As a road racer, what could be a bigger dream than to have a corner of the Isle of Man TT (IOM TT) mountain course named after you, while you still have an active career? Well, Michael Dunlop has become one of the few people who could ever answer that question.
Dunlop, the most successful Isle of Man TT racer ever, was recently celebrated with his own corner just after the 27th milestone of the course ahead of this year's race. The corner, named 'MD's', is a fast left-hand kink after the iconic Guthrie's, which gives riders a summit view of the mountain as they approach the Mountain Mile.
After unveiling the new corner marker, Dunlop said, "I’ve said plenty of times since matching and passing Joey’s record that records are there to be broken and they will be broken again... But for me, it has always been important that the Dunlop name continues on at the top of the sport, and for it to be a Dunlop that takes things to that next level."
The 26th milestone was named after Joey Dunlop, Michael's uncle, in 2003, after Joey passed away in 2000. And this made perfect sense, considering Joey held the all-time record for championship wins, having 26. It does beg the question, however, if Joey had milestone 26 named after him due to his 26 victories, then shouldn't Michael have milestone 29 named after him, since he finished last year's TT with 29 wins?
I reached out to the IOM TT press office for clarification on the reasoning behind the 27th milestone. My guess is that 26 was the number to beat, so they chose 27. Whatever the reasoning, it's beautifully poetic to have two generations of Dunlops mile after mile around the mountain course, and you can tell it meant a lot to Michael.
“I’m definitely not one for the attention, and I think everyone knows I don’t really enjoy the spotlight, but to be recognised in this way is special and means a great deal to me. I’ve still got plenty of wins in me yet, who knows where I’ll get to in that respect, but to know that this corner is here and will always be here – it’s a real privilege.”, said Dunlop.
For a man who's modest almost to a fault, it's wonderful to know how much joy this honor brought him.
