Michael Dunlop’s preparation for the Superbike and Senior races at the Isle of Man TT hasn’t gone as smoothly as he would have hoped after a late change of plans.

The record 33-time TT winner decided against riding his new Ducati V4R Superbike at the North West 200 after the late arrival of the machine, which he rode at the Oulton Park British Superbike test in April.

Dunlop was in action on his MD Racing BMW Superstock bike at the Cookstown 100 in Co Tyrone a few days later, winning all three Superbike races and setting a new outright lap record around the 2.1-mile course.

During race week at the North West, he confirmed he needed further testing and development with the Ducati, which he described a “full World Superbike” V4R.

placeholder image — Michael Dunlop has won a record 33 races at the Isle of Man TT

In an official statement, Dunlop said he intended to continue with the Ducati project in the future.

“With this new full WSBK Ducati V4R version having just arrived to the team at very late notice, we feel it is appropriate for the team to continue testing over the coming weeks and develop the bike further,” he said.

“We are looking forward to working along with Ducati so we can put the project in a good place and get testing done before we get it to the roads in the future.”

He rode a Honda Fireblade prepared by Hawk Racing at the NW200, claiming a podium with third place in the opening Superbike race behind Glenn Irwin and Dean Harrison.

It was an unexpected switch to the CBR1000RR-R for Dunlop, who was a retirement in the blue riband Superbike race won by sensational newcomer and BSB prospect Storm Stacey.

Dunlop hasn’t confirmed whether he will stick with the Honda for the TT, although at this stage it seems his most likely option.

However, it would be foolish to try and second-guess the Ulsterman, who famously keeps his cards close to his chest.

The 37-year-old will ride his MD Racing BMW in the Superstock races at the TT, a Scars by MD Racing Ducati V2 Supersport machine and a Paton in the Sportbike races.

Dunlop, who won the Supersport race at the NW200 on the Ducati V2 from Honda Racing’s Harrison, set his fastest TT lap on a Hawk Racing Honda in 2024 at 135.970mph in the Superbike race. He was comfortably on course for victory until an issue with the visor on his helmet following his second pit stop forced him to stop on Bray Hill to fix the problem.

Dunlop’s most recent Superbike success at the TT in 2023 was achieved on a Hawk Racing Honda, underscoring the Ulsterman’s strong from on the Fireblade.

The Ulsterman’s main priority during practice week will be getting his Superbike machine dialled in as Dunlop targets another big bike success around the Mountain Course.

The Superbike and Senior races are the headline events at the TT and Dunlop – who rode the ROKit BMW in 2025 – has a big opportunity to return to winning ways in the premier class, with key rival Davey Todd – who narrowly beat him in last year’s Superbike TT – ruled out through injury.

Todd’s 8TEN Racing BMW team-mate Peter Hickman missed the TT last year after a heavy crash in qualifying and is still dealing with some nerve damage. Hickman also crashed in his last race at the TT, coming off at Ginger Hall while leading the Senior in 2024.

The 39-year-old Burton-on-Trent rider still holds the outright lap record at over 136mph but comes into this year’s event with a slight question mark.

In the Supersport class, Dunlop is undoubtedly the man to beat. He has won the last eight races in the middleweight category and sealed a double last June on the Ducati V2, delivering the Italian manufacturer’s maiden victories at the event since 1995.

His chief challenger is likely to be Bradford man Harrison, who has been in excellent form in the British Supersport Championship and celebrated his maiden podium in the series at Donington Park, finishing third. The 37-year-old was battling with Dunlop for the Supersport win at the North West 200 when the race was stopped by a red flag.

Dunlop is also the favourite in the Sportbike races on the Italian Paton. He won both Supertwin races in 2025 as well as earning podiums in the Superbike race and both Superstock contests (the Senior TT was cancelled due to high winds), which were won by Harrison.

Looking ahead to this year, the TT’s number one rider remains confident he will be in the hunt once again and believes that while he may be getting older, he is “getting faster”.

“I don’t see why not,” Dunlop said. “The lads are good, the mechanics are good, the bikes that we’re building are good; we’re not always on the best bike but I feel like we’ve the best crew.

“I think I’m getting faster – I might be getting older but I’m certainly getting faster.

"I’m probably better now than I’ve ever been and me and Steve [Hicken] always talk a lot about the racing, and we’ve always said we haven’t seen the best ‘click’ yet.

"When Steve gets that bike where I want it to be – and I need to turn up on the day – I genuinely think we’re going to see something [special].

“If we can make it all click on the day and everything falls into place – and it’s not easy when you’re doing so many races and juggling so many things – but when it does click, and I feel like it’s still in me, I feel like there’s more left in the tank.

“Genuinely I feel there’s still something there and hopefully I’ll find out where it’s at.”

Dunlop’s first race of TT 2026 will be in the Superstock opener on Saturday.