MICHAEL Dunlop will need to wait to crack the TT wins record after a dramatic Superbike race, where Peter Hickman took his 14th Isle of Man TT title.
Dunlop was on pace to breeze the six-lap Superbike race, at one point having nearly half a minute between him and Davey Todd in second and registering 200.6mph at the Glen Helen speedtrap.
However, disaster struck with two laps to go, as after the last pit stop of the race, Dunlop pulled up 500m into the fifth lap after a rubber pod that secured his visor flap came loose.
If this hadn’t been fixed, the visor wouldn’t have closed properly and his eyes would have dried out.
Dunlop then ended up having to pull in, take his riding gloves and helmet off, fix the pod himself and then get himself back on the road, which ultimately cost him the race.
@ttracesofficial visor troubles for Dunlop . 😩 pic.twitter.com/tB5JjHpaWm
— Carraswell IOM (@carraswell) June 2, 2024
He was 25 seconds to the good going into that fifth lap and looked all but nailed on to take the top spot and with it, his uncle’s record that has stood since 2000, Joey’s last TT races when he won three titles.
Early on, Dunlop attacked every corner, even setting the record for the fastest superbike lap at the TT, averaging 135.543mph on his second lap.
The real race was going on behind him with Honda Racing’s Dean Harrison trying to keep up with Davey Todd in third place, who himself was trailing to last year’s Senior TT champion Peter Hickman.
Those three riders switched places between laps two and four, all seemingly vying for podium places with the trophy out of sight.
However, after the fourth lap and pit stop, everything changed with the title now up for grabs.
Along with Michael Dunlop’s unfortunate stoppage, Davey Todd was struggling to pull away from the pits, with Dean Harrison recalling after the race that he was being wheeled past him on the grid.
Harrison sped on, leaving Dunop and Todd in his wake as he saw this as an opportunity to make up for lost time and try for a top-three spot.
Hickman went out in front and that is where he stayed for the last two laps, with Davey Todd and Dean Harrison swapping spots on the podium and Michael Dunlop left trailing in fourth by 15 seconds.
Peter Hickman’s win equalled Louth man Mike Hailwood’s number of wins of 14.
Despite losing out on the victory, Dunlop seemed to take his frustration out on the roads of the Isle of Man as he broke his own record from lap two to bring the Superbike lap record to 135.97mph with his last lap.
Michael Dunlop will have his chance to overtake Joey on Tuesday when he lines up for both the Superstock and Supertwin race categories.
