To race the Isle of Man TT, you need to be nuts. Period. To survive racing the Isle of Man TT, you need real talent and a healthy dose of luck. So for someone to dominate, and be considered The Master of the Isle of Man TT, is a really big deal. Michael Dunlop has a career at the famed TT that is second to none and that’s why the folks at Goodwood are featuring and celebrating him in the video below.
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Earlier this year, Michael Dunlop became history’s most successful Isle of Man TT racer. With four wins throughout TT week, his total number of victories climbed to 29. He claimed the King of the Mountain crown from his late uncle Joey, whose record of 26 wins had stood for 24 years. For a long time, most believed it would never be beaten.
There’s a huge mystique that surrounds the Isle of Man TT. The inherent danger of road racing is heightened by the island’s storied past, making it the most famous road race in the world. It’s an event that many know of but few fully understand. What is universally understood, though, is that a win there demands a mix of skill, bravery and luck. To do so 29 times requires all those elements – and more – in spades.
At the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, we celebrated Dunlop’s heady achievement of becoming the TT’s most successful rider with a Balcony moment on Saturday. He spoke of the special way the Isle of Man is regarded. “People think it’s mad, but when you’re brought up and raised in it, it’s the Olympics of the sport. I’ve won all over the world and nobody cares but when you win at the TT it’s something different.”
Take a few minutes to relive the special Dunlop balcony moment again.
Not easily approached like his uncle Joey who I even had to get his brother Robert tor get my son his autograph but to achieve the best is never easily achieved I was lucky enough to have a short chat to Michael at the NEC Birmingham before it opened looking at rally cars a few years ago shortly after he had competed in the German TT and was lovely to catch him in a relaxed moment and that I knew his uncle also used to race there . A Legend.