Michael Dunlop breaks all-time TT win record

After a heartbreaking pitstop issue robbed Dunlop of his 27th win in Sunday’s Superbike TT, the 35-year-old was made to wait for an opportunity to go clear at the top of the all-time winners’ table, having equalled his legendary uncle Joey Dunlop in Saturday’s Supersport opener. 

Rain battered the Isle of Man on Tuesday morning, and while there was an attempt to run the Supertwin race that evening, riders reported the circuit was not in the right condition for racing and organisers took the decision to shift the race schedule back 24 hours, utilising Thursday’s contingency option.

Dubbed by many as the most unpredictable race of the week, with at least five or six riders in the conversation for podium results, Dunlop had other ideas. By the end of the first of three laps, he had wrestled his MD Racing Paton S1-R into a 10-second lead over closest rival Peter Hickman, chasing his own second win, having equalled Mike Hailwood’s 14 wins after the Superbike TT.

Despite a brief mid-race charge from Hickman, Dunlop turned up the wick on the final lap, narrowly missing out a Supertwin lap record on his way to a 20-second victory and a record breaking 27th TT win.

“We should have been 28 [wins] and after sheer disappointment from the other night I wanted to make up for it,” said Dunlop to TV cameras after the race. “I’ll never be modelled against Joey and I don’t expect or want to be. Everybody’s inspired to be like Joey at the Isle of Man, and just to have another win is the tip of the top. It was a personal thing I wanted to break. I’ve broken a lot of records in my lifetime but that’s the one I wanted.”

With 27 wins now under his belt, Dunlop could extend his gap at the top of the all-time list further still with five more races running this week. We’ll bring full results from the 2024 Isle of Man TT Races following race week’s conclusion.

Image 2 courtesy of Getty Images.