Isle of Man TT victories for Dunlop, McGuinness and Plater

Public road racing plays an integral part in the development of Dunlop’s motorcycle tyres, and the British manufacturer’s ‘Race to Road’ philosophy is one that facilitates the delivery of the best race-derived technology to consumers. The recent Isle of Man TT race, an event considered by some to be the most notorious public road racing event in the world, is for Dunlop the perfect testing ground for the company’s tyres – and recent results suggest the manufacturer has passed the test with flying colours.

Following what proved to be one of the most competitive Isle of Man TT Senior races in recent memory, John McGuinness, aboard his Dunlop-shod Padgetts Manx Gas Racing Honda, emerged victorious once again. A year after attaining the first ever 130mph lap around the famous Mountain Course, McGuinness took to the top step of the podium for the 14th time. The result means that only public road racing legend Joey Dunlop, who took 26 wins, is more successful than McGuinness at the Isle of Man TT.

On the final lap of the race, McGuinness scored the fastest lap of the 2008 contest. Once again he closed in on the 130mph lap barrier, clocking an average speed of 129.517mph. On his Senior TT race victory, McGuinness commented: “Dunlop’s triple tread compound technology gives me the confidence to push myself to the limit around the Isle of Man TT course. I feel incredibly loyal to Dunlop as in 2008 they once again helped me to victory.”

Dunlop also secured a win in the first Supersport race of the week, courtesy of AIM Racing’s Steve Plater. The result came a matter of weeks after Plater, aboard his Dunlop-shod Yamaha, bagged a hat-trick in another of the world’s premier public road racing events – the North West 200.

Phil Plater, Manager Motorsport UK commented on the success: “We go racing to develop and improve the performance of our road tyres, so the results at events like the Isle of Man TT and North West 200 are extremely important to us. John’s victory in the Isle of Man and Steve’s performances at both the TT and the North West 200 prove that Dunlop make a formidable race tyre that is equally adept on the road.”