The King of the Road

For two weeks of every year the eyes of the world focus on the ‘Jewel of the Irish sea’ a small island off the West coast of the United Kingdom between ‘Barrow in Furness’ and Belfast Northern Ireland. For more than 100 years the finest road racers on the planet decend on this; the Isle of Man, to pit their skills against the 37¾ miles of public roads that form the legendary TT circuit.

 The way was paved for the TT by the Isle of Man’s 1904 law allowing roads to close for the Gordon Bennett car trials. With anti road closure and speed limit laws preventing a much-wanted British motorcycle race on UK roads, the organiser, the Auto Cycle Club, turned to the Isle of Man and, in 1907, the Tourist Trophy was born.

 The first races ran on the St John’s course, a 15.8-mile circuit in the west, and four years later motorcycles moved to the legendary Mountain Course.

Little did the pioneers of those early years know of the legacy they were creating, an unbelievable test of strength and courage which would become as legendary as the illustrious names it would feature. Names like Hailwood, Agostini and McGuinness. But one name came to the forefront and stood out above the rest.

‘King of the Road’ Joey Dunlop first saw the course in 1976 as he set off for his first practice. The following year he returned to claim the first of his record breaking 26 wins in the 1977 Jubilee Classic Race. He won the TT Formula 1 Race six years in a row between 1983 and 1988 and was Formula 1 World Champion five times. He is the only rider to have three hat-tricks to his name, meaning winning the Formula 1, Senior and Junior sections at the same meeting. He did this in  1985, 1988,  and again in the year of his death in 2000.

He has lapped the course at over 110 mph in races 256 times and has more 120mph plus laps to his credit than any other rider in the history of the races. He started in 100 races on the TT course, 98 TT and two Classic MGP Junior Races. His astounding record of successes speak for themselves. Altogether Joey’s 26 TT wins include 7 Formula 1, 4 Senior, 3 Junior, 5 Lightweight and 5 UltraLightweight Races, plus the 1977 Jubilee Race and the 1980 Classic 1000. During TT2000, at the age of 48, Joey counted the magnificent win in the Duke Formula One as one of his most rewarding. In his final lap of the TT circuit – the sixth lap of the Senior Race – he set his fastest ever lap at 123.87mph to become joint fourth fastest man around the course.

William Joseph “Joey” Dunlop was born on February 25th 1952 in Ballymoney Northern Ireland. A quiet, devoted family man and part time publican with 5 children to his childhood sweetheart Linda, he was a reluctant hero, shyly shunning the media and always denying or playing down his achievements. He was awarded an MBE in 1986 for his services to his sport, and then an OBE in 1996 for his humnitarian work with orphanages in Romania, which he quietly went about doing in his own way, never seeking thanks or publicisity.

Dunlop made endless trips to Romania and sometimes Bosnia to get aid to the orphans there. He would travel around the Ballymoney area in his old van collecting food and clothes from locals. When the van was full, he set off, destined for those less fortunate than himself.

Joey once stated that his proudest award was his OBE for charity rather than any achievment in his incredible racing career.

Even though he spent the most sucessful part of his career riding for Honda, the Dunlop legend all started rather inconspicuously aboard a £50 Triumph Tiger Cub at Maghaberry in 1969, “as a bit of fun with my mates”. It was the mid 1970’s before Joey established himself as a regular winner, and from that point on, he never looked back.

Throughout its history, the TT has seen rules and regulations change. From the Twins and Singles classes of 1907, through the advent of classes for 125cc and 250cc machines to the 2005 changes that saw Superbike, Supersport and Superstock classes adopted.

But the adaptable Joey was comfortable on any bike from 125cc to 1200cc, just a natural as he became part of his machine!

At home in Ireland, Joey’s record on the pure roads circuits will probably never be bettered. He was victorious in 24 Ulster Grands Prix, 13 North West 200’s, and countless other races in the domestic series, including 17 wins at the Skerries 100, making him the joint record holder for the most wins along with the great Raymond McCullough.

 On the Isle of Man, Joey’s final tally of 26 TT wins will never be surpassed. 12 more wins than his nearest rival, and the only rider to win a hat-trick of hat-tricks at the TT, Joey had infinitely more talent than any rider on the current scene around the circuit which he made his own.

 Tragically, Joey was killed in a racing accident in Estonia in July 2000 and the world mourned the passing of one of the greatest motorcycling legends of all time. He will be remembered for his skill and determination to win, his humility and kindness, and his warmth and sense of fun. The flash of that famous yellow helmet as he raced by is gone but the legend of Joey Dunlop will live forever.