Michael Dunlop rides BMW M1000 RR at Oulton Park BSB test

29-time Isle of Man TT winner Michael Dunlop looks more certain than ever to race a BMW in the 1,000cc classes at the 2025 TT having ridden an M1000 RR at the Oulton Park BSB test.

Dunlop, who has ridden a Honda CBR1000RR-R in the Superbike and Superstock classes since 2023 (in which year he won the Superbike TT), has been rumoured to be looking to switch up his ‘big bike’ machinery for his 2025 road racing campaign.

BMW was the obvious choice for the Ballymoney rider, who also signed to race with Team LRP Poland in the Endurance World Championship this year.

The Bavarian marque has also been the choice of Peter Hickman in the 1,000cc classes since 2015, and Hickman was able to win 11 Superstock and Superbike races at the TT between 2018 and 2024.

In 2025, Davey Todd was added to BMW’s ranks, and he took a Superstock and Senior TT win.

Dunlop also raced aboard a BMW in 2014, 2016, and 2018-2021. He won six times with the German manufacturer's S1000 RR at the TT, the most recent being the 2018 Superbike TT.

Nothing is yet official from Dunlop, who also looks set to make the switch from the Yamaha R6 to the Ducati Panigale V2 in the Supersport class, but with the North West 200 only two weeks away, the test on the BMW would be an unlikely move if he wasn’t planning to race it.

His fastest time at th Oulton Park test at the time of writing is a 1:37.682 with two sessions remaining.

A move away from Honda would leave only Dean Harrison of the TT’s leading four riders from the 2024 edition on Honda machinery for this year’s event, Harrison racing for the Honda Racing UK squad for the second year in succession.