The story of Joey Dunlop's famous victory in the Formula One race at the 2000 Isle of Man TT

At the age of 48, Joey wound back the years to claim the one win he wanted more than any other on the 1000cc Honda SP-1.

He had triumphed in the race six times in a row between 1982 and 1988, although his hopes of a sixth victory on the spin in 1989 were dashed after he crashed at Brands Hatch, sustaining a broken right wrist and thigh when he was taken out by Belgian rider Stephane Mertens.

Joey’s chances of returning to winning ways in the blue riband class at the TT were written off by many, but he battled his way back to fitness and won the Ultra Lightweight race on his 125cc Honda in 1992 – equalling Mike Hailwood’s record of 14 victories.

He also won the Ultra Lightweight race in 1993 and 1994, but he was finally back on the top step in the ‘big bike’ class in 1995, beating Scotsman Iain Duffus to clinch victory in the Senior on his Honda RC45.

Five years later, burly Yorkshireman David Jefferies was the name on everyone’s lips as the first TT of the new Millennium dawned.

Jefferies had bagged a hat-trick at the TT in 1999 and the V&M Yamaha rider was very much the man to beat.

Joey, though, had put one over on his younger rival at the Ulster Grand Prix in ’99, producing one of his greatest rides at Dundrod to see off the 1000cc Yamaha machines of Jefferies and

Duffus for his 24th and final win around the 7.4-mile course on his ageing Honda RC45.

It was going to take something special for Joey to beat Jefferies at the 2000 TT but he was left bitterly disappointed at the start of the season with the 900cc Fireblade he received from Honda.

After riding the bike for the first time at Aghadowey, Joey knew it was nowhere good enough to deliver a result at the TT.

He made his frustrations clear and was given a Honda SP-1, supplied by Paul Bird’s Vimto Demon British Championship team, which he rode for the first time in the wet at the Cookstown 100.

At the North West 200 – never one of Joey’s favourite road races – things looked up as he qualified on pole, although he retired from both Superbike events on race day.

The TT, though, was always Joey’s top priority and never more so than in 2000, when he was determined to stake his claim for another Formula One victory. It was his family’s belief that Joey had decided this would be his final appearance at the TT, perhaps underlining why he was so keen to win his first Formula One race since 1988.

Honda UK’s Bob McMillan, aware of Joey’s rare disappointment with Honda, contacted his bosses in Japan to highlight his frustrations.

Before long, an offer of a factory-spec engine for the TT from Aaron Slight’s World Superbike team plus a special swing-arm, a crew of HRC technicians, two Showa suspension engineers and New Zealander Slight’s mechanic, Simon Greer, was forthcoming.

Joey only tested the bike at Cadwell Park and practice week at the TT threw up plenty of obstacles, not least issues with handling and stability.

A late gamble with the front tyre ultimately cured the problems he had been facing, while the mixed wet and dry conditions around parts of the Mountain Course on Formula One race day played to Joey’s unrivalled knowledge of the Manx roads.

The air of expectation was palpable as Joey set off from his iconic number 3 behind Ian Lougher and Nigel Davies.

An opening lap of 121.31mph put him into the lead, but only by 0.3 seconds from Michael Rutter (V&M Yamaha), while race favourite Jefferies – the fastest man in practice – was fourth behind John McGuinness (Vimto Honda), 10 seconds down on Dunlop.

By Ramsey hairpin on lap two, Joey was still leading the race but it was now Jefferies who had moved up to second, six seconds behind ‘Yer Maun’, with Rutter dropping to third.

A slick pit-stop for Joey enabled him to increase his lead over Jefferies to nine seconds on corrected time as they set off on their third lap, but Jefferies was on the move and had slashed the deficit to less than five seconds by the time they reached Ramsey.

It was now the two-horse race that everyone had anticipated, with Rutter losing ground in third, 20 seconds behind Jefferies.

The deficit was decreasing all the time and by Glen Helen on the fourth lap, Joey held a slender lead of four seconds over the hard-charging Jefferies, who cut the gap further to only 1.5 seconds at Ramsey hairpin.

They were neck and neck on corrected time at the end of the lap but once again, Joey enjoyed a better pit-stop as he fitted another new rear tyre for the final two laps, gaining six seconds on Jefferies.

The scene was set for a thrilling climax to the first race of the 2000 TT, but at Ballacraine, Jefferies’ Yamaha was reported as smoking and he retired down the road at Ballig Bridge.

Joey, over 50 seconds clear of Rutter, was now in total control and he nursed the big Honda home for an unforgettable 24th victory.

A young Rutter took the runner-up spot with Joey’s team-mate, John McGuinness, coming home in third.

When Manx Radio’s Geoff Cannell asked Joey how he had done it, the man of few words said simply: “I don’t know.”

After catching his breath and taking off his gloves and helmet, Joey added: “It was heavy work with six laps and I paced myself as best I could. It was good, I enjoyed it really.”

Quizzed on conditions at the beginning of the race, Joey said: “I had a couple of real bad ones on the wet patches on the first lap, it scared me a bit. But it dried out and the second lap was all right.”

Asked if he had cured the front-end weave with his Honda, Joey said: “I’m saying nothing! I really enjoyed it and it was a good, tight race the whole way. It (Honda SP-1) was brought here to do a job and that’s it all over.”

Joey went on to complete a treble with wins in the 250cc and 125cc races, setting a career record of 26 wins in all.

Sadly, it was to be his final TT for all the wrong reasons after he lost his life in a racing accident at Tallinn in Estonia, only weeks later.

Twenty years on, Joey’s enduring legacy is as strong as ever and he is still widely regarded as the greatest road racer of all time.

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