Michael Dunlop: “With our name it hasn’t been an easy lifestyle”

Michael Dunlop has opened up about the pressure of racing with his legendary family name.

The Dunlops are a road racing dynasty and Michael’s father and uncle were icons in their own right.

This year at the Isle of Man TT Michael emotionally broke his uncle Joey’s record of victories that had stood for 24 years.

“We’re from a small town but a big family within road racing,” Michael Dunlop told Newsletter.

“We’re trying to keep it at the top, and that’s what it’s been all about.”

He said about the all-time record of TT wins that his uncle Joey held: “It’s more of a personal thing to try and keep it in the family more than anything but to get past that is a privilege.

“We’re not any better than Joey, we’ve never perceived that, and with our name it hasn’t been an easy lifestyle.

“So for me to keep the name at the top is what keeps pushing me to keep going racing.

“It’s been something that everybody strives to have and this year, winning the first Supersport race to equal Joey’s record was a massive thing.”

Michael equalled Joey’s record of 26 TT wins before surpassing it, and ending the annual event with a total of 29 to make himself the most successful rider in its history.

A bizarre problem with his helmet briefly prevented him claiming the record but he wouldn’t be denied.

“I genuinely honestly thought I had the Superbike race too, I was leading it and then my visor malfunctioned, so I just thought it was never going to be broken,” Michael said.

“But we came back and the boys worked hard to get us on the grid and pushed again, and to break it was more to keep the Dunlop name going.”

The Dunlop family has 60 wins in total at the Isle of Man TT.

Michael’s tally is 29, his uncle Joey won 26 and his father Robert won five.

Joey and Robert Dunlop died after road racing accidents but their legacy lives on.

Michael Dunlop is expected back on the Mountain Course in 2025 where he can further extend his total of victories.