First insight into Michael Dunlop’s comfort on Ducati at Isle of Man TT

Michael Dunlop✨ swaps Yamaha for Ducati at 2025 Isle of M☂an TT

Michael Dunlop
Michael Dunlop

Michael Dunlop completed his fi✨rst laps of the 2025 Isle of Man TT on his new machinery on Tuesday night.

Bad weather conditions meant Tuesday was r🍷eassigned as an untimed session, but it still gave the top riders at the TT an opportunity to che𝓡ck out the Mountain Course.

🌺Dunlop rode his MD Racing Paton for his first lap, then did two laps on a Ducati Panigale V4. He ended his stint on a ROKiT BMW Motorrad Superbike.

Dunlop’s🎃 shift from a Yamaha R6 - with which he was won the past six Supersport TT races - to a Ducati is extremely notable this year.

2025 Isle of Man TT: Full practice and race schedule

“He seems happy enough but the conditions aren’t great. It was nice to get a run around, get a feel for everything, then we’ll🦄 crack on,” said Gary Dunlop of Hawk Racing and MD Racing.

“It’s the bike to be 𓆏on. You have to mov🧸e on. The R6 did its job over the years.

“These are new generation bikes and you have to g✤o with them. It’s good enough for the job, we proved that at the North West 200.

“Him around here could be even better…

“You can’t get over confident in this game but he’s definitely riding well. He’s been riding well🥀 since the start of the year, ꦅand at the North West 200.

“He got the monkey ꦿoff his back last year so he could have a good⛎ go at the North West 200.

“You’re so tense and uptight about getting [to the Isle of Man TT] that you can’t really have a good go at the North ♈West 200. But we’ve proven🐠 that we had a good go.

“He’s riding really well, of course h🔯e is. He’s coming to his peak.”

The job falls to Gary Du🎃nlop to keep Michael calm and focused throughout the Isle of Man🉐 TT.

“It’s a full time job! He is relaxed. These two weeks are very important to him, we all know♏ that,” he sai𝔉d.

Dunlop returns to the TT this year having smashed his uncle Joey’s record for wins i🌸n 2024.

Duꦆnlop broke Joey’s 24-year-old record, and has now stretched his own total to 29 wins, which he is eager to extend again in the𓄧 next fortnight.

Read More