Visor Problem Costs Michael Dunlop Record-Breaking 27th Win at Isle of Man TT
Michael Dunlop ’s pursuit of a record-breaking 27th Isle of Man TT victory ended in dramatic fashion during Sunday’s RST Superbike race due to a visor issue. The Ballymoney rider was leading the six-lap race by 25 seconds at two-thirds distance when a problem with his visor forced him to slow down after the second pit stop, pulling over on his Hawk Racing Honda at the top of Bray Hill.
Peter Hickman seized the opportunity to secure his 14th TT win, equalling the tally of the legendary Mike Hailwood.
Dunlop lost over half-a-minute when he had to remove his helmet to fix his visor, which hadn’t clipped in properly. Despite his dejection, he managed to finish the race in fourth place.
Dunlop had earlier won the opening Supersport race on Saturday, matching his uncle Joey Dunlop’s record of 26 TT wins. However, the visor issue on Sunday dashed his hopes for a 27th victory. After the incident, the 35-year-old dropped to fourth place at Glen Helen on lap five, trailing new leader Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) by 30 seconds. With two laps remaining in the 226-mile race, Dunlop’s chances of winning were effectively over.
Despite the setback, Dunlop set a new lap record on his second lap with a speed of 135.543 mph and further improved it on his final lap to 135.970 mph.
Hickman, riding the Monster Energy by FHO Racing BMW, was trailing Dunlop by around 33 seconds at the end of the fourth lap but moved into contention following Dunlop’s visor problem.
Davey Todd initially led the race on the Milwaukee BMW until Ballaugh on lap two, when Dunlop took the lead. Dunlop began to pull away, but the visor issue halted his progress. With the race now wide open, Harrison took the lead on the fifth lap after Todd encountered issues during his second pit stop, dropping him to third.
By the end of the fifth lap, Hickman had taken the lead with a two-second advantage over Harrison, while Todd began to recover in third. Starting the final lap, Hickman extended his lead to four seconds at Glen Helen, with Todd overtaking Harrison to claim second place, finishing 5.8 seconds behind Hickman and 5.2 seconds ahead of Harrison. Dunlop finished fourth, 15.1 seconds further back, but with the consolation of a new lap record.
Yorkshireman Todd also recorded his first 135 mph lap on his final circuit at 135.664 mph, while Harrison joined the 135 mph club with a speed of 135.185 mph on his fourth lap.
The top eight was rounded out by James Hillier, John McGuinness, Jamie Coward, and Mike Browne.
