Joey Dunlop (February 25, 1952 - July 2, 2000)
"The Girk"
Joey, the world champion road racer, was born in Ballymoney, County Antrim. It was in his early teens that his passion for motor racing grew and he soon discovered that racing motorbikes was his future in life. Joey had been racing from the age of 15, his first racing bike was a 199cc Tiger Cub which cost £50. In later years it was soon easy to spot him with his distinctive yellow helmet and his personal racing number 3.
The first of Joey’s record breaking 26 wins came in the 1977 Jubilee Classic Race. He won the TT Formula 1 Race six years in a row between 1983 and 1988 and was also Formula 1 World Champion five times. One of his most notable accomplishments was his three hat-tricks- 1985 F1, Senior and Junior, 1988 F1, Senior and Junior and in 2000 the Formula One, Lightweight and Ultra Lightweight. Joey is the only rider to do this and justifies why ‘the Girk’ is a rightful legend in the sport of Road racing.
In 1986 Joey was awarded an MBE for his contribution to motor racing. He also received an OBE in 1995 in recognition of his charity work. In 1993 Joey was granted Honorary Freeman of Ballymoney Borough and further to this in 2000 he was awarded the Manx Sword of State in the Isle of Man.
At the age of 48 just weeks after winning his final Isle of Man TT, Joey sadly died as a result of a crash in the Republic of Estonia.
Fifty thousand mourners attended the funeral, which was attended by bikers from across Ireland and the United Kingdom. A memorial statue was erected in his home town of Ballymoney, Northern Ireland
In the true sense of the word Joey was the ‘King of the Road’
