- Michael Dunlop will make his 100th TT start during the second Supersport race
- The Ballymoney rider currently holds the all-time TT wins record with 33 victories
- After two days of qualifying, Dunlop now appears firmly committed to Honda machinery in the Superbike classes
When Michael Dunlop lines up for the second Supersport race at TT 2026 next week, the 33-time winner will become just the seventh rider in history to reach 100 Isle of Man TT starts.
Michael Dunlop has spent almost two decades redefining what’s possible around the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course. Now, at TT 2026, the road racing legend is about to reach yet another extraordinary milestone.
When Dunlop starts the second Supersport race next week, he will become only the seventh rider in the history of the event to record 100 TT starts.
It’s a staggering statistic for a rider who arrived at the TT back in 2007 carrying arguably the heaviest surname in motorcycle racing history.
Being a Dunlop at the TT comes with enormous expectation. Joey Dunlop remains the sport’s most iconic figure, while father Robert Dunlop and uncle Joey cemented the family as road racing royalty long before Michael ever arrived on Glencrutchery Road.
Yet despite the pressure that inevitably came with the name, Michael Dunlop hasn’t simply continued the family legacy — he’s surpassed it.
From Rising Star To TT Record Breaker
Dunlop’s first TT victory came in the 2009 Supersport race, just two years after making his debut. Few could have predicted at the time that they were witnessing the start of one of the greatest careers the event has ever seen.
Since then, Dunlop has become almost unstoppable around the Mountain Course.
Remarkably, he’s only gone two seasons without adding to his TT win tally — 2010 and 2015 — while the last three years have seen him achieve something no rider in TT history has managed before: three consecutive years with four race victories.
That run ultimately led to Dunlop breaking Joey Dunlop’s long-standing TT wins record in 2024. Since then, he’s extended the benchmark further still, arriving at TT 2026 with an astonishing 33 career victories.
And there’s every chance that number will rise again before the week is over.
Supersport King
If there’s one category where Dunlop has become almost untouchable, it’s Supersport.
The Northern Irishman now has 15 Supersport TT wins to his name — nearly double the tally of Ian Hutchinson on eight — and since the TT returned post-Covid in 2022, Dunlop has completely dominated the middleweight class.
Returning aboard the Ducati Panigale V2 that carried him to victory in 2025, Dunlop enters this year’s races chasing what could become an incredible run of ten consecutive Supersport TT victories.
And based on the qualifying pace so far, he already looks like the rider everyone else is trying to beat.
After two days of practice and qualifying, Dunlop has immediately stamped his authority on the class, posting a stunning 126.922mph Supersport lap aboard the Scars Racing Ducati — already underlining just how formidable he remains around the Mountain Course.
Paton vs The New Sportbike Era
Dunlop has also largely controlled the Supertwin class over recent seasons, winning almost every Lightweight race since 2018 whenever mechanical issues haven’t intervened.
However, TT 2026 could provide a fresh challenge.
With the Lightweight category now adopting Sportbike regulations, the traditionally dominant Paton machinery suddenly faces serious competition from Yamaha R7s and Aprilia RS660s — bikes that have shown increasingly strong pace internationally and at the recent North West 200.
Even so, writing off Dunlop at the TT has rarely proven wise.
Similar predictions emerged last year before Dunlop once again produced a dominant display around the Mountain Course.
Ducati Dream Put On Hold?
One of the biggest talking points heading into TT 2026 surrounded Dunlop’s Superbike plans.
Earlier this year, the 36-year-old stunned the road racing world by announcing plans to campaign a Ducati Panigale V4 R in the Superbike and Senior TT races.
The move immediately generated huge excitement because Ducati has never won either the Superbike TT or Senior TT despite decades of trying. The closest the Italian manufacturer has come remains second-place finishes from Iain Duffus in 1995 and John McGuinness in 2003 respectively.
But after testing the Ducati at Oulton Park earlier this year, Dunlop reverted back to his trusted Honda Fireblade ahead of the North West 200, explaining the Ducati still required more testing and development before being fully ready for road racing duties.
In the days leading into TT practice week there was still widespread speculation that Dunlop could potentially evaluate both bikes before making a final decision.
However, after two days of qualifying, it now appears clear that Dunlop has shelved plans to race the Ducati Panigale V4 R in this year’s Superbike and Senior TT races.
Instead, the 33-time TT winner has focused exclusively on the Hawk Racing Honda Fireblade in the big bike classes, while continuing aboard Ducati machinery only in Supersport aboard the Panigale V2.
And the Honda already looks seriously competitive.
Dunlop immediately showed strong pace during opening qualifying, posting a 130.341mph Superbike lap before returning to pit lane for setup adjustments to the Fireblade.
However, he also arrives at TT 2026 facing one of the strongest challenges in recent years, with Dean Harrison immediately laying down a marker by smashing the fastest-ever opening qualifying lap with a stunning 133.925mph run aboard the Honda Racing UK Fireblade.
Even so, few riders in TT history have proven more dangerous than Michael Dunlop once race week begins.
Still The Man Everyone Watches
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Michael Dunlop’s TT career is that, even after 100 starts and 33 wins, he still arrives every year feeling like the rider everyone else measures themselves against.
The competition across every class appears fiercer than ever this year.
But whenever Michael Dunlop lines up on Glencrutchery Road, the expectation remains exactly the same:
He’s there to win.
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Photos: Isle of Man TT Races
