Michael Dunlop beats off opposition from Jorge Martin and Toprak Razgatlioglu to win prestigious Rider of the Year award in London
Michael Dunlop has picked up another top award after being named the MCN Rider of the Year for 2024 at the London Motorcycle Show at the ExCel.
Dunlop beat off opposition from MotoGP World Champion Jorge Martin, World Superbike Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu and British Superbike Champion Kyle Ryde to claim the lion’s share of the largest ever public vote for the accolade.
BSB contender Tommy Bridewell and Senior TT winner Davey Todd were also on the shortlist.
Dunlop made history in 2024, becoming the most successful rider ever at the Isle of Man TT with 29 victories.
The Ulster rider surpassed his uncle Joey’s 24-year-old record of 26 victories after claiming a second successive four-timer, including doubles in the Supersport and Supertwin races.
The 35-year-old also set a new Superbike lap record at 135.970mph but was denied victory in the race on his Hawk Racing Honda after an issue with his visor forced him to stop at the top of Bray Hill with two laps to go when he held a commanding advantage.
Speaking at the event, Dunlop said: “Obviously Joey’s record has been a massive thing and to break that is probably the reason for this award, with the year being all involved around the Isle of Man TT.
“It’s something special for me to keep it in the family.
“It’s there to be broke and I was there to break it, and that was the long and short of it.
“When I matched it on the Saturday [with victory in the opening Supersport TT] that was a monkey off my back.
“Then on Sunday when I was leading the [Superbike] race by country mile, and in any other terms that race was over and it was just a steady two laps home, but obviously that happened and I thought to myself on Sunday evening maybe it’s not meant to be.
“But then the week changed again and we kept at it.”
Dunlop said it was business as usual as he claimed his record-breaking 27th win in the first Supertwin race to finally set a new benchmark at the TT, taking over the mantle from his legendary uncle Joey.
“It was just another race out of the way and we knew that was the breaking point,” he said.
“For me to get the 26th was fine because they always said about being the greatest TT rider, not the actual overall, so get up to Joey then I was always going to be at one point in my career the greatest TT rider of all time alive.”
Dunlop was crowned the Adelaide Irish Motorcyclist of the Year in Belfast in January, where he received the Joey Dunlop trophy.