P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Michael Dunlop – the most successful ever Isle of Man TT racer – has withdrawn his Ducatis from this week’s North West 20 races
Michael Dunlop, the most successful Isle of Man TT racer ever, has decided to withdraw his Ducatis from the North West 200 races this week, despite recently announcing a factory partnership with Ducati for superbike and superstock classes.
He hinted that he might continue to use alternative machinery for the upcoming TT races instead of using Ducatis.
Although the switch from BMW to Ducati wasn’t a big surprise, it marked a significant move for the 100th anniversary of Ducati as a company, even though Ducati hasn’t been successful in the TT superbike category.
Due to late arrival of the WSBK Ducati V4R to his team, Dunlop felt it necessary to continue testing and developing the bike before hitting the roads.
Dunlop’s past history of last-minute bike switches for better competitive packages suggests a likelihood of running Honda or BMW machinery instead of Ducatis at the TT races.
His partnership with Hawk Racing’s Honda bikes and the possibility of using the BMW superstock bike from 2025 indicate potential replacements for the Ducatis at the upcoming races.
