Imperious Michael Dunlop rules home race with iron fist on triumphant Armoy return

It was a triumphant return for the Ballymoney man, with Dunlop’s fabulous five-timer including a record 10th success in the top-of-the-bill ‘Race of Legends’ Superbike finale.

The 34-year-old also won five times on his last appearance at Armoy in 2021 and is now one win away from a landmark 30th victory around the three-mile Co Antrim course, where he ruled the roost with an iron fist over the weekend.

Much was made of the potential for a blockbuster showdown between Dunlop and rising star Davey Todd, who dominated at Armoy last summer in the home favourite’s absence following a rift with the organisers.

Todd won four races and became only the third rider to triumph in the ‘Legends’ race at Armoy alongside inaugural winner Ryan Farquhar and Dunlop, who won the coveted trophy nine times in a row until his no-show 12 months ago.

However, while the 27-year-old pushed Dunlop in the Open Superbike race, closing to within two-tenths-of-a-second before finally having to settle for the runner-up spot by only 0.704s, the feature race was effectively over before it started.

Held in fully wet conditions after heavy downpours in the afternoon and reduced in distance by one lap to six, Dunlop was a man on a mission.

Starting from pole, he grabbed the lead off the line on the Hawk Racing Honda and left his rivals trailing in his wake, opening a gap of 6.4s after the first lap over Cork’s Mike Browne (Burrows Engineering/RK Racing BMW), with fellow Republic of Ireland rider Derek Sheils third on the Roadhouse Macau BMW ahead of Todd.

Dunlop set the fastest lap of the race at 98.438mph in the rain on his next lap, extending his advantage to 11.4s.

Todd was dropping back, with Bradford rider Dean Harrison moving into fourth on the 600cc BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha behind Browne and Sheils.

Cheered on by his drenched but elated fans, Dunlop continued to disappear into the countryside, building an unassailable lead and winning with ease in the end by 16.904s.

Runner-up Browne was ten seconds further ahead of Sheils – who set the fastest lap of the weekend at 108.231mph, just outside Todd’s 2022 lap record, in the earlier Open Superbike race – with Harrison a lonely fourth. Mike Norbury (600 Kawasaki) and Phil Crowe (BMW) completed the top six in the finale.

Dunlop, who celebrated with the fans in Armoy village on his victory lap, could not have made a more emphatic statement at the home of the legendary ‘Armada’ quartet of Joey Dunlop, Frank Kennedy, Mervyn Robinson and Jim Dunlop.

“It’s been good and I had my nine in a row and missed a year, so we had to start from zero again,” he said.

“These boys are all riding hard and they’re all good riders.

“It was great to see the crowd and it was good racing all day. The weather came in a bit different and I think we were all just having a gamble there with the weather in the wet, but we got her.

“It’s been a good year and I can’t complain – I could, but no one will listen to me!”

A disappointed Todd said he wasn’t comfortable with the feeling from his Padgett’s Honda Fireblade.

“We were a little bit out with the set-up and whatever else, I could give every excuse under the sun, but it just wasn’t to be,” said Todd, who was 1m 16.107s behind race winner Dunlop.

“I had a really tough race and stayed out there to try and do the best I could but I just didn’t get a good feeling from the set-up.”

On Sunday evening, Todd confirmed he had parted company from Clive Padgett’s team in an amicable split, which was already agreed before the weekend.

By far the most successful rider ever at Armoy, Dunlop won his first race in the 125cc class when the national road race was first run in 2009.

Of his 29 victories since, 18 have been Superbike wins with seven Supersport successes and a maiden victory in the Supertwin race on Saturday. He also won twice on 250cc machinery.

Dunlop was given permission to ride the KTS Racing Kawasaki Supertwin at Armoy after Yorkshireman Jamie Coward suffered a broken pelvis in a cycling accident last Wednesday in a road traffic collision, ruling him out.

In pouring rain, he won the race – red-flagged initially due to the weather – by 4.65s from Adam McLean (J McC Roofing Racing Kawasaki), with Paul Jordan third on the PreZ Racing Kawasaki.

The race was stopped as the top three began their fifth lap as the rain became increasingly heavy, with a result declared.

Dunlop followed up his win in Friday’s Supersport race – when he set a new lap record of 105.179mph to surpass his late brother William’s 2015 benchmark of 104.290mph – with another victory on his MD Racing Yamaha on a drying course.

Browne finished second, 5.76s down, with Todd around 1.3s behind in third. McLean, Harrison and Jordan were the top six.

If anyone was in doubt, Dunlop served a ruthless reminder of why he is the most successful rider ever at Armoy.