Michael Dunlop Racing A Suzuki GSX-R1000R at IOMTT

Michael Dunlop will be on an all-new machine for the 2017 Isle of Man TT, as the Northern Irishman has inked a deal that sees him on the new Suzuki GSX-R1000R superbike for the North West 200, Isle of Man TT, and Ulster GP.

Confirming the news with Britain’s MCN, Dunlop says he will continue to ride with the Hawk Racing team in the Superbike class, with full-factory support from Yoshimura.

The deal also sees him campaigning another GSX-R1000R in the Superstock class under his MD Racing name, as well as a yet-to-be-determined Supersport model.

This isn’t the first time that Dunlop has tried his hand with an all-new superbike platform at the TT, but he has certainly done so with mixed results.

Dunlop was one of the first riders to adopt the BMW S1000RR as a race bike at the TT, a move that now sees the German bike as the machine to campaign at the Isle of Man.

However, Dunlop’s foray with the Yamaha YZF-R1 in 2015 was met with less enthusiasm, which eventually saw Dunlop dropping his participation from the Milwaukee Yamaha team mid-fortnight, in favor of his BMW.

We shall see how riding the Suzuki GSX-R1000R goes for Dunlop, but with Hawk Racing and Yoshimura behind him, Dunlop looks once again to be the man to beat at this year’s Isle of Man TT.