Isle of Man TT hero Michael Dunlop ‘doesn’t give a s**t if you don’t like me’

The 29-time Isle of Man TT winner Michael Dunlop says that he’s “been through so much” in his life that “I don’t really give a s**t if you don’t like me”.

Dunlop was speaking at the Irish Motorbike Awards last week, where he was named as Irish Motorcyclist of the Year.

That accolade comes after a banner year for Dunlop, in which he matched and surpassed his late uncle Joey’s long-standing record of 26 TT victories.

Dunlop exceeded the 24-year-old record by bringing the new benchmark up to 29 victories, though was denied breaching the 30-win mark by a mechanical issue in the Senior TT and a visor problem in the Superbike TT.

The historic achievement for Dunlop was made all the more poignant by the tragedies that have befallen his family over the years.

Joey Dunlop was killed in a crash during a race in Estonia just weeks after winning his 26th TT, while Robert Dunlop - Joey’s brother and Michael’s father - died at the 2008 North West 200.

Then in 2018, Michael’s older brother William Dunlop suffered a fatal accident at the Skerries road race.

“Due to my family history, I’m not the most approachable person,” Dunlop said.

“I’ve been through it all and I’m a bit like Marmite: you either like me or you don’t.

“I’ve been through so much that I don’t really give a shit if you don’t like me.

“And I know that doesn’t suit everybody, but the people that know me know that I’m as straight as a die.

“I’m a unique character. I’m hard work, there’s no doubt about it. But if you don’t like me, I’m not that bothered.

“I’m a rare character, but at the end of the day my family name is my biggest goal.”

Dunlop added: “There’s a lot of crooks in this job and whether they love me or hate me, this year people have been really respectful.

“I’d like to thank everybody who’s clapped their hands because we’ve achieved something that’s stood for 24 years.

“My uncle Joey was a massive part of road racing and obviously to break that has taken me to the next level.”

Dunlop’s plans for the 2025 season are not known at this stage, though he offered some clues as to what direction he might go in earlier this week.

At the Jerez World Superbike test, Dunlop was spotted testing an Ducati Panigale V2, which he could well end up racing in the Supersport class at the TT.

Intriguingly, Dunlop’s transponder was registered to Milwaukee Ducati - suggesting a possible tie-up with TAS Racing, whose title sponsor is the powertool brand.