Joey Dunlop's finest win at the Isle of Man TT - 25 years on

3rd June 2000, Joey Dunlop lined up in his familiar starting position of number three for the Formula One TT, now known as the Superbike TT. In his striking red and black Honda colours, he pushed his VTR1000 SP-1 machine into position at the start line, waited ten seconds, got the tap on the shoulder and set off towards the top of Bray Hill.

Now, I am sure most of you know what happens next, Isle of Man TT history was created that day. 25 years on, the legendary tales of it still get talked about by fans, young and old. It was Joey Dunlop’s finest hour at the TT and arguably the greatest moment in Isle of Man TT history.

At the North West 200, I chatted with road racing photographer and author, Stephen Davison. He was on the ground at TT 2000 and remembers vividly the twists and turns of that day and the two weeks on the island.

“On the last night of practice, he seemed to find something. He had been struggling with the bike, but he was ready to go for the race on Saturday,” said Davison.

Of course, the machinery that Joey and teammate John McGuinness were on wasn’t the fancied choice for the majority of the grid. Honda’s VTR1000 SP-1 was their answer to Ducati’s V-twin dominance of World Superbikes, but in the first year of its racing infancy, it wasn’t the complete package.

At the North West 200 a month before, Joey Dunlop remarkably qualified the bike on pole position, but it was evident that the bike lacked the top speed and handling compared to the dominant V&M Yamaha R1, which was ridden by the new kid on the block, David Jefferies and Michael Rutter.

Jefferies did the Superbike double at the North West 200 and then the Formula One and Senior TT double in 1999. Rutter also chalked up a Superbike double at the North West in 2000, so they were the two guys to beat on the best machinery.

Joey needed support, and the support came from Honda. They sent him factory-spec parts from World Superbikes rider Aaron Slight’s bike, an updated engine with Japanese engineers listening to every bit of feedback Joey gave. It is fair to say, the pressure was on.

'Spine-tingling' from Joey Dunlop at 2000 Isle of Man TT

Track conditions for the start of the Formula One race weren’t ideal, something that would play into Dunlop’s favour. Damp patches from the previous night's rain showers were scattered around the 37.73-mile course. Could Joey deliver? The tone was set from lap one.

“It was spine-tingling stuff from the word go, there was always the question of ‘could he do it?’ But he was just on it from the start of that Formula One race,” remarked Stephen.

“When you consider how 1999 went against David Jefferies on the Yamaha R1, Joey knew that the six laps would ebb and flow, and his experience in the mixed conditions certainly played into his hands.”

“There is one thing that never gets talked about for that Saturday, that bike only appeared in that livery for six laps. I vividly remember from that day, hearing the reaction of Peter Kneale from Manx Radio ‘Oh my, look at this!’

“You could tell it was special, there was a different feel about the place.”

Renowned for his sport-defining photography, Stephen described the importance of getting the shot of Joey that day, photos that have now been seen all around the world for the last 25 years. But some people weren’t as lucky…

“A good photographer friend of mine didn’t get a sharp picture in the six laps, and you can’t bluff it!

“From a photographer's point of view, there was a bit of pressure, and I took the easy option and legged it to Quarterbridge, which, as you know, is slow, so I made sure I got a clear picture of Joey!”

“You could see the full range of experience that he had that day over DJ. He would pull out a few seconds, and then DJ would edge it back. But the more it went on for the first few laps, you just got the sense of history, and this was going to be the moment.”

It was really that, you can go back and watch the race in full on the TT+ app, the story of the race for Joey was quite simple when you look at it on paper. He only lost the lead once, and that was the start of lap five after David Jefferies snatched it by +0.7 after the second pit stop.

But Dunlop was managing over the race distance; he would control the gap over DJ by six seconds on the run to Ramsey from lap 1-4, and then Jefferies would eat into the lead over the mountain, creating a tactical chess match between the 48-year-old and 27-year-old.

Not to forget, in the early laps, Michael Rutter and John McGuinness also factored into the battle for the win, with Dunlop holding a +0.5 lead over Rutter and five seconds over his teammate, McGuinness.

Age perspective changed at Isle of Man TT

However, when I asked Stephen about the age factor with Joey, he thinks the perspective has changed in 2025:

“The age thing is interesting when you look at it now, the perspective has changed so much. Joey had grey hair, and maybe people thought he was older than he was! Looking at Michael Rutter and John McGuinness, they were doing a chat show and they were slagging each other off about their age, and they are in their fifties.

“Both of them are holding top jobs on the grid still today, with John starting number one on the big Honda at the TT, so the perspective has massively changed about the age factor with Joey, I think.”

The job for Joey became that much easier when, on lap five after just taking the lead, David Jefferies’ V&M Yamaha suffered a mechanical issue and forced him to retire at Ballig bridge. Dunlop had nearly a minute's lead over Rutter in 2nd place, it was a case of just bringing it home.

The last time Joey had tasted victory in the Formula One race was 1988; he’d come so close in 1999 when defeated by David Jefferies, whose first TT win on the Yamaha ended Honda’s seventeen-year domination of the race. Regaining the Formula One crown for Honda and Joey was a moment of sporting history.

“I just remember standing in the tunnel beside the podium because they don’t let you into the enclosure until the riders get back," said Davison. You could hear the radio commentary, and then he crossed the line. Then the onus switched back onto me, as I just thought ‘Don’t make a mess of these photographs, don’t balls it up!’

As Joey Dunlop soaked up the applause from the masses lining the return road to the paddock, he’d accomplished his 24th TT win in his 24th year at the event. But as ever, the calm nature of the Ballymoney man didn’t allow the moment to overwhelm him:

“I remember seeing him after the race, he was just himself. There was a wee smile, there were no high-fives or cheering or shouting or anything like that, to be honest. He just clearly loved the moment and being back in the winner's enclosure,” Davison continued.

He was joined on the podium by Michael Rutter in second and John McGuinness in third, two men who are still currently racing at the Isle of Man TT in their fifties.

From Stephen’s perspective, Joey Dunlop’s week at the TT was going to get better.

“You knew then for the rest of the week, it had a ‘gathering’ feeling and got more special when he added the 25th and 26th wins. I do think getting the big one out of the way first, relaxed him so much in the 125/250cc races.”

Dunlop went on to finish in third place in the curtain-closing Senior TT, which proved to be his final ever race around the mountain course. A lasting memory of Joey for Stephen Davison came shortly after the Senior TT, he goes on to explain:

“I always remember that after the Senior, Joey is on the podium. There is a tradition that the top three would go and meet the scouts after the race and thank them for their help with the old leaderboard timings.

“I remember standing there with the camera, and the scoutmaster came in and gathered them up, now… I am not saying they didn’t want to meet DJ, but they all just wanted Joey!

“You know, that is the enduring memory for me. Seeing Joey, sitting there with all the kids and getting his photograph taken in front of the leaderboard.”

“To think that the generation of kids that met him there, probably carried love for the man through their parents, who watched Joey throughout his career, and now they’ve all grown up and told the stories about how they met Joey, it’s the magic of the man.

“It was the last thing you took away from the event in 2000, and he made it that way and made it his TT.”

Michael Dunlop extends family legacy

At the end of our chat, attention turned to Joey’s nephew, Michael. Stephen has photographed every single one of his wins at the Isle of Man TT, which now stands at 30, as I am writing this a few hours after his Supersport race one success onboard the Ducati Panigale V2.

“He’s (Michael) said a lot about keeping the Dunlop name going. For Michael, he said he always wanted to win TTs, and he has done that. For two generations of the Dunlop family to sit at the top of the tree and be the greatest TT riders, there is no doubt that they are.

“For me, Michael was very mindful and respectful of Joey’s record. He didn’t want to step on it, you could see when he broke it with the 27th win, the emotion from him.

“The weight lifted, and for me, I have photographed all of Michael’s wins, and they’ve all had something, so many twists and turns down the road, like all Dunlop’s, they do it their own way”, remarked Stephen.

“Joey was a great Honda man, yes, he won on a Yamaha too. But with Michael, he just jumps from bike to bike, and he has picked what makes it.”

Michael has now won with his seven different manufacturers at the TT, with his latest success on the Ducati V2.

“He is only interested in winning and is ruthless in that way.

“For two people, to be at that level… From the same family, to dominate our sport and carry that tradition on, it is a great thing for here (Northern Ireland).”

On the 3rd June 2025, Michael Dunlop has two chances of adding more wins to his ever-growing record tally. He is a history maker, just like his Uncle Joey was 25 years ago at the Isle of Man.

They both sit first and second in the race wins category, and their corners on the mountain sit virtually a mile apart from each other; they will be forever linked to the Isle of Man TT.

Appreciate the history you’ve witnessed or are currently witnessing, whether it was 25 years ago or it’s in 2025, the Dunlop dynasty is truly the greatest in all of motorsport.