‘You want a superbike? You got one’ – Michael Dunlop’s sponsor buys him a new R1

After suffering multiple breakdowns on the troubled Norton Rotary and his Supersport bike at the TT, Michael Dunlop was in the dumps. So his sponsor popped out and bought him a race-ready R1.

Dunlop said: “I was sitting in the pub, totally fed up, talking to my sponsor Gary Ryan of Street Sweep.

“He said I was ready for a superbike, I agreed with him and said yes for next year.”

But Ryan had a shorter timeframe in mind. He got up the following morning wandered into the race paddock and bought Dunlop an ex-Alastair Seeley Yamaha R1.

He then wheeled the £20,000 bike into the garage and told Michael that it was his new bike.

Nice.