Motor racing legend Michael Dunlop’s 29 TT race wins make him all-time winner of the Isle of Man TT – overtaking his late uncle Joey’s 26 titles.
Iconic Auctioneers are proud to have sponsored this title challenge.
Michael Dunlop this weekend cemented his own legend by winning four TT races, giving him a total of 29 TT titles. During the TT fortnight he had four wins, surpassing his Uncle Joey’s record of 26 wins by three. He thus becomes the most successful competitor at the TT ever and the greatest road racer of all time.
The Isle of Man TT this year saw history being made by another Dunlop. This was the target once more for motor racing legend Michael Dunlop with the aim of equalling his late uncle’s all time win record. Helping him in this ambition was new money Sponsorship from Iconic Auctioneers whose chairman, Nick Whale, has had a 30 year relationship with the Dunlop family.
Michael Dunlop won the opening Supersport race at the Isle of Man TT to equal the all time record of 26 wins at the event achieved by his uncle Joey. Dunlop powered his way around four laps of the Mountain Course to draw level with the benchmark, which has stood for 24 years. And then he went on a few days later to win three more races, placing him at the pinnacle of what it takes to be a TT champion. One can only wonder how long this astonishing record will stand for as he is far from done.
Nick Whale, Chairman of Iconic Auctioneers said “We were delighted to sponsor Michael as he set out to beat his late uncle’s record. I knew Michael’s late father, Robert, and sponsored him during his racing career, and have known Michael since he was young. The family connection goes back decades. It was great to see our company logo go round the TT circuit and support Michael in this way. There are no certainties in this game but I’ve always felt Michael was a damn good thing when it came to Sponsoring an all time winner at the TT.”
Michael Dunlop, 35, is the Northern Irish professional motorcycle racer who is part of a family tradition that has come at no small cost to the Dunlops, but he was determined to lift that coveted title of Top Man at the Isle of Man TT. And this weekend he achieved and surpassed that dream.
The Dunlop family speak about the ‘blood of legends’ with some feeling and meaning. Nick Whale says he is funding Michael because of his deep knowledge of the Dunlop family and their capacity to deliver on their ambitions.
Michael is no stranger to triumphs in this field of motorcycle racing: he has on numerous occasions been selected by the whole global motorcycle community as the most popular motorcyclist in the world.
Iconic Auctioneers Motorcycle Department which regularly holds sales for a cross section of modern and classic motorcycles and sponsored Michael in two races at the TT. The RST Superbike TT on 2nd June and the Milwaukee Senior TT on 8th June.
Michael raced a Honda Fireblade No. 6 (his regular number) which shows support from Iconic Auctioneers, as it bears their logo.(pictured)
Michael has many firsts to his name but one which stands out and is now part of TT history is that he did the first sub-17-minute lap of the circuit. He clocked the first ever sub-17-minute lap of the Mountain Course – 16m 58s, at an average speed of 133.37 mph. It’s also the first time a rider has lapped at more than 133mph.
Spelling out his race philosophy Michael Dunlop says: “With me basically what you see is what you get. I say it how it is, I run a tight ship and I’m here to win, not to make up the numbers”. And he adds: “It’s in the DNA.”
Nick Whale comments further: “Sponsoring Michael is for me the act of a friend honouring both him, his late brother, and his father who was a good friend, and also his Uncle Joey. To say that they are a remarkable family is not to say the half of it. They are motorcycle racing royalty and so it is an honour for Iconic Auctioneers to be sponsoring Michael.”
Dunlop has been as having “an aggressive style” which was “spectacular to watch”. All eyes were once more on him today as he takes on perhaps the greatest challenge of his life to beat his Uncle Joey’s record at the Isle of Man TT setting a new record that will doubtless stand for years.
More details about Iconic Auctioneers and their Collectors’ Car and Motorcycle auctions can be found on their website www.icionicauctioneers.com. They are currently inviting entries for their next motorcycle auction is on the 13th July 2024 at Shuttleworth Aerodrome, Bedfordshire. All the motorcycles already entered to this auction can be viewed on their website. For more information contact enquiries@iconicauctioneers.com or call +44 (0) 1926 691 141.
