NW200: Michael Dunlop confident he can give 'BSB boys' a run for their money

The 25-time Isle of Man TT winner was in the thick of the action during opening qualifying on Wednesday, finishing third quickest in the Superbike, Supersport and Superstock classes as he made his typically fast start to the first major road race of the year.

Dunlop was riding his new MasterMac Hawk Racing Honda Superbike for the first time and ended the session 4.2s down on pre-race favourite Glenn Irwin, who is aiming to join Joey Dunlop and Michael Rutter on nine victories in the class in this evening’s opening race.

It was a promising start for the Ballymoney man, who is on the brink of making history at the TT in June as he closes in on his legendary uncle Joey’s record of 26 victories.

Dunlop suffered an uncharacteristic crash last month at the Cookstown 100 when he came off his MD Racing Triumph 765 in the Supersport invitation race and admitted that while he hurt himself, he didn’t expect the injury to have too much of an adverse impact on his prospects this week.

He has won five times at the North West but his last taste of the victory champagne was back in 2016, when he triumphed in the Superbike class on a Hawk Racing BMW.

Dunlop said: “I did [pick up an injury] but it’s something that we will have to adapt to this weekend; I can’t really use it as an excuse because I feel good at the minute, I feel like I’m prepped and ready to go.

“I feel I can be competitive here with the BSB boys. There’s no reason why I can’t be and there’s nothing stopping me because I have the machinery to do so.

“It’s hard because the boys are riding BSB every weekend and it’s [North West 200 course] a short circuit style; obviously we know by the likes of Glenn coming here the short circuit style is what the North West is all about to a degree.

“I suppose people like Glenn are the proof of that because they’re running at the front at BSB, then they come here straight away and turn it on; all the short circuit men – Davey [Todd], Pete [Peter Hickman] – they come to the North West and make it hard work because they’re primed up and ready to go, whereas the TT is a bit different obviously – we know how competitive it is getting there because it’s getting faster every year,” he added.

“I would like one because it’s been eluding me for a while. It’s a bit sad because I’d like to have a win here but come Thursday and Saturday we’ll have a push.”

Dunlop finished on the podium in both Superstock races in 2023 on his MD Racing Honda and fourth in the feature NW200 Superbike race.

He was leading the first Superbike race until he was forced out with a rear tyre issue.

In the Supersport races, Dunlop sealed fourth and fifth respectively on his Yamaha R6, but he has made the switch to the British Triumph machine for 2024.

“Last year I think we gave a good account of ourselves but I think the results didn’t do us justice in my opinion,” he said. “I just thought there would have been more but the results just didn’t work for us.

“We had red flags in the Superbike race which didn’t help and we had a tyre go in the first Superbike race while leading.

“In the Superstock race we were just learning so much about the bike and we were making inroads, but it was a lap too late sort of thing.”

In Superbike qualifying, BSB title leader Irwin set an unofficial lap record of 4m 18.553s (124.895mph) in perfect conditions around the 8.9-mile course on the Hager PBM Ducati.

Milwaukee BMW’s Davey Todd (124.243mph) was 1.357s adrift with Dunlop third (122.870mph).

Lap record holder Peter Hickman slotted into fourth on his PHR Performance BMW, 6.470s seconds off the top spot, with Dean Harrison – riding the Honda Racing UK Superstock machine – and the returning Ian Hutchinson (Milenco by Padgett’s Honda) rounding out the first six.

Six-time NW200 winner John McGuinness completed the session in seventh, also riding a Honda Racing UK Superstock machine, with James Hillier next on the WTF Racing Honda.

Final qualifying takes place on Thursday (roads closed 9am-3pm) with the opening Superbike, Supersport and Superstock races – all over four laps – scheduled in the evening (roads closed 4:45pm to 9pm).