Tyco Suzuki star William Dunlop has withdrawn from this week’s Southern 100 road races at Billown on the Isle of Man.

Dunlop made a winning comeback at the Skerries 100 on Saturday, taking victory in the Supersport race in his first race since he broke his leg in a crash in the Senior TT in June.

The 28-year-old had been due to compete in the Superbike and Supersport races at the Southern 100 on the TAS Racing machines, but on Monday Dunlop told the News Letter he had pulled out of the event because he is not yet at peak fitness.

“I’m not fit enough yet to do the Southern 100 because it’s one thing racing at Skerries, but Billown is a much longer circuit and it’s a lot more physically demanding,” he said.

“I don’t want to go there when I know I won’t be able to give the likes of Guy [Martin] and Michael a run for their money.

“I know I won at Skerries but I wasn’t able to move my body around the bike the way I wanted to. When you’re going to the Southern 100 you need to be on top of your game if you want to have a chance of winning,” he added.

“Guy has a good chance of doing well at the Southern and I don’t want to be taking up the team’s time and taking the shine off it when I know I’m not up to getting the results.”

Jamie Hamilton is also ruled out of the Southern 100 after suffering injuries including a broken pelvis and dislocated shoulder following a crash in the feature Superbike race at Skerries.

Dunlop, meanwhile, still hopes to compete at the ‘Race of the South’ at Walderstown in Co Meath this weekend.




by Kyle White
.