Dunlop fails to finish Donegal Rally

Michael Dunlop has failed to finish the International Donegal Rally for the second year in a row, crashing out on stage fifteen of the twenty-stage, three-day event while lying in twenty-fifth in his class.

However, speaking to local station Highland Radio before the rally, he admitted that his goal for the weekend was just to have fun driving hard.

“The goal isn’t really to finish – it’s to drive as hard as we can for as long as we can, and if we make it to Sunday and the end that’ll be a bonus! Don’t get me wrong – I’d like to be able to finish it, because we didn’t really get into it last year, but I want to enjoy myself.

“It’s funny – at the TT you’re all out on your own, so its very different to have someone sitting in beside me! James is a good co-driver though, and he knows when to push me and when to hold back – which is good, because without him I’d probably be through the hedge at the first corner!”

Last year was Dunlop’s first outing into rallying, but a mechanical problem on the first day prevented him from going any further. A keen fan of motorsports, as well as his eleven TT wins Dunlop has also raced competitively on three wheels, competing in the sidecar class at Scarborough in recent years.