William Dunlop

I’m going to try my best and write this column without rambling on about the old man and say a few words about him. We have had some great riders in our sport and without being biased Robert Dunlop was the best rider to come out of this country bar none. He was probably the best two stroke rider to come out of Britain, he just never got the breaks in life to go to the world stage. He started the year off with nothing. He did one track day on the 250 but for the 125 class he had nothing.
Come the Cookstown he hadn’t even sat on that 125, he qualified badly due to a bad battery. Come race day he walked it winning so easy by 7 seconds first time on a bike this year. That day he passed me from the B group and I have never seen him riding so well. It was the same at Tandragee, he really was at his best as he was so smooth. Paddy Flynn my sponsor made a few phone calls and he sorted out with Mark Keen to come over with a KRP machine for him and I’m so grateful to Paddy for that because I could see my Dad’s face was beaming with happiness when Mark called him to say I’m on the coast road. I think Dad thought he would have not turned up but them coming over was priceless to him. He knew that would be his 16th North West win, I’ve never seen him that confident.

Read the full column in this months issue.