Coming into the 2024 occasion, Dunlop stood on the sting of greatness after notching up his twenty fifth TT victory final 12 months.
Yet another would see him match his late uncle Joey Dunlop. And he did simply that within the first race of the week, occurring to grow to be the all-time number-one winner on the TT with 29 victories.
Dunlop did this in a fragmented week of racing as poor climate precipitated a significant headache for the organisers. However of the ten races scheduled, just one by no means received going.
There have been maiden wins for Davey Todd and Sidecar duo Ryan and Callum Crowe, whereas Peter Hickman sliced off his personal piece of historical past in a tougher-than-expected TT for the occasion’s poster boy of latest years.
Because the mud settles, listed below are the 5 key storylines that formed the 2024 Isle of Man TT.
1. Michael Dunlop turns into the undisputed King of the Mountain
Michael Dunlop, Hawk Racing Honda
Picture by: PaceMaker Press
Joey Dunlop’s file of 26 TT wins has stood since he gained the Extremely-Light-weight race again in 2008 aged 48, only a few weeks earlier than he was killed in a crash at an occasion in Estonia.
Since then, it had stood unmatched. At one stage, it appeared like John McGuinness could be the one to dethrone Joey Dunlop earlier than his victory tally stalled at 23. It additionally appeared like Michael Dunlop would by no means attain the identical heights as his legendary uncle.
Now he’s the best of all time having surpassed Joey’s file of 26 to maintain it within the household, with the benchmark now at 29 wins.
At 35, Michael Dunlop is driving higher than ever, his prowess on the smaller bikes now being backed up by gorgeous type on the Superbikes. A merciless visor difficulty not of his personal making denied him victory within the Superbike TT, whereas a mechanical difficulty ended his hopes on lap one of many Senior TT finale. His privately run Hondas in Superstock trim additionally proved no match for the factory-supported FHO and TAS Racing squads.
However with the competitors he’s having to face too, there will be little doubting Michael Dunlop’s credentials. Whether or not he or Joey will be thought of the best TT racer of all time might be a debate raged in pubs lengthy after Michael has known as it quits.
Joey Dunlop gained most of his races when he was over 35. The heights that Michael may scale to, then, pose a daunting thought.
2. Hickman matches a grand prix legend as he notches a half-century of begins
Peter Hickman
Picture by: iomtt.com
Peter Hickman has been the rider to beat on the TT on the massive Superbike and Superstock bikes since 2018. However TT 2024 didn’t fairly learn to the identical hymn sheet for the outright lap file holder.
An influence deficit on his Triumph Supersport bike – to the tune of about 8mph – held him again in that class, whereas his Yamaha was no match for the Paton Dunlop rode to double victory within the Supertwin class.
He was dethroned within the Superstock class by Davey Todd and was wanting on the right track for victory – and a brand new outright lap file – within the Senior TT earlier than crashing out at Ginger Corridor.
However Hickman’s type to that time within the Senior proved that the rider that has been so dominant on massive bikes has misplaced none of his edge, whereas a win within the Superbike TT after points for the leaders meant he matched grand prix legend Mike Hailwood’s profession tally of 14.
3. Todd lastly breaks his duck and joins ‘the massive 4’
Davey Todd
Picture by: PaceMaker Press
Davey Todd has been knocking on the door of TT victory success for the previous few years, however couldn’t fairly get there in 2023 with the Padgetts Honda squad.
A change to the TAS Racing BMW workforce, with whom he has been robust on quick circuits in 2024 within the British Superstock Championship, has allowed Todd to make that subsequent step.
Second within the Superbike TT on the BMW was a preview to a maiden victory in the one Superstock race of the week. A category nicely and really owned by Hickman since 2018 (the 12 months Todd made his TT debut), Hickman set his finest lap in follow on that bike.
However Todd was the stronger of the BMW pair, beating Hickman by simply 2.2s in a three-lap thriller. He then benefited from a crash for Peter Hickman within the Senior TT finale to dominate on his Superbike to convey his haul of wins to 2.
Todd added podiums within the Supersport class aboard the Ducati Panigale V2, which he raced for the primary time at TT 2024.
One in every of 4 riders setting 135mph laps in TT 2024, Todd is lastly the place he must be on the Isle of Man and can little doubt see his star rise additional within the years to come back.
4. Sidecar class will get a shake-up
Ryan Crowe, Callum Crowe
Picture by: iomtt.com
The Sidecar class was blown open firstly of the 12 months when Tom Birchall – a 14-time TT winner alongside his brother Ben – introduced he could be retiring.
With Ben Birchall having to stand up to hurry with a brand new passenger in Kevin Rousseau, it opened the door coming into the 2024 TT for the Crowe brothers – driver Ryan and passenger Callum – to search out their first win.
That hope was solely boosted as they posted a 119mph lap on the finish of follow, whereas Birchall/Rousseau have been compelled to overlook the primary race for the category after smashing up their outfit in a crash on the Mountain Field in qualifying.
The Crowe brothers have been completely dominant in each Sidecar races, breaking into the 120mph barrier (simply the second outfit in historical past to take action, after the Birchalls in 2023) and gave the Manx crowd their first residence win since 2014.
Birchall/Rousseau managed a podium within the second Sidecar race, marking begin to that partnership, whereas Peter Founds and Jevan Walmsley didn’t stay up their pre-TT promise – ending race one a distant second and never beginning the second with engine points.
Finishing the rostrum in race two was Dave Molyneux, the 17-time TT winner getting a primary podium since 2017 after a troublesome occasion that could be the 60-year-old’s final.
5. Organisers do nicely to battle towards the circumstances
Rain delay
Picture by: PaceMaker Press
Final 12 months’s Isle of Man TT was blessed with such good climate that something aside from a repeat in 2024 might be classed as a disappointment.
Tuesday’s follow was misplaced to poor climate, whereas the race week schedule was severely hampered by rain.
No racing passed off on Tuesday, whereas just one did on Wednesday. Rain meant no racing may occur on Friday, forcing a three-race Saturday timetable and the outright cancellation of the Superstock 2 contest.
All in all, although, of the ten races scheduled just one wasn’t run. Given the logistical complications organisers face in operating the TT, the very fact virtually the entire scheduled races have been staged deserves immense credit score.
Whereas there’ll all the time be those that are sad with timetable adjustments and cancellations, organisers have to contemplate the native inhabitants, calls for on riders and the marshals when deciding on any revisions.
Staging the TT won’t ever be a straightforward process, however the organisers did pretty much as good a job as doable to make sure virtually all racing might be held and followers weren’t upset.
