Michael Dunlop reveals Classic TT win protest led to “nervous” final race

Michael Dunlop says he had to battle a leak during the 2026 Classic TT Senior finale, which he thinks was the result of his bike’s engine being stripped following an earlier protest.

The 36-time Isle of Man TT winner enjoyed a strong meeting at the 2026 Classic TT, as he stormed to three race wins.

Dunlop took victory in the Formula 1 race on Sunday on his 750cc Suzuki, before adding Lightweight success to his scorecard on a Padgetts Honda 250.

He claimed a third victory in Tuesday’s four-lap Senior finale on his Suzuki by over 12 seconds, though admitted afterwards he endured a “nervous” ride due to a leak.

Dunlop says his bike was protested after his Formula 1 win, which meant his Suzuki’s engine had to be stripped and then rebuilt in a short amount of time.

He believes this was the reason for the leak.

“I was nervous for a lap or two there,” he told Manx Radio.

“We’ve got a bit of a leak. We were protested the other day, so they made us strip the engine.

“And obviously with the races being so close together, we just have to scrabble together again, and we’ve obviously had a wee leak somewhere.

“So, we spent the race slipping off the pegs. But, apart from that, it’s not anybody’s fault; just with the protest, they had to strip the motor.”

Asked about conditions over the mountain section of the course, he added: “Aye, it was windy a bit.

“And, to be honest with you, with the issue I had, I kept spinning up a lot.

“I just thought once I got the boys in sight, I didn’t go any harder.

“I just nursed, nursed, nursed, hoping, hoping, hoping. But, thanks to the boys. They’ve been mint all week, so nice to come back and win more races.”

Three wins at the Classic TT follow on from a hat-trick of wins at the Isle of Man TT in June.

But Dunlop reckons the Classic TT is likely the end of his 2026 season.

“I dunno,” he replied when asked what his plans were for the rest of the year.

“There won’t be much more happening now. So, the year’s nearly over, obviously.

“So, we’ll see what happens. We’ll try and achieve something next year and try and get bikes sorted earlier. And try to get more sponsors in.”