Death of a Legend
Created | Updated Jun 21, 2003
William Joseph 'Joey' Dunlop was a quiet unassuming
man. His greying hair belying the fact that before
you stood one of the fittest sportsmen around and one
of the greatest competitors ever. In a career spanning
from 1969 until his death he endeared the hearts of
many to him as he raced in such an unassuming manner.
As well as his many sporting accolades, including
5 World TT championships, he was awarded an MBE for
his motorcycling exploits and an OBE for charity
work.
His sport was that of Motorcycling yet many of
you will not know him because he shied away from the
controlled environment of the Grand Prix Circuits and
raced instead in the road races that occupy the Irish
summer months and June on the Isle of
Man1He held
numerous records at all these events. Most wins in
the various Isle of Man TT classes at 262, most laps over
110 miles per hour, three times he has recorded a hat-trick
of wins in one season with the last being in
2000.
For this millenium season Joey put in a special
effort training especially hard in the winter months
to be super fit for the North West 200 on the
Portstewart, Coleraine, Portrush Circuit and the Isle
of Man. Sadly, in hindsight, his machines were not up
to scratch for his final North West; however, with the
support of Honda's3 Formula 1 race team
the bikes were primed for the assault on the Manx Mountain
Course. He started the week with three wins and another
podium and was never placed outside the top 4 all week,
a stirling achievement for a man of 48 in his 25th year
racing the tough arduous course where the bikes run
flat out for most of the 37 mile circuit.
Ironically Joey had taken all his Isle of Man
memorabillia over to the Isle of Man for this
Millenium event. All his trophies, leathers, helmets
and bikes were on display along with various photos
of him tackling the course through the years. Maybe he
sensed this was to be his last time at one of his
favourite circuits.
Joey's death in a sport so often filled with such
tragedy will surely not just become another statistic
as he will remain the greatest and was a legend in
the sport long before the roads of Estonia claimed their
most gifted victim. Fitting of a great champion he
had already won the 600cc the day before his death
and the Superbike race hours before he crashed off
at a corner and hit a tree, dying instantly, whilst
leading the 125cc race.
Northern Ireland's First Minister David Trimble
paid him the following tribute
'We were shocked and saddened on hearing the news
that Northern Ireland's premier motor cycle ace, Joey
Dunlop OBE, MBE was killed this afternoon while racing
in Estonia.
Everyone in Northern Ireland, not just fans of
motor sport, has followed Joey's glittering career
with tremendous pride and satisfaction.
In particular, his recent string of successes
in the Isle of Man TT gave us all something to be proud
of.
Five times world champion, Joey was a brilliant
sportsman, a true man of the people and a wonderful
ambassador for Northern Ireland.
It will be hard to find his like again. We send
our deepest condolences to his grieving wife Linda,
his children, brother Robert and other members of
his grieving family circle.'
He is a family man and sadly leaves his wife Linda
and five children Julie, Donna, Gary, Richard and
Joanne. Brother Robert,a fellow racer,in recent years
has made a comeback after severly breaking his left
and clutch controlling hand.
This article can be found on the Obits Page
of a British winner of a World Championship event on the
roads, and this would have meant, the following year, the event coming to Britain. The Westminster Government not wanting to
wish such dangerous events to happen on the roads
of the mainland passed a law allowing them to happen
in Ireland. This law has never been repealed, even when
Ireland gained independance, or by any of the Northern
Irish Executives or Parliament2. His
first in 1977 his last in 2000 only over three weeks
before his fatal crash.3For whom he was a factory
rider for 18 years.
