Michael Dunlop delivers blunt verdict on two controversies at North West 200

Michael Dunlop has his say on the rules

Michael Dunlop, 2025 North West 200, podium (Supersport Race 1).
Michael Dunlop, 2025 North West 200, podium (Supersport Race 1).
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Michael Dunlop says that Richard Cooper and Dean Harrison “got an advant🌄age on me” in Supersport Race 2 at the Nor💃th West 200, after the pair cut the final chicane while battling for the win.

All three riders went into the final chicane together. Cooper and Harrison🌄 made contact on the inside and both cut the chicane, whereas Dunlop stayed on the racing surface.

Dunlop had been involved in controversy in the🧸 second Superbike race earlier in the day when he didn’t🐈 stop when cutting the Mather’s chicane, but wa♏s not penalised and went on to win the race.

Michael Dunlop had two controversies at North West 200

While he wasn’t penalised in the Superbike race, Dunlop implied that Harrison and Cooper should’ve been in the Supersport race b🍸ecause they “got an advantage on me”.

“A⛎ great race,” Dunlop suಞmmarised after Supersport Race 2, speaking to BBC Sport NI.

“It’s hard to call that one. The two boys [Cooper and Harrison] both knew theyও weren’t making the turn so they let the brakes off and rode over the grass, so t𒈔hey got an advantage on me there.

“I had a tactic to go around the outside, and I saw Dean [Harrison] coming on the inside and I said ‘Oh, he’s not making tha𓆉t’.

“The two of them ran on and I did the chicane.

“There was controversy earlier: I didn’t make an advant💛age, they made a clear adva♛ntage between each other.

“What do you say about it? Unless the organis꧑ers look at it, I don’t know?

“At the end of🍒 the day, it was a great race, it was tight racing, great racing. That’s all it’s all about.”

Dunlop added that it was “disappointing” to miss out on the win, h🍸aving won Supersport Race 1 on Thursday.

“It was just disappointing there,” he said.

“I felt that last chicane was🎃n’t practical. Yes, the chicane in the [Superbike] race I didn’t make an advantage, i༒t was the first lap [and then] I ran on at Metropole.

“The༺ two riders [Cooper and Harrison] made an advantage, they made a divebomb and couldn’t make the turn on🦩 the final turn of the race.

“I made the turn.

“ꦆIt’s frustrating. It’s always going to go down to that last chicane; if that’s the case, we might as well all get to the last chicane and just ride through it.”

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