William Dunlop: 1985-2018
Racer William Dunlop of the famed road racing Dunlop family has died after crashing during practice in a race in Ireland. The older brother of Michael Dunlop, William was the son of Robert Dunlop and nephew of the great Joey Dunlop, both of whom also died while racing. William Dunlop was 32.
William Dunlop was taking part in the Skerries 100 in County Dunlop, Ireland, when he crashed Saturday evening. Medical crews rushed to the scene and Dunlop was pronounced dead shortly after.
Like other members of his family, William Dunlop was a regular competitor in road races such as the North West 200, Ulster Grand Prix and, of course, the Isle of Man TT. Dunlop was slated to compete in this year’s TT but withdrew to attend his girlfriend Janine who is pregnant with their second child.
Robert Dunlop succumbed to injuries after crashing in the 2008 North West 200. Joey Dunlop, the winningest rider in the Isle of Man TT’s history, died in 2000, crashing in a race at the Pirita-Kose-Kloostrimetsa Circuit in Estonia. William will be laid to rest July 11 beside his father and uncle.
William Dunlop is survived by his girlfriend Janine and their daughter Ella.
Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
More by Dennis Chung
Comments
Join the conversation
So sad, the sport is so popular in the UK, and I always watch it on CBS Real Road Racing. William and Michael have been continuing the Dunlop legacy, sorry to hear that tragedy has struck their family again. My prayers are with the family.....
It's a sport that would die itself if sanitized. The danger is what makes it so special. It's hard to make public roads safe.