William Dunlop (motorcyclist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids William Dunlop |
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Dunlop at the North West 200
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| Nationality | Northern Irish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 July 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 7 July 2018 (aged 32) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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William Dunlop (born 23 July 1985 – died 7 July 2018) was a famous motorcycle racer from Northern Ireland. He was part of a very well-known racing family. His younger brother was Michael Dunlop, and his father was the late Robert Dunlop. His uncle was the legendary Joey Dunlop. William sadly passed away after a racing accident in the Republic of Ireland.
Contents
William Dunlop: A Motorcycle Racing Star
William started his racing journey in 2000 when he was just 15 years old. He began by racing smaller 125 cc bikes. Throughout his career, he became incredibly successful. He won over 100 races in Irish National Road Races. This showed how talented he was on the track.
Big Wins and Special Races
William also achieved many victories at two of Ireland's most famous road racing events. He won the North West 200 four times. He also won the Ulster Grand Prix seven times. These races are very challenging and exciting.
At the famous Isle of Man TT, William finished on the podium (top three) six times. His best result there was coming in second place in the 2016 TT Zero race. He also won two races at the North West 200, with his first win in 2009.
Racing Different Bikes
William rode for different teams and on various motorcycles during his career. Until late 2015, he raced for Tyco BMW Motorrad Racing. He rode bikes like the BMW S1000RR and a Suzuki GSX-R600.
In 2016, he switched to racing Yamaha YZF-R1 and Yamaha YZF-R6 bikes. These were for the Superbike and Supersport races. He also rode a Kawasaki ZX-10R Superstock bike for some races.
William competed in the Isle of Man TT for eleven seasons, from 2006 to 2017. He earned a second place and four third-place finishes in different races. These included 125 cc, SuperSport, and Classic races.
Tough Moments on Track
Racing can be very dangerous. In 2014, William had a crash during the Senior TT race at the 2014 Isle of Man TT. He was leading the race for a short time. However, he went off the road and hit an embankment. This accident caused him to break his left leg in two places.
Despite this injury, William came back strong. In 2015, he had a great start to his season. He won two races at the Tandragee 100 event, even though it was raining. He won the Supersport Class race on a CD Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. He also won the Senior Open Race on a BMW S1000RR.
Remembering William
Sadly, William Dunlop passed away on 7 July 2018. He was practicing for the Skerries 100 Road Races when his bike had a problem. He lost control and crashed.
On 26 February 2022, a special statue of William Dunlop was placed in the Memorial Garden in Ballymoney. This garden also has memorials for his father Robert and his uncle Joey. It is a place where people can remember the amazing Dunlop racing family.
See Also
- Robert Dunlop
- Joey Dunlop
- Michael Dunlop
- North West 200
- Isle of Man TT
- Road (2014 film)
