Record Isle of Man TT winner Michael Dunlop will kick-start his 2025 racing season at the Daytona 200 in the USA this week.
The Ballymoney man will ride a Milwaukee/MD Racing Ducati Panigale V2 at the famous race in Daytona Beach, Florida, where practice begins on Thursday.
Final practice and qualifying take place on Friday before the 200-mile race takes centre stage on the iconic oval-banked course on Saturday.
Dunlop previously raced at the event in 2021, when he finished in 11th position on a Kawasaki after qualifying 21st on his debut.
The 35-year-old has tested the Ducati at Jerez in Spain but has not officially announced his choice of machinery for the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT this year.
Dunlop won both of the Supersport races at the TT in 2024 on his MD Racing Yamaha after riding a Triumph Daytona 765 in practice.
In the Superbike and Superstock classes, he has relied on Honda Fireblade machinery in recent seasons.
His four wins at the TT last year saw him become the most successful rider in the history of the event, overtaking his uncle Joey’s previous record of 26 victories, which had stood since the 48-year-old claimed a treble in 2000 shortly before he lost his life in a racing accident in Tallinn, Estonia.
It was the realisation of a long-held dream for Dunlop, but he remains committed to adding to his haul.
At a homecoming parade to honour his achievements in Ballymoney in October, Dunlop said: “We’re from a small town but a big family within road racing and we’re trying to keep it at the top, and that’s what it’s been all about.
“It’s more of a personal thing to try and keep it in the family more than anything but to get past that (Joey’s record of wins) is a privilege.
“We’re not any better than Joey, we’ve never perceived that, and with our name it hasn’t been an easy lifestyle, so for me to keep the name at the top is what keeps pushing me to keep going racing.
“It’s been something that everybody strives to have and this year, winning the first Supersport race to equal Joey’s record was a massive thing.”
Dunlop’s race plans before the North West 200 in May include a return to the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours race next month.
He will ride a BMW M1000RR for Team LPR Poland in the Endurance World Championship race.
Dunlop also competed at the event in 2024, finishing 16th in the FIM Superstock category on Honda Fireblade for French outfit TRT 27.
Richard Cooper (BPE Russell Racing Yamaha) in action during his Supersport victory at the Sunflower Trophy
At Daytona this week, the line-up includes 14-time TT winner Peter Hickman and North West 200 winner Richard Cooper, who will ride Triumph 765 bikes for Hickman’s PHR Performance team.
Nottingham’s Cooper was among the guests at last week’s live launch of the North West 200 in Belfast, where it was confirmed he will again ride for Northern Ireland team BPE by Russell Racing on a Yamaha R6 in the Supersport races and a KMR Kawasaki for Dungannon team boss Ryan Farquhar.
Cooper claimed a Supersport success at the North West last year and twice finished as the runner-up in the Supertwin races behind Hickman, who was riding a Swan Yamaha R7.
Practice for the North West gets under way on Wednesday, May 7, with final qualifying and the opening races on May 8 followed by Saturday’s main race programme on May 10.