TT 2023: Michael Dunlop on brink of equalling or surpassing his uncle Joey's all-time record

The 34-year-old has already wrapped up a four-timer – his third at the TT – following victories in the first Superbike and Supertwin races and a blistering Supersport double.

Now, Dunlop has a gilt-edged opportunity to at least pull level with Joey’s all-time record of 26 TT wins, which has stood unrivalled since 2000.

“We’ll just try to batter on and get it done, keep pushing on and there’s a few more races yet,” he said after his 25th win in Wednesday’s Supersport race.

“It’s probably the best conditions at the TT there’s ever been and the weather has been fantastic, the roads are fantastic and the organisers are running a fantastic event at the moment.”

Dunlop matched and then surpassed Englishman John McGuinness to stand alone in second place in the TT hall of fame, but the Ballymoney man is on a mission to reach the summit and set a new milestone before the 2023 festival concludes on Saturday.

He is a heavy favourite to win Friday’s afternoon’s second Carole Nash Supertwin race (2pm) after a dominant win on the Italian Paton on Tuesday, but Dunlop faces a tougher job against Peter Hickman in the final three-lap RL360 Superstock race.

Hickman cleared off into the distance on the Monster Energy by FHO Racing BMW in Tuesday’s first race and won by 23 seconds.

Dunlop, though, later said his MD Racing Honda felt ‘nervous’ in the handling department and was planning to make changes to the Fireblade ahead of race two (11:45am).

“It was very nervous for some reason – that’s my fault, nobody else’s – it just felt quite hard work, but that’s the way it goes,” he said.

“That’s obviously feedback I need to give back to the lads and we need to make a move.”

Dunlop has been a man on a mission at this year’s TT, clocking the fastest ever lap in final qualifying last Friday at 135.531mph on his Hawk Racing Honda and setting the first 130mph lap on a 600cc Supersport machine to wrap up a sensational double on his MD Racing Yamaha.