Another TT milestone beckons for Michael Dunlop
Michael Dunlop’s 2026 Isle of Man TT campaign carries another notable milestone, with the Ballymoney rider set to become only the seventh rider in history to reach 100 TT starts when he lines up for the second Supersport race.
It is a significant number by any measure, but in Dunlop’s case, it also sits within a broader story. Since making his TT debut in the Superbike race in 2007, Michael has carried both the expectation and scrutiny that comes with the Dunlop name. That name has been central to TT history for decades, through the achievements of Joey, Robert, William and Michael, but it is also a family history marked by deep loss. Any discussion of the Dunlop legacy needs to recognise both sides of that ledger with due respect.
Michael’s first TT win came in the second Supersport race in 2009, two years after his debut. Since then, he has built one of the most successful careers the Mountain Course has seen, with his tally now standing at 33 TT victories.
A Dunlop story traced through the MCNews archive
MCNews.com.au has closely followed much of that progression. Back in 2013, Michael claimed the Joey Dunlop TT Championship Trophy after already banking maximum points from four solo races, underlining both his own form and the unavoidable connection with the family record he would later go on to surpass.
By 2014, MCNews reported that Dunlop had joined names such as Giacomo Agostini, Stanley Woods, Rob Fisher and Ian Lougher on 10 TT wins after leading the second Supersport TT race from start to finish. William Dunlop was also part of that report, taking third on the Tyco Suzuki.
In 2017, Michael’s opening Supersport TT victory took him to 14 TT wins, drawing him level with Mike Hailwood. That result was another step in a career that was already moving from the continuation of a family tradition into outright TT history.
The wider Dunlop family context
The family background has never been a simple sporting narrative. MCNews’ 2018 coverage of William Dunlop’s passing at Skerries recorded the loss of Michael’s older brother, while also noting the wider family context of Joey, Robert and William all losing their lives while racing. It remains an important part of the Dunlop story, but one that should be acknowledged plainly and respectfully.
The wider Dunlop family history remains central to any discussion of Michael’s TT career.
From chasing Joey’s record to setting his own
In recent years, Michael has moved into territory that once looked almost out of reach. Ahead of TT 2023, MCNews asked whether Michael could surpass Joey’s long-standing TT wins record. At that point, Joey’s mark of 26 TT victories had stood for more than two decades, but Michael’s practice pace and race-winning momentum had made the question a live one.
By 2024, that question had been answered. His Supersport TT Race One win drew him level with Joey on 26 TT victories, before his SuperTwin TT victory later that week took him to 27 and made Michael the most successful TT rider of all time.
He then continued to add to that total in 2025. MCNews reported his 30th TT victory in the opening Supersport race, a result made more notable by the fact it came on a Ducati, giving the Italian marque its first TT win since Robert Holden’s success in 1995. Later in the week, Dunlop added win number 33 in the second SuperTwin race.
TT 2026: the class-by-class picture
That brings MD to TT 2026 not simply as a rider approaching 100 starts, but as the current benchmark across several classes.
Supersport again looks central to his campaign. Dunlop has 15 wins in the category, the most of any rider, and he has had a firm grip on the class since the TT returned in 2022. The Ducati Panigale V2 is again expected to be central to that programme, following the package’s success in 2025.
The Lightweight/Sportbike picture is less straightforward. Dunlop has been the dominant SuperTwin figure for much of the past decade, winning all but two races in the class since 2018, with those two exceptions coming through mechanical non-finishes. However, the adoption of Sportbike regulations changes the competitive picture, particularly with Yamaha R7 and Aprilia 660 machinery showing strong form at the North West 200.
The big-bike programme remains one of the more interesting elements of his 2026 plans. Dunlop announced an intention to campaign a Ducati Panigale V4 in the Superbike class, but switched back to his familiar Honda Fireblade at the North West 200 while further testing and development continued. Should the Ducati appear at the TT, he would be chasing a first Superbike or Senior TT win for the Italian marque.
In Superstock, Dunlop returns on BMW machinery, having put together five consecutive podium finishes in the class. That consistency keeps him firmly in contention, although the likes of Peter Hickman and Dean Harrison are again expected to be major factors across the week.
So while the 100-start milestone is the hook, the wider story is that Michael Dunlop reaches it still very much at the front of the sport. He has already moved beyond Joey’s long-standing TT win record, has continued to build his own tally, and arrives at TT 2026 with realistic prospects in multiple classes.
This is yet another chapter in a Dunlop story this site has been covering for decades: from Michael’s early Joey Dunlop Trophy success, through the family history and the records, to the recent run that has made him the most successful rider in TT history.
