NW200: Michael Dunlop wins hot-tempered Superbike race for treble as fuming Peter Hickman refuses to take place on podium

There was uncertainty over whether or not Dunlop would receive a 10-second penalty after running on at Mather’s chicane on the first lap after the Northern Ireland rider did not stop in the stop-box and put his foot down.

However, the 36-year-old was later confirmed as the winner, to the anger of 8TEN Racing BMW riders Todd and Peter Hickman, who finished second and third respectively and felt Dunlop should have received a 10-second penalty.

Todd took his place on the rostrum but a disgruntled Hickman refused to join them.

In a chaotic race, Hawk Racing BMW rider Dunlop also ran on at Metropole in Portrush on the first lap along with Ian Hutchinson, Dean Harrison and Alastair Seeley, dropping down the order before powering back for a sensational win – his eighth in total at Northern Ireland’s biggest road race.

Dunlop said: “A good ride there. We were pushed into the chicane, Peter [Hickman] jumped over the grass which was dangerous and we went over the curb.

"I came back to win. The rules say if you cut the chicane you have to put your foot down. For safety reasons I couldn't do that – it was too dangerous, end of story.

"I didn't gain an advantage, got past everybody and won the race.

"You can't start swerving all over the road. I didn't gain an advantage, people got past me and I made another mistake. I think I deserved the race, I lost a load of time and came back again.”

Dunlop set the fastest lap of the race at 125.539mph.

Todd was left clear in front after Dunlop’s mistake at Metropole but the Ballymoney man was on a mission on his new factory BMM, setting a series of fastest laps to claw back the deficit.

He reeled in Todd on the road, passing the English rider into Station Corner on the final lap.

Dunlop went on to win the race to secure a hat-trick after his Superstock and Supersport wins on Thursday.

Todd revealed he had an issue with his BMW after the race, which caused him to slow.

"Fair play to him [Michael Dunlop] he is obviously riding well but we should have won the race anyway,” Todd said.

"We were miles in front and we had a technical issue with the bike and it started riding really slow. I don't know what's wrong with it and I wasn't sure if it was going to finish.”

On the decision to confirm Dunlop as the winner, he added: “I have no words. There is a rule and they just change the rules to suit whoever it suits."

His furious team-mate Hickman, who also ran on at Mather’s with Dunlop on the first lap, said: “It's dead simple, if you run onto a chicane, you have to stop and put your foot down and go again.

"Michael Dunlop obviously got pulled in by me into Mather's Cross and we both missed the chicane. Michael went straight on, I cut across to the stop box and went like you're meant to.

"If you don't do that, it's a ten second penalty and that's the rules. As far as I'm concerned one of us gets a ten second penalty and the other doesn't, but who knows what's going to happen.”

When Dunlop was announced as the winner, Hickman went over to Todd and declared: “You won that race.”

Carrickfergus man Seeley finished fourth on the SMS/Nicholl Oils BMW with Honda’s Harrison and Hutchinson on the MLav Racing BMW completing the top six.

John McGuinness, who was as high as third after the drama at the start of the race before losing places when he ran on at Magherabuoy, finished seventh (Honda Racing UK) with Finnish competitor Erno Kostamo in eighth on the RVS Motorsport BMW.

Josh Brookes (Jackson Racing Honda) and Michael Evans (Dafabet Honda) were the top ten.

Michael Rutter, who made his 100th start at the NW200, finished 12th on the Bathams AJN BMW.