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Dunlop targets 500cc MV win at 2017 Classic TT

Fresh from his double triumph this year in the 350cc and Superbike Classic TTs, Michael Dunlop, the 27-year-old absolute record holder on the Mountain Circuit, will now target the 500cc event in next year's races on a Black Eagle Racing MV triple.

Dunlop defied critics of his riding technique by winning the four-lap 350cc contest on Black Eagle's smallest MV in August, but will switch to the bigger 500 next year because he feels that it will better suit his weight.

But Black Eagle director Mark Kay has nothing but praise for Dunlop's mechanical empathy, and says that the Northern Irishman's performance on the diminutive 350 should finally put to rest any suggestion that he is harsh on a motorcycle.

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Kay said: "Everyone was asking me, 'Will your bike last the distance now that you've got Michael Dunlop on it?' We know he is an aggressive rider, but that's why he wins races. On that little 350 he changed gear perfectly, and he didn't abuse the bike or over-rev it. He's just a very good rider."

Dunlop practised on Black Eagle's 500 MV at the Classic TT this year, but the bike was withdrawn before the race. "The engine was running weak and it detonated a piston," Kay said. "The bike wasn't up to Michael Dunlop - it's as simple as that. But next year we'll make sure that we'll be ready."

Dunlop will therefore go into battle in the 500cc Classic TT against John McGuinness on the dominant Winfield Racing Paton. Can he succeed on the MV? "Michael absolutely has the ability to win," Kay said. "It's going to be one hell of a race."

The Black Eagle team will have Dunlop, Dean Harrison and Lee Johnston on their MVs in 2017. Isn't this the classic equivalent of a MotoGP team fielding Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino in their colours? "Exactly!" Kay said.

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