Isle of Man TT legend Dunlop ready for tough EWC opener

Michael Dunlop, whose tally of 29 wins is an Isle of Man TT Races record, insists he’s unfazed by the challenge of competing by day and by night when Le Mans hosts the opening round of the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship this week.

The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland is making his third appearance in the 24 Heures Motos (17-20 April) and will do so in the headlining Formula EWC category after joining Team LRP Poland for the French event.

“It’s a tough race but it’s a good event and come raceday the atmosphere is mental,” Dunlop said. “Le Mans really is a big-hitter, it’s a race everybody talks about and I don’t see why I can’t do well. I’ve got good team-mates, but the problem with Le Mans is you can think all you want but when you come here it really is a lottery.”

While highs of 16 degrees centigrade are being forecast for raceday on Saturday, the ambient temperature during the night is expected to dip to eight degrees centigrade with a high chance of rain, particularly early on Sunday morning.

But it’s very much a case of whatever the weather for Dunlop, who finished 16th overall and seventh in the Superstock category at Le Mans 12 months ago.

“The temperature does drop down a bit, but it is what it is, it’s one of those things that you just have to suck it up and get on with it,” said Dunlop, who will ride a BMW M 1000 RR on Dunlop tyres.“You can have rain in the middle of the night, it could be freezing or it could be not so bad, it just depends. Even racing around here at night is okay. The lights from the bikes, the theme park and the campfires means it’s well lit up. And you’ve already done 10 hours by then and the track doesn’t really change, it just goes a bit darker.”

Dunlop will be joined in the Team LRP Poland line-up by Briton Danny Webb, Frenchman Enzo Boulom and Polish rider Marek Szkopek.

For the 2025 season, Bartłomiej Lewandowski’s team has strengthened its long-standing collaboration with the Wrocław University of Science and Technology, which will serve as the squad’s base with students and graduates once again forming a key part of the pit crew during all EWC races.

The 24 Heures Motos weekend begins with Free Practice, First Qualifying and Night Practice tomorrow (17 April), followed by Second Qualifying on Friday morning. The race is scheduled to start at 15h00 CET on Saturday 19 April.