Admiring two of Joey’s bikes at Ballymoney memorial event
THIS time of year is always full of sun, sea, sand… and Superbikes!
The North West 200 is always a highlight on the local sports calendar.
This year didn’t disappoint as the sun shone all week long and the crowds flocked to the beautiful north coast.
I was reporting from the paddock for UTV during the week and felt the excitement in the air as bike fans caught a glimpse of their heroes and their mesmerising machines.
But when it comes to legends, no-one is idolised more than Joey Dunlop.
Our very own King of the Roads won 26 Isle of Man TTs, five Formula One World Championships, 13 North West 200 races and 24 at the Ulster Grand Prix.
He was honoured with an MBE in 1986 and an OBE in 1996 for his humanitarian work with children in Eastern Europe.
And 25 years on, since his tragic death at a race in Tallinn, Estonia, Joey is still being honoured.
A special event was held at the end of May in his home town of Ballymoney called Joey 25.
Ballymoney came to a standstill and Joey’s old bikes were paraded around the town by a who’s who of motorcycle racing.
The event, hosted by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, in conjunction with the Dunlop family, saw thousands line the roads despite heavy rain to see the likes of World Superbike champions Carl Fogarty and Jonathan Rea, MotoGP stars Ron Haslam, Jeremy McWilliams and Eugene Laverty and British champions Leon Haslam and Adrian Coates.
When you find a bike to match your outfit
I spoke to many of the riders as part of a special report for UTV.
Two time world champion Brian Reid told me Joey was a “very humble and quiet man” but on the bike “there were no favours given”.
Eleven-time North West winner Glenn Irwin reflected: “as riders we are honoured to be here but none of us will ever come close to Joey”.
Joey’s former teammate Ron Haslem smiled as he looked back at happy times: “Normally you always wanted to beat your team mate but with Joey it was different, it was more of a friendship. There were no hardships no matter who won.”
Jonathan Rea gave me his thoughts: “Joey’s special because he paved the way for so many riders from here, like me, from this country. The event is amazing because it brings Joey back into the spotlight that he was a massive hero that we can all be proud of.”
Eugene Laverty brought the celebrations right up to date by saying: “It’s nice to remind the kids of what came before because a lot of those on the British Superbike circuit now weren’t born when he passed away.”
Carl Fogarty added it was “a great way to honour a great man. There was no one like Joey”.
And Jeremy McWilliams said: “I’ve never seen so many people in Ballymoney. It’s great to see Joey is still held in such high esteem after all these years, like it was yesterday.”
Most emotional of all on the day was Joey’s family. His son, Gary Dunlop, took time to speak to me and said: “It’s amazing to see the crowd that has turned out, we’re blown away. The whole thing has humbled us from the beginning, all the riders agreed straight away and they have flown in from all over. We have mixed emotions about it, obviously, but it’s so nice to see the respect dad has been given, even to this day.”
Speaking of his memories of his dad, he told me: “It’s funny because we don’t see the rider at all, some people find that really strange but motorbikes weren’t talked about in our house. He was just our dad, a normal dad, he was very much a family man. No sport was talked about, apart from darts the odd time!”
As the Isle of Man TT takes place this month, there will no doubt be plenty more stories of Joey Dunlop shared, but the Joey 25 event will live long in the memory.
Meeting one of the many bike fans who packed into Ballymoney for the Joey 25 memorial event
With Joey 25 event host Adrian Logan (right) and UTV cameraman John Vennard
On the North West 200 grid with John Vennard
With John Vennard and rider Alastair Seeley at the North West
