Dunlop sees red for TT 2022
Star joins forces with Paul Bird to race a Ducati V4 R at the NW200 and TT
Michael Dunlop will race a Ducati at this year’s North West 200 and Isle of Man TT after signing a deal with Paul Bird Motorsport.
It’s the sensational partnership we all hoped to see two years ago, with Dunlop originally set to race for PBM at the 2020 events. Back then, an initial two-day test at Jerez got the wheels rolling before Covid 19 brought road racing to a grinding halt.
This was a big loss to fans, with many wondering if this dream PBM/Dunlop tie-up would ever come to fruition.
Thankfully, it is now, and it adds to what is fast becoming one of the most highly anticipated TTs in recent memory. Fans now have the mouth-watering prospect of seeing Dunlop, on a Ducati, taking on Peter Hickman (BMW) and Dean Harrison (Kawasaki), with John McGuinness back at Honda ahead of his 100th TT start.
Work is underway to build a bike capable of taking Dunlop back to the top at the TT. He is expected to take part in the BSB pre-season testing programme, before tackling the NW200.
“The North West is going to be paramount for him to learn the bike, purely to see how it handles and to get himself dialled in,” PBM Team Co-ordinator John Mowatt told MCN. “He had a little spin out on the bike back in 2020, but it was only for a handful of laps and the bike has come on a fair bit since then so we’re starting with a blank sheet.”
Dunlop has worked with Paul Bird’s team before, with the pair together at the 2011 TT. Dunlop secured victory onboard the Kawasaki ZX-10R, which was his second TT win at that time. He now has a total of 19 victories, including two Senior and four Superbike victories. Dunlop’s last Senior win came in 2017, riding the Hawk Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000, whilst his last Superbike success came on the
Tyco BMW S1000RR in 2018.
In 2019, Dunlop finished off the podium in both big bike races, with Hickman and Harrison taking the TT to the next level. The pair are now seen as the benchmark TT riders, but Mowatt believes Dunlop can take the fight to them: “He knows what he’s got to do, and has been around long enough to know what it takes to win a TT, so we’re both approaching it with the same mentality.
“I think that the TT not running for the last two years will stand us in good stead because all of the regulars that do this year in, year out, will have to gradually build themselves up again. With Michael coming in with a new bike and team, this can play into our hands as we can just build up gradually alongside the others.”
Ducati’s V4 R, which has won two of the last three BSB titles since entering the series in 2019, is yet to grace the Mountain Course. It has raced at the NW200 with Alastair Seeley finishing fifth in the 2019 Superbike race. Glenn Irwin won three NW200 races for PBM onboard the old twin-cylinder Panigale R.
“The TT is a different animal with the bumps and highspeed direction changes. It’s an unknown for the V4 R. That’s the biggest thing we need to overcome because we need to make sure it’s fast and stable, whilst being to Michael’s liking.
“I don’t think it will be a tough job but it’s not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination. We can only go there with the data we collect from the NW200, and once Michael has ridden it, he’ll say whether we have a decent package. We’ll go quietly about our job and stay under the radar as best we can”
PBM will receive official support from Ducati for their roads campaign.
‘We’ll stay under the radar as best we can’