‘A personal thing’ - Michael Dunlop reacts to Classic TT win with legendary team owner

Michael Dunlop says winning the Lightweight race at the 2026 Classic TT was “a personal thing” for him due to the Padgetts team’s association with his late father Robert.

The 37-year-old has proudly carried on the Dunlop dynasty by becoming the most successful rider ever at the Isle of Man TT, taking the record to 36 as of this year.

The all-time win record at the TT passed from 23-time winner Joey Dunlop to his nephew Michael in 2024.

Winning three times this year at the Isle of Man TT, Michael Dunlop carried on his victory success in 2026 around the Mountain Course with a brace of victories on Sunday at the Classic TT.

He won the Formula 1 race on a Suzuki, before dominating the Lightweight race on a 250cc Honda run by the Padgetts Racing team.

Dunlop’s late father Robert - who was killed in a crash at the North West 200 in 2008 - rode for Clive Padgett in the 125cc and 250cc races in 1994, but never competed for him at the TT due to a serious incident at the event in the Formula 1 race.

For Michael Dunlop, winning Sunday’s Lightweight race at the Classic TT held even more significance.

“On that last lap, I just toured,” Dunlop, who set a new class lap record of 119.081mph, told Manx Radio.

“I said, ‘Clive, I’m doing 121mph’, and he’s like, ‘Michael, just go easy on it’.

“It’s something special; obviously, before my dad had his incident here, he was actually riding for Clive on a 125 and 250.

“He won the North West, but he never made the race for Clive [at the 1994 TT]. It was a bit of a personal thing that I wanted to do with Clive and we’d always said we’d ride together.”

He added: “The way the bike was going, I thought it was struggling, but it wasn’t; it was me.

“I just wasn’t riding it properly after coming off the big bike [in the Formula 1 race].

“There’s a lot more left there, the bike was singing, and fair play to the Milenco by Padgett men.

“I’d like to thank Clive for the opportunity and it’s a big feather in my cap to win another one.

“I just thank the lads, and weirdly enough I just wanted to win a 250 race this year. I don’t know what it was; it was just something about it, and we’ve done it.”

Dunlop won the Lightweight race on his own 250 Honda at the Classic TT in 2025.

Classic TT race action is due to continue on Monday with the Historic Senior and the Junior 600 contests, before concluding on Tuesday with the Classic Superbike race.