secured his 27th victory in the opening Supertwin race.[44]
He continued his dominance by winning the second Supersport race, marking his 28th TT win.[45] His 29th victory followed in the second Supertwin race, during which he also set a new Superbike lap record at 135.970 mph. Dunlop’s 2024 performance marked his fourth career “four-timer” at the TT, joining an elite group of riders who have achieved four wins in a single event.[46]
In 2025, Dunlop secured four victories at the 2025 Isle of Man TT, bringing his career total to 33 wins and extending his record as the most successful rider in the event's history. His wins that year included both Supersport TT races and two Supertwin TT races.[47] Dunlop’s second Supertwin victory set a new lap record for the class at 123.056 mph,[48] surpassing his own previous record from 2018. His first Supersport win also marked Ducati’s first TT victory since 1995.[49]
North West 200
Dunlop made his North West 200 debut in 2007. Although he did not secure a victory that year, his first win came in 2008 when he won the 250cc race just days after the tragic death of his father, Robert Dunlop, during practice for the event.[50] This victory marked the beginning of Dunlop's successful career at the NW200. Over the years, he has achieved multiple victories across various classes, including a Superstock win in 2014 and a first Superbike race victory in 2016, where he set a new lap record of 123.207 mph.[51][52]
After a period without wins at the event, Dunlop returned to form in 2025, securing three victories: the Fraser Homes Supersport race on a Milwaukee V2 Ducati, the Amici Ristorante Superstock race on his MD Racing BMW, and the Superbike race with the MD Hawk Racing BMW. His Superbike victory was initially contested due to an incident at Mather's chicane, but the penalty was later rescinded, confirming his win. These victories brought his total number of wins at the NW200 to eight.[53]
↑ Senior TT explodes into Dunlop, Hutchy war of wordsBike Sport News, 10 June 2016. "Dunlop himself had been ruled out of the first Supersport race result after his engine was found to be using illegal coated cam buckets installed in the motor two years ago when they were inside the regulations". Retrieved 12 June 2016
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