2024 Isle of Man TT
Michael Dunlop stood on the cusp of greatness coming into the 2024 TT, having secured his 25th win last year. He was just one victory away from matching his late uncle Joey Dunlop’s record. Dunlop ultimately achieved this feat in the first race of the week, going on to become the all-time number-one winner at the TT with 29 victories.
Dunlop accomplished this in a week of racing that was severely hampered by poor weather, causing significant disruptions to the schedule. Despite the challenges, all but one of the 10 races scheduled were completed.
Other highlights of the event included maiden wins for Davey Todd and Sidecar duo Ryan and Callum Crowe. Peter Hickman sliced off his own piece of history in what proved to be a tougher-than-expected TT for the event’s poster boy in recent years.
Five Key Storylines that Shaped the 2024 Isle of Man TT
- Michael Dunlop becomes the undisputed King of the Mountain
Michael Dunlop, Hawk Racing Honda
Photo by: PaceMaker Press
Joey Dunlop’s record of 26 TT wins has stood since he won the Ultra-Lightweight race back in 2008 aged 48, just a few weeks before he was killed in a crash at an event in Estonia.
Since then, it had stood unmatched. At one stage, it seemed like John McGuinness would be the one to dethrone Joey Dunlop before his victory tally stalled at 23. It also seemed like Michael Dunlop would never reach the same heights as his legendary uncle.
Now he is the greatest of all time having surpassed Joey’s record of 26 to keep it in the family, with the benchmark now at 29 wins.
- Hickman matches a grand prix legend as he notches a half-century of starts
Peter Hickman
Photo by: iomtt.com
Peter Hickman has been the rider to beat at the TT on the big Superbike and Superstock bikes since 2018. But TT 2024 didn’t quite read to the same hymn sheet for the outright lap record holder.
- Todd finally breaks his duck and joins ‘the big four’
Davey Todd
Photo by: PaceMaker Press
Davey Todd has been knocking at the door of TT victory success for the last few years, but couldn’t quite get there in 2023 with the Padgetts Honda squad.
- Sidecar class gets a shake-up
Ryan Crowe, Callum Crowe
Photo by: iomtt.com
The Sidecar class was blown open at the start of the year when Tom Birchall – a 14-time TT winner alongside his brother Ben – announced he would be retiring.
- Organisers do well to battle against the conditions
Rain delay
Photo by: PaceMaker Press
Last year’s Isle of Man TT was blessed with such good weather that anything other than a repeat in 2024 could be classed as a disappointment.
Tuesday’s practice was lost to poor weather, while the race week schedule was severely hampered by rain.
No racing took place on Tuesday, while only one did on Wednesday. Rain meant no racing could happen on Friday, forcing a three-race Saturday timetable and the outright cancellation of the Superstock 2 contest.
All in all, though, of the 10 races scheduled only one wasn’t run. Given the logistical headaches organisers face in running the TT, the fact almost all of the scheduled races were staged deserves immense credit.
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