Michael Dunlop delivers blunt verdict on two controversies at North West 200

Michael Dunlop says that Richard Cooper and Dean Harrison “got an advantage on me” in Supersport Race 2 at the North West 200, after the pair cut the final chicane while battling for the win.

All three riders went into the final chicane together. Cooper and Harrison made contact on the inside and both cut the chicane, whereas Dunlop stayed on the racing surface.

Dunlop had been involved in controversy in the second Superbike race earlier in the day when he didn’t stop when cutting the Mather’s chicane, but was not penalised and went on to win the race.

Michael Dunlop had two controversies at North West 200

While he wasn’t penalised in the Superbike race, Dunlop implied that Harrison and Cooper should’ve been in the Supersport race because they “got an advantage on me”.

“A great race,” Dunlop summarised after Supersport Race 2, speaking to BBC Sport NI.

“It’s hard to call that one. The two boys [Cooper and Harrison] both knew they weren’t making the turn so they let the brakes off and rode over the grass, so they got an advantage on me there.

“I had a tactic to go around the outside, and I saw Dean [Harrison] coming on the inside and I said ‘Oh, he’s not making that’.

“The two of them ran on and I did the chicane.

“There was controversy earlier: I didn’t make an advantage, they made a clear advantage between each other.

“What do you say about it? Unless the organisers look at it, I don’t know?

“At the end of the day, it was a great race, it was tight racing, great racing. That’s all it’s all about.”

Dunlop added that it was “disappointing” to miss out on the win, having won Supersport Race 1 on Thursday.

“It was just disappointing there,” he said.

“I felt that last chicane wasn’t practical. Yes, the chicane in the [Superbike] race I didn’t make an advantage, it was the first lap [and then] I ran on at Metropole.

“The two riders [Cooper and Harrison] made an advantage, they made a divebomb and couldn’t make the turn on the final turn of the race.

“I made the turn.

“It’s frustrating. It’s always going to go down to that last chicane; if that’s the case, we might as well all get to the last chicane and just ride through it.”