Dunlop, who has been testing his Honda TT Legends Fireblade this week at Castle Combe, joins a host of top names in the class on the McAdoo Kawasaki ER6.

An impressive entry for the 650cc races on Thursday, May 16 and Saturday, May 18 includes two of last year’s podium finishers, Michael Rutter and Jeremy McWilliams, who will again ride for Ryan Farquhar on the Vauxhall KMR Kawasaki machines.

Ballyclare’s Jamie Hamilton, already a winner in the Supertwin races this season at Scarborough and the Cookstown 100, is also entered along with James Hillier and Ian Lougher.

Dunlop won both the Open and feature Cookstown 100 Superbike races at the opening Irish national road race of the season and also took a victory in the Supertwin ‘B’ race.

The 24-year-old was forced to start in the ‘B’ race after only managing a single lap during practice in the wet on slick tyres.


Dunlop told the News Letter: “I had a run out on the Supertwin at Cookstown but in practice I went out on slicks and it rained, so I just did a lap and pulled in and it meant I was put in the ‘B’ group.

“I didn’t think that was fair on the ‘B’ group riders and I wasn’t going out in that race to try and take their prize money or anything – I just needed the time on the bike before the North West 200.

“I’m not saying I’m better than everyone else but with me being in the ‘B’ race I maybe did someone else out of a win, but it wasn’t my fault,” he added.

“Winston McAdoo has put a fair bit into the bike so it was nice to get a win on it but I’d rather have been in the other group to see how I would’ve got on.

“The bike feels like it’s going well so I’ll have a go at the North West in the Supertwin races and see how we go.”

The three-times Isle of Man TT winner is brimming with confidence ahead of the first international roads meeting of the season, although Dunlop has plenty of work to undertake with his new CBR600RR Honda.

“It’s all testing ground with the bike and we’re only getting started,” he said. “We’ve got plenty of development to do and we’ll be working hard at it.”



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