Joey Dunlop OBE | |||||||||||||||
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Nationality | Irish | ||||||||||||||
Born | Unshinagh,[1] County Antrim, Northern Ireland | 25 February 1952||||||||||||||
Died | 2 July 2000 Tallinn, Estonia | (aged 48)||||||||||||||
Bike number | 3 | ||||||||||||||
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William Joseph Dunlop OBE (25 February 1952 – 2 July 2000) was a Northern Irish motorcyclist from Ballymoney, County Antrim, who was noted for his performances at the Isle of Man TT. In 2015, he was voted Northern Ireland's greatest-ever sports star.
Dunlop lies second on the list of all-time victories at the Isle of Man TT Races behind his nephew, Michael Dunlop. During the course of his career, Dunlop secured a total 26 race wins at the Isle of Man TT, including three hat-tricks, and 24 wins at the Ulster Grand Prix.
He was awarded the MBE in 1986 for his contributions to the sport and the OBE in 1996 for his humanitarian work in Romanian orphanages. After his death, the Joey Dunlop Foundation was established to provide accommodation for disabled visitors to the Isle of Man. Dunlop's legacy includes the "Joey Dunlop Cup," awarded to the most successful rider at the annual TT races, and several memorials and statues in his honour. Dunlop's career was documented in several films.