IOMTT: Dunlop Eyes 130 MPH Lap...On a Supersport

Maybe it is an attention-seeking headline, but the prospect of Michael Dunlop doing a 130 mph lap at the Isle of Man TT, on his Supersport-spec machine, is a titalating prospect. A 130 mph lap is a tall order, even in the Superbike and Superstock classes, where only a handful of riders have broken the 130 mph barrier.

Setting the Supersport TT record last year, Michael Dunlop is currently the fastest man around the Isle of Man TT course on a 600cc machine, with an average lap speed of 128.666 mph under his belt. To break 130 mph though, Dunlop will have to drop an additional 11 seconds from his fastest lap time, a tall order despite the 37.733 mile of race course to work with.

Micky D says he is up for the challenge though, and he says that his record-setting lap last year included a few mistakes that cost him time on the stop watch.

“I’ve proved I can win TT’s on a Supersport bike and I’ve also got the lap and race records. But what I really want is to be the first person to lap at over 130mph on a 600cc bike and I think it is within my reach,” said Dunlop.

“I need to take about 11 seconds off my best lap, which is a big ask. But my bike is going to be stronger this year and when I set the lap record I made a few little mistakes and lost quite a lot of time. So I know it is possible, it’s just about putting that perfect lap together for 37 and ¾ miles,” the nephew of Joey added.

Winning four solo-class races last year, Michael Dunlop has set himself up as the man to beat at the 2014 Isle of Man TT. Tough competition surrounds him though, especially in the form of John McGuinness, who is looking to add a few more trophies to his collection, as he tackles Joey Dunlop’s outright record of TT race wins.

On the outs with the Honda TT Legends squad, Dunlop will race in the Superbike and Superstock classes with a factory-backed BMW S1000RR or HP4. Meanwhile in the Supersport class, Dunlop will be on his own MD Racing prepped Honda CBR600RR.