The Dunlop Dynasty by Irish Academic Press

THE

DUNLOP DYNASTY

THE WORLD’S GREATEST ROAD RACING FAMILY

STEPHEN DAVISON

Contents Documenting The Dunlop Dynasty

The Master

Wee Rob

Against The Odds

2000: Joey’s Final Lap

2000–01: Robert And A New Generation

2002–07: A Merry Band

17 May 2008: A Day Like No Other

2008–10: Making Their Own Way

2011–12: Knocking On The Door

109

2013: Factory

135

2014: Change Of Direction

149

2015: A Year To Forget

167

2016: Bouncing Back

179

2017: Winning On Anything

193

2018: Heartbreak

207

2019–22: Resolve

217

2023: History Beckons

229

Documenting The Dunlop Dynasty

oming of age during the political and civil unrest that gripped Northern Ireland in the 1 60s, William Joseph Dunlop had no interest in becoming part of anyone’s revolution as he tinkered with racing motorbikes in his father’s garage. Along with his younger brother Jim, he joined forces with Frank ennedy and their brother-in-law Mervyn Robinson as they began to race their home-built machines. Dubbed the Armoy Armada’ after their local village, the quartet quickly graduated from racing around windblown airfields at Aghadowey and irkistown to competing on the country lanes of Tandragee and Temple. There they met fierce opposition from County Down rivals Ray McCullough, Brian Reid, Ian McGregor and Trevor Steele, who also shared a nautical moniker as the Dromara Destroyers’.

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Racing motorbikes on closed public roads is a popular sport in Ireland and the Isle of Man, despite the obvious dangers of competing at high speeds on roads lined with trees, stone walls and barbed-wire fences. Previously accepted as an inevitable part of the risk, concerns grew as speeds increased and riders were killed and injured. Grand Prix racing began to shift to safer, purposebuilt circuits. In 1 71 the lster Grand Prix lost world championship status and the TT suffered the same fate five years later. Inspired by his friend and mentor Tom Herron, Joey Dunlop was keen to spread his wings beyond the traditional venues of Irish racing. Herron had successfully combined road racing with a Grand Prix career, winning three TTs and finishing runner-up in the 1 77 350cc world championship. During the early part of his career, Joey competed in the F750 world series, Grand Prix racing and the Daytona 200 alongside his road racing appearances. After making his Mountain Course debut in 1 76, he claimed his first TT victory the following year. Herron graduated to the premier 500cc Grand Prix series in 1 7 , but his dream of o om e o becoming world champion ended in tragedy when the County Down rider lost his life in o o t e m t e a crash at the North West 200. Ironically, Joey claimed his first victories at the seaside e tt e te

e v e n t o n t h e d a y H e r r o n d i e d . T h e c o s t o f t h a t s u c c e s s i n c r e a s e d w h e n h i s c l o s e f r i e n d F r an k ennedy was badly injured and later died following a separate crash during the same event. Despite these tragedies, Joey’s career remained on an upward trajectory as he enjoyed maiden victories at the 1 7 lster Grand Prix. The 27-year-old’s resolve was put to the defining test the following season when Mervyn Robinson became the second member of t h e A r m o y A r m ad a t o d i e i n a N o r t h W e s t 20 0 c r as h . Less than a month after his brother-in-law’s demise, Joey stunned the leading factory teams by se ng a new outright lap record on the TT’s Mountain Course as he won the Classic oe op o t t e emp e race on his home-built Rea Yamaha. Whatever the risks, his career in road racing was assured t e as a new road racing world championship provided a pla orm for his talents. The Formula TT series was introduced on the Isle of Man in 1 77 after the event had been stripped of world championship status. The lster Grand Prix hosted a second round and Joey’s 1 0 TT victory ensured his services would be in demand at Dundrod as the major Japanese manufacturers, Honda and Su uki, battled for the Formula One crown. Drafted into the Su uki squad to support its title bid, Joey played his part perfectly by leading the race during the early stages b e f o r e o b e y i n g t e am o r d e r s an d al l o w i n g t e am m a t e G r ae m e C r o s b y t h r o u g h t o w i n an d b e c o m e w o r l d c h am p i o n . That lster Grand Prix race, one he didn’t win, would prove a seminal moment in Joey Dunlop’s career. Honda responded to the stinging defeat by securing the Ballymoney racer’s services for the following season. Initiating a relationship that would endure for the rest of his career, the Honda deal also ensured Joey would enjoy a constant supply of competitive machinery. Jim Dunlop’s racing career had not enjoyed the same good fortune. A serious leg injury forced his retirement in 1 2 but not before Jim had made his mark on the Irish road racing scene and the Manx Grand Prix. The youngest Dunlop sibling, Robert, joined the road racing fray before Jim’s departure. Diminutive in stature, Robert concentrated initially on the smaller-capacity classes before notching up the first of his fifteen North West 200 victories. With the Isle of Man TT and lster Grand Prix remaining centre stage, the Formula TT road racing series expanded rapidly during the 1 0s. New races were introduced in Portugal, Spain, Britain, Belgium, Italy, Finland, Germany, Holland, Hungary and Japan, as Joey claimed five F1 world titles in a row between 1 2 and 1 6. m op ompete bet ee As the fame of the Dunlop brothers grew, I remained an enthusiastic spectator be o e o e behind the hedgerows, before the work of Co. Antrim film-maker David Wallace provided e eme t ep e me o inspiration. Wallace’s seminal o e d o c u m e n t ar y r e c o u n t e d t h e t r ag i c h i s t o r y o f t h e t h e op p ort u n i t y t o p h ot og rap h h i m A r m o y A r m ad a s e t ag ai n s t t h e b ac k d r o p o f l i f e i n r u r al I r e l an d . T h e p e o p l e an d p l ac e s t h a t o fascinated Wallace felt familiar and I began to wonder if I might also find a way to document r o ad r ac i n g an d i t s l e ad i n g f am i l y . very photographer must find their subject and road racing was where my heart lay. I had photographed Joey Dunlop for over a decade, always maintaining a distance. Although I acquired a camera too late to document his world championship years, I had b e e n f o r t u n a t e t o o b s e r v e t h e r e s u r g e n c e o f t h e B al l y m o n e y r ac e r ’ s c ar e e r d u r i n g t h e 1 990 s an d c ap t u r e h i s t r i u m p h s a t D u n d r o d in 1 and during the first Isle of Man TT of the new millennium before the terrible events in stonia became the final act of a c e l e b r a t e d c ar e e r .

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Joey’s demise thrust Robert centre stage as he introduced his sons and nephews to racing while continuing to compete on the roads himself. Robert’s boys, William and Michael, Sam, the son of Jim, and Joey’s son Gary were all intent on following in the w h e e l t r ac k s o f t h e i r f a t h e r s . Perhaps Robert hoped the youngsters would follow the example of their older cousin, Paul Robinson. The son of his sister Helen and the late Mervyn Robinson, who lost his life at the North W e s t 20 0 i n 1 98 0 , P au l d i d m o s t o f h i s r ac i n g o n t h e s a f e r s h o r t - c i r c u i t t r ac k s i n B r i t ai n , al t h o u g h h e al s o c o m p e t e d a t t h e N o r t h W e s t 20 0 , w h e r e h e l e d h i s f am o u s u n c l e s h o m e d u r i n g t h e 1 25 c c r ac e i n 20 0 0 . G i v e n t h e f am i l y ’ s p as s i o n f o r r o ad r a c i n g , i t w as n o s u r p r i s e t h a t t h e o t h e r y o u n g D u n l o p racers found their way onto the roads eventually. After a couple of seasons spent learning the ropes o n t h e I r i s h s h o r t c i r c u i t s , W i l l i a m an d S am g r ad u a t e d t o t h e r o ad s i n 20 0 3 . G ar y r e m ai n e d o n t h e tracks until 200 , when he decided to quit racing. After a lengthy sabbatical, he joined his cousins between the hedges in 2016. obe t ee e F o l l o w i n g t h e D u n l o p f am i l y f r o m p ad d o c k t o p ad d o c k ar o u n d I r e l an d e ac h s u m m e r , I o o t e L bo photographed the youngsters as they completed their road racing apprenticeships and began road n ear h i s C o. A n t ri m w o r k i n g t h e i r w a y t o w ar d s t h e f r o n t o f t h e p ac k . ome o Schooled in the preparation of their 125cc and 250cc two-stroke machines, they honed their p e e o road racing skills at places like Athea, Tandragee, ells and Walderstown as Robert raced alongside t h e m i n t h e 1 25 c c c l as s . The seasons between 2003 and 2007 were a boom time for Irish road racing, with new meetings boasting lucrative pri e funds springing up. Robert and his young prot g s were in demand as their popularity attracted new fans. Q u i e t e r t h an h i s c o u s i n s , W i l l i am w as c l o s e t o h i s f a t h e r b u t r e m ai n e d s h y around the fans. Like remnants from the Armoy Armada days, Sam and Jim shared the occasional beer when the racing was over and Paul relaxed into the laid-back atmosphere of the Irish paddocks after the intensity of the British championship.

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William claimed his maiden road race victory at Co. Limerick’s Athea meeting in 2005. The following season, Michael made his between-the-hedges debut in the Junior Support race at the Cookstown 100 when he was just seventeen years old. After missing the sighting laps, the race o cials made him start from the back of the grid. Producing a Roy of the Rovers’ performance, he caught and passed every other rider to take his first road race win on his 250cc Honda. Later that summer, Michael lay back in the sunshine on the Glencrutchery road, betraying no trace of nerves as he waited for the start of the 125cc Manx Grand Prix Newcomers’ race. Blit ing the rest of the field by over two minutes, the youngest Dunlop r o ad r ac e r c l ai m e d h i s m ai d e n v i c t o r y ar o u n d t h e I s l e o f M an ’ s M o u n t ai n C o u r s e . The success of the second generation of Dunlop road racers on the roads of Ireland and the Isle of Man marked the passing of the baton from one generation to the next. During an exciting time in the sport, the appearance of new talents provided some much-needed optimism following the tragedy in stonia and a spate of fatal crashes in Ireland. Having spent the previous decade documenting the careers of Joey and Robert, there was now a host of new Dunlop road r ac e r s f o r m e t o p h o t o g r ap h , w h o w e r e ab o u t t o m ak e t h e i r o w n m ar k o n t h e h i s t o r y o f t h e s p o r t . S t e p h e n D a v is o n A u g u s t 20 23

Michael Dunlop celebrates his victory in the 2006 Manx Grand Prix Newcomers’ race with Robert, William and mechanic Ronnie Shields.

Sam Dunlop wins the 250cc race on his Honda at the 2007 Manx Grand Prix.

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I g n o r i n g t h e l ar g e c r o w d o f w e ll- w is h e r s o u t s id e his race van, Joey Dunlop pulled off his leathers and sat down to enjoy a s an d w i c h an d m u g o f t e a after a hard day’s racing at t h e 1 993 C ar r o w d o r e 1 0 0 in C o . D o w n .

The Master

hen Joey Dunlop or Joey as he is instantly and universally recognised died in 2000, the -year-old was hailed as the world’s greatest road racer. More than twenty years on, it is an accolade he still retains and deserves. No other rider has come close to matching a C that lists five world championships, twenty-six Isle of Man TT victories and 11 Irish road race wins including twenty-four lster Grand Prix and thirteen North West 200 victories amongst its achievements. Joey took on and beat successive generations of rivals during a career that spanned three decades. Never more determined than when his back was against the wall, he remained at the pinnacle of the sport until his death, winning races and se ng his fastest ever speeds during the final laps he raced on the lster Grand Prix and Isle of Man TT courses where he made his name. As the longest-serving member of the o cial Honda squad, Joey could have had a eet of mechanics preparing his race bikes, but he preferred to work on them himself, generously sharing his expertise and equipment with fellow racers. In the world beyond racing, he set off on solo mercy missions during the 1 0s to help orphaned children in astern urope without any of the fanfare that often accompanies such ventures. Joey’s quiet and self-effacing manner struck a chord with his rivals and the road racing public, particularly in Ireland where race f an s p r e f e r t h e i r h e r o e s s e r v e d h u m b l e . A m an o f m o d e s t b e g i n n i n g s , h e n e v e r s t r a y e d f ar f r o m h i s r o o t s , d e s p i t e t h e ac c o l ad e s an d r e w ar d s h i s s u c c e s s b r o u g h t . T h e w a y i n w h i c h h e l i v e d h i s l i f e an d w e n t ab o u t h i s r ac i n g h as e n s u r e d t h e p u b l i c ’ s e n d u r i n g affection, even if the man himself never sought such adulation.

Joey races around Dundrod on a RC30 Honda during the 1 lster Grand Prix in Co. Antrim.

Si ng amongst a display of his race trophies, Joey holds the first award he received after finishing fifth on a 200cc Su uki a t t h e 1 97 2 M i d A n t r i m 1 5 0 .

An early version of his famous yellow crash helmet. Initially t h e b l ac k l i n e d o w n t h e m i d d l e w as c r e a t e d u s i n g a p i e c e o f t ap e . D u r i n g t h i s s t ag e o f h i s c ar e e r t h e B al l y m o n e y racer was known as Joe rather than Joey.

Sponsor badges sewn onto a pair of Honda leathers worn by Joey d u r i n g t h e 1 98 3 s e as o n .

Joey’s red toolbox travelled the world in his race van, adorned with stickers from the early years of his career. It was also home to his h e l m e t , g l o v e s an d g l as s e s b e t w e e n r ac e s .

A vintage Honda poster from 1 7 on the wall of Joey’s w o r k s h o p i n B al l y m o n e y s h o w s h i m al o n g s i d e t e am m a t e s Wayne Gardner and Ron Haslam.

The interior of the small workshop where Joey prepared his race bikes at his Ballymoney home in Co. A n t r i m . A l t h o u g h a H o n d a- s u p p o r t e d r i d e r f o r m o s t o f h i s c ar e e r , h i s t o o l s h an g o n a Y am ah a t o o l b o ar d . This photograph was taken in 200 , when the workshop was still largely as Joey had left it as his son Gary restored the RC30 Honda his father raced during 1 .

Left: With a cigarette in his hand, Joey prepares to jump out of his Rent-a-Merc race van d u r i n g t h e 1 994 S k e r r i e s 1 0 0 i n C o . D u b l i n . H e g a v e u p s m o k i n g t w o y e ar s l a t e r .

t: The rain was falling steadily as Joey s t u d i e d h i s 25 0 c c H o n d a f r o m t h e b ac k o f h i s v an a t t h e 1 994 T an d r ag e e 1 0 0 i n C o . Armagh. Jumping out, he tipped the bike o n i t s s i d e an d k n e l t o n t h e w e t g r as s i n his new leathers to make adjustments as h i s h e l p e r s g a t h e r e d r o u n d , h o l d i n g an u m b r e l l a an d h an d i n g h i m s p an n e r s .

Joey’s race bikes are lined up at the back of his van in the lster Grand Prix paddock during 1 . His racing set-up was a major attraction for fans who gathered round t o w a t c h h im a t w o r k .

Spectators line the grass verges at the top of Dundrod’s Deer’s Leap as Joey wheelies past on his 500cc Honda during the 1 0 illinchy 150 meeting.

Riding a Honda during the 1 1 North West 200 on Northern Ireland’s north coast, Joey is followed around Metropole Corner by his younger brother Robert on a Norton. Ireland’s most prestigious road race was d o m i n a t e d b y t h e D u n l o p b r o t h e r s d u r i n g t h e 1 98 0 s an d 1 990 s as t h e y n o t c h e d u p t w e n t y - e i g h t r ac e w i n s a t t h e s e as i d e r ac e s .

Passengers enjoy a view of Joey Dunlop in action on his Honda as a t r ai n p as s e s t h e r ai l w a y e m b an k m e n t a t M e t r o p o le C o r n e r d u r in g t h e 1 991 N o r t h W e s t 20 0 S u p e r b i k e r ac e .

Joey Dunlop won three races during a day of scorching-hot sunshine at the 1 5 lster Grand Prix. Between each race, Joey’s helpers pulled off his leathers and doused him in buckets of cold water before the 3-year-old collapsed for a rest on the oor of his race van. His wife, Linda, was holding a tub of talcum powder to help dry his skin before he pulled on a new set of leathers for his next race.

1 0

A delighted Joey after a Superbike and two 250cc race wins at the 1 5 lster Grand Prix. He remains the most successful rider around Northern Ireland’s 7. -mile Dundrod c o u r s e , w i t h t w e n t y - f o u r U l s t e r G P w i n s an d t w e n t y - f o u r v i c t o r i e s a t t h e K i l l i n c h y / Dundrod 150 meetings on the same course.

1 1

A b ov e: Leading the 125cc race at the 1 0 Tandragee 100. Joey won eighteen r ac e s a t T an d r ag e e , i n c l u d i n g h i s l as t v i c t o r y o n I r i s h s o i l i n t h e 20 0 0 1 25 c c r ac e .

t: Joey passes the packed grandstand at Braddan church during the 1 7 ltra-Lightweight 125cc Isle of Man TT race. Five of his twenty-six TT wins were on 125cc machinery, but on this day he had to settle for finishing tenth.

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A b ov e: Joey leans his 250cc Honda through Ballaspur during the 1

Lightweight 250cc TT.

Between 1 76 and 2000 he won eight 250cc TTs, but in this race he finished fifth as John McGuinness claimed his first TT victory.

Left: Racing down the mountain section of the TT course between ate’s Cottage and Creg Ny Baa during the Junior 600cc TT in 1 , Joey is sandwiched between Ronnie Smith 11 and Adrian Archibald 13 . With each rider starting at ten-second intervals, Joey is ten seconds behind Archibald and ten ahead of Smith in t h e r ac e o r d e r .

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R o b e r t D u n l o p w i t h h i s J ac k R u s s e l l d o g s a t h i s B al l y m o n e y h o m e i n 20 0 1 .