MCE BIKER NEWS ARTICLE - 2018

Dunlop sensationally swaps to BMW

The Isle of Man was rocked today with the news that Michael Dunlop has decided he will not be racing on the R1 with Milwaukee Yamaha. It was no secret in the biking community that Dunlop was not happy with the performance of the superbike ever since the North West 200 where he underperformed - compared to his previous results.

The 11 times TT winner will now ride an S1000RR for Buildbase BMW, a bike that he seemed to instantly gel with last year and subsequently won on. The bike he will be using is actually not even on the island yet, and will be shipped over shortly and set up for the two remaining practice sessions before the Superbike TT on Saturday.

Following the practice session the former Milwaukee Yamaha rider got off the bike after just three laps and looked evidently unhappy with the performance. With Bruce Anstey setting a blistering 128.641mph speed on his Valvoline Padgett Honda, Dunlop's 124.519mph lap time was evidently the final straw with the race team, deciding he could obviously perform better with the manufacturer he won with in 2014.

Dunlop declared he doesn't think the team have "enough time left with the sessions to be truly competitive and get the bike to the level we need in order to win races".

He also said "I am genuinely sorry to be making this decision" directed towards Shaun Muir's Milwaukee Yamaha team, which puts them in a rather embarrassing position with the renowned rider deciding the bike isn't competitive enough yet.

This has no doubt added to the excitement of the upcoming race, with the twists and turns evidently not just on the track! The final two practice sessions will reveal whether or not Dunlop's decision was correct, it's going to be interesting!

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