Ulster road racing great Phillip McCallen says Michael Dunlop’s shock departure from BMW Motorrad will only strengthen his resolve to prove once again that it’s the man, not the bike, that wins races at the Isle of Man TT.

Dunlop delivered in style for the German marque this year, sealing a Superstock and Superbike double at the North West 200 before adding an historic treble in the Superbike, Superstock and Senior races at the TT, when he became the first rider since Georg Meier in 1939 to win the blue riband race for BMW on the infamous Mountain Course.

It seemed a match made in heaven, but 25-year-old Dunlop - who joined Portadown legend McCallen on 11 TT wins this year - confirmed at the weekend that he would not renew his deal with BMW in 2015, with Northern Ireland’s TAS Racing team linked with a switch to the manufacturer next season to run its official British Superbike and international road racing effort.

Yesterday, ‘Supermac’ told the News Letter:

“I think it’s terrible that it has happened because with some good testing in pre-season, Michael would have had a very strong package with BMW this year.

“Personally I wish he could get into a team he was happy with and one that he could stay in for the future but in saying that, sometimes in motorbikes there’s a lot of politics going on behind the scenes that we don’t know about and it’s not always black and white.

“It seems to me that there has been some politics going on behind the scenes in this case and I think we’ll have a better understanding of what has gone on in the next few weeks when other announcements are made,” added McCallen, who runs a successful motorcycle dealership on the Moira Road in Lisburn.

“I was talking to Michael the other night at the Ballymoney Sports Awards and I think all this has come as a bit of a shock to him, although he’s not too worried. If you give him any sort of good Superbike and 600 he can win at the TT.

“But in terms of longevity it’s about doing something more than the TT and being happy in a good Superbike or British championship team. I really wish in my heart that he gets something like that because Michael is more than capable of being successful on the short circuits like he is on the roads.”

Dunlop parted company from Honda after also bagging four TT wins in 2013 and his association with BMW has been equally short-lived.

McCallen, though, says the Ballymoney star will feel he can turn virtually almost any Superbike into a race-winning package at the TT after winning three of the last four big races on the Mountain Course.

“Michael has great self-belief and I remember at one stage I thought I could win TT races no matter what I was riding as well when I was still with Honda,” McCallen said.

“Michael hasn’t won on a Yamaha Superbike yet and there’s a new R1 coming out, so who knows - maybe one of those could be available to him from somewhere. Yamaha build good bikes and it’s been a few years now since they’ve had a new Superbike out - they’re not going to bring a new bike out that isn’t going to be capable of doing the business.

“There are still a number of teams that haven’t made any announcements yet, so there are still seats available and Michael will get a ride somewhere. I think having a factory-supported Superbike at the TT is a help data-wise, but to be honest a good private team with a reasonable budget can build a good Superbike now too.”



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