Category: Moto GP

1. Michael Dunlop achieves 26th Isle of Man TT win

   Posted on 5:00pm Saturday 1st Jun 2024

   In a thrilling Monster Energy Supersport TT, Michael Dunlop has clinched his 26th victory, equalling the long-standing record held by his uncle, Joey Dunlop. The Northern Irish road racer, who has worn Furygan leathers since 2013, crossed the line aboard his Yamaha 8.574 seconds ahead of his closest challenger with a fastest lap of 17:31.185. The Dunlop family is synonymous with the 37.73-mile Mountain Course, with Michael’s aggressive style popular with many fans, and today’s achievement has cemented the belief that no one knows the Isle of Man TT better than a Dunlop. As the Isle of Man TT continues to be a pinnacle of motorcycle racing, moments like these underscore the enduring spirit of competition and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Furygan shares Michael’s ethos of always giving 100% and strives to ensure that those who proudly wear the ‘panther’ enjoy the highest quality garments and benefit from the safety innovations of Furygan’s Motion Lab – whether that’s for a casual Sunday ride or lapping in excess of 200mph on closed roads. With seven races left on the schedule for Dunlop, all eyes with continue to be on the 35-year-old to see if he can rewrite the history books and become the most successful Isle of Man TT rider of all time. Michael Dunlop “To equal Joey’s record is something that’s been playing on my mind all week and I think it’s something that’s on everybody’s minds. It’s fantastic. No matter what happens in life everybody’s always wanted to get to Joey’s record, and I’ve got to it. For me, that’s something really special.”

   article supplied -  Furygan.com

2. Q2 BEARS FRUIT AS THE GRESINI GARAGE IS ALL SMILES

   Posted on 6:00pm Friday 31st May 2024

   The air of Italy brings benefits to Team Gresini MotoGP as both riders managed to earn the direct seed to Q2 today at Mugello. This is the third time in the season after the inaugural Grand Prix in Qatar and the Spanish event at Jerez de la Frontera. Marc Marquez was fifth quickest in practice with Alex in eight place, with the two separated by slightly more than half a tenth. 
    
   In what has been – at least in the previous two GPs – a nightmare of a day, the smile is back on everyone’s face. Both riders will be able to work with a clear head in FP2 aboard their light-blue liveried Ducatis number 73 and 93 without any Q1 pressure and will be able to play their cards for pole position in what was the first of two home events for the Faenza-based squad. 

   5^th MARC MARQUEZ #93 (1’45.345s)
   “I had fun here today. I always struggled a bit here but today things went as hoped. We’re in a good place with regards to race pace, even though Pecco has something more, and we made a step forward with the time attack. Now there’s a difficult GP ahead: Q2 will be a challenga and we aim at a spot on the first two rows. We’re happy with the direct seed to Q2 and now we need to make sure it becomes a tradition.”
    
   8^th ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (1’45.412s)
   “I’m happy to be back in Q2 as so far our Fridays were not too kind. The feeling was good from the get-go, and we’ll work hard tomorrow in order to qualify on the first two rows. I lost a flying lap due to a slow rider in the racing line, but it went well and now we have a good opportunity for this weekend.”

    

3. D3O poised to see supported rider Michael Dunlop make Isle of Man TT history

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 29th May 2024

   The highlight of the road racing calendar, the Isle of Man TT, is due to get underway next week and D3O is eagerly anticipating success for Michael Dunlop. Having supported the Northern Irish road racer since 2017, D3O is his protection of choice for tackling the closed roads of the 37.73mile long Mountain Course at speeds of over 200mph. Dunlop has recently competed in the North West 200, which is used by a lot of riders as their pre-TT test, in several categories and successfully tested his bikes on “The Triangle” ahead of the Isle of Man event. Michael enjoyed podium success this year with third place finishes in the Tides Restaurant Supersport race, the Anchor Bar Superbike race, the Amici Ristorante Superstock race, the Fraser Homes Supersport race and the Briggs Equipment Superbike race. All focus is now on the 2024 Isle of Man TT where D3O-supported Michael Dunlop could become the most successful TT rider of all time. At the moment the record is 26 wins and is held by Michael’s uncle Joey, while Michael himself has 25 wins to his name. The 35-year old will have eight chances for victory as he will compete in all two-wheel classes (Superbike, Supersport, Superstock and Supertwin), where there are two races per category. The partnership between the market leader for impact protection and the TT icon not only benefits Dunlop, who is known for his aggressive riding style and for scraping the walls, but the wider motorcycling community. “I can do nothing to help safety bar surround myself with the best stuff I possibly can. My helmet, my suit, my armour. With D3O you get the best of both worlds – it fits you perfectly, but it also provides the best protection that you can ask for,” said Michael Dunlop. The distinctive orange protectors, that are available through a variety of brand partners, are manufactured with testing and feedback provided by athletes like Michael to help make them the lightest, most comfortable and most protective on the market. The 2024 Isle of Man TT races will get underway on Monday 27 May with the first Free Practice and Qualifying sessions, before racing gets underway with the Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 1 on Saturday 1 June.

4. ANOTHER SUPERB SHOW IN THE BOOKS

   Posted on 5:00pm Sunday 26th May 2024

   From 14^th place on the grid to another podium finish in what was an exciting Catalan afternoon, with Marc Marquez the absolute star. It was not a stellar star this time (albeit a good one), but the talent displayed this time was of a different type: patience. A consistent and relentless comeback, one that surprised even Marc himself who realised he was on the podium only after the chequered flag. 
    
   Alex Marquez also put together a great race. The rider #73 knew he could be competitive in the Sunday race and the seventh position at the finish line is the confirmation of the great work done, despite an underwhelming qualifying performance. There is no time to rest, with Mugello around the corner in a few days’ time. 

   3^rd - MARC MARQUEZ #93
   “We keep improving each day, but it’s clear that it’s not always possible to save the weekend as we did here and in Le Mans. On the other hand, at this track, which is the worst on the calendar for my riding style, two podiums are surely a great achievement and bode well for the rest of the season. Now let’s focus on Mugello and especially on solving the issues on the single-lap performance.”
    
   7^th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73
   “I had a good feeling throughout the weekend and today’s result shows it. I struggled a bit at the beginning of the race today, maybe also due to the fact that I didn’t want to destroy the soft tyre, but also in the battle with Enea and Brad. It’s good anyway, but it’s clear we need to find something extra during Fridays, starting from Mugello.”

5. A CATALAN FRIDAY WITH Q1 AHEAD

   Posted on 5:00pm Friday 24th May 2024

   It was not the afternoon that was expected at Montmeló today, as the sixth event of the 2024 world championship season got underway. Both Alex and Marc Marquez, after being among the protagonists of today’s on-track action, could not capitalise when it mattered the most as they finished Practice in 11^th and 12^th place, respectively.
    
   Nothing is irreversible, however, although there will be a little bit of extra pressure in tomorrow’s Q1 after nearly missing out of a direct seed in the final moments of the afternoon session. Alex crashed out (uninjured) at turn ten, with his tumble bringing out the yellow flags and, at the same time, taking Marc’s last opportunity away.

   11^th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (1’39.113s)
   “Obviously the crash didn’t help but it’s also true that feeling-wise it has been the best Friday of the season so far. We knew the Ducatis would suffer a bit more compared to other bikes, but it’s part of the game. We need to work ahead of tomorrow but the goal is to make it into Q2.”
    
   12^th - MARC MARQUEZ #93 (1’39.153s)
   “I must admit that I wasn’t feeling very comfortable already in the early stages of the afternoon session and then I couldn’t make the most of the soft tyre. It’ll be hard tomorrow as we know that Q1 is the worst session of the weekend, but we’ll give it all and see how it goes. This is not one of my favourite tracks and this Friday confirmed my worries. Let’s thing about having a great Q1 and we’ll see from there.”