Michael Dunlop’s Unforgettable Isle of Man TT Superbike Race
In a stunning display of resolve, road racing champion Michael Dunlop was captured on footage pulling over to the side of the road during the Isle of Man TT Superbike race to repair his helmet’s visor, a crucial moment that would ultimately decide the fate of the competition.
During the Superbike TT race on Sunday, Dunlop was dominating the field, boasting a 20-second lead over Milwaukee BMW rider Davey Todd before the second pit stops at the end of lap four.
However, a visor issue arose during the pit stop, which saw Dunlop’s helmet fitted with an incorrectly attached visor. As a result, he lost valuable time trying to fix the issue without sacrificing his lead. Eventually, he had to pull over to address the problem, relinquishing his hard-earned advantage.
A captivating video emerged on social media, filmed trackside, showing Dunlop’s frustration as he worked to fix the issue. Despite his anger, he remained remarkably composed, removing his helmet and gloves, rectifying the visor, and re-equipping himself before rejoining the race.
Dunlop rejoined the race just ahead of Todd, who had initially started 20 seconds behind him on the road. However, Todd quickly overtook Dunlop on lap five as he sought to catch up with Peter Hickman and Dean Harrison, who had jumped both Todd and Dunlop in the pits. Todd’s own pit lane issues didn’t help his cause.
Undeterred, Dunlop used Todd’s tow on lap six to set the fastest ever Superbike lap of the TT course, clocking an incredible 135.970mph. Unfortunately, the visor issues had cost him too much time to secure a podium finish.
- Peter Hickman eventually emerged victorious, equalling Mike Hailwood’s 14 TT wins despite suffering visor misting issues that hindered his pace in the first four laps.
- Todd was faster but lost time in the pits, while Dean Harrison capitalized on Dunlop’s misfortune, using his tow on lap four to leapfrog from fourth to third and ultimately claiming his 28th podium.
The second Superbike-class race at the 2024 Isle of Man TT, the Senior TT, is scheduled for Saturday, June 8. Following a day off today (Monday, June 3), action resumes tomorrow (Tuesday, June 4) with the first Supertwin TT and first Superstock TT of 2024.
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