The 33-time Tourist Trophy winner made his switch to the Ducati Panigale V4 R public just under three weeks before the North West 200. With this move, the Northern Irishman is now backing the Italian brand in the premier class as well, after his Supersport success.
- Michael Dunlop switches from BMW to Ducati for the 1000cc class in 2026
- The base is the updated Panigale V4 R, with technical support from the Hawk team
- Season opener at the North West 200 in less than three weeks
For the 2026 international road racing season, there is now clarity on one of the most widely discussed personnel questions. Michael Dunlop, with 33 wins at the Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man the record holder among active riders, will no longer contest the Superbike class on a BMW, but on a Ducati. The announcement came at a time when speculation about a possible switch had been running for months, but nothing had been officially confirmed. The Northern Irishman from Ballymoney had once again tried to keep his plans under wraps until the last moment.
The Announcement Came Via Social Media
Dunlop announced the switch on 18 April 2026 through his own channels, accompanied by a photo showing him with the freshly delivered Ducati. In his post he writes: “Our little V2 was getting lonely … so we got her a girlfriend, a V4 RS!!!” He also thanks those in charge at Ducati Corse, Ducati UK and all the sponsors who made the project possible, even if it came together somewhat late. Immediately afterwards, he announces that he is heading back to the workshop and will run the first tests together with the Hawk team the following week.
The timing is ambitious. There are less than three weeks until the start of practice at the North West 200, which leaves only a tight window for set-up work, electronics configuration and chassis tuning. Dunlop says he wants to see how the package performs.
Background: From BMW Factory Effort Back to Bologna
In 2025, Dunlop was back on a BMW in the 1000cc class for the first time since 2016, supplied by the Superbike World Championship team run by Shaun Muir. On this package he secured wins in both the Superbike and Superstock classes at the North West 200, but finished the Tourist Trophy without a win above 1000 cubic centimetres. The 2025 Senior TT race fell victim to the weather. The remaining Superbike race on the Isle of Man was won by Davey Todd, and the two Superstock races by Dean Harrison on a Honda. In the Superbike TT, Dunlop only had to concede defeat to his BMW brand colleague Todd.
Alongside this, in 2025 Dunlop had made a change in the Supersport class and had switched from the long-dominant Yamaha R6 to the Ducati Panigale V2. From 2022 to 2024 he had dominated the middleweight class at the TT at will on the Yamaha. Despite that run of success, he decided to make the switch and continued his winning streak seamlessly on the Ducati. With the support of the Supersport World Championship team Feel Racing, he took a win at the North West 200 and a double victory at the Tourist Trophy. In doing so he gave Ducati its first TT win since 1995, after a 30-year wait.
PICTURE BY STEPHEN DAVISON
The Technical Base: Panigale V4 R With 2026 Model Update
The Superbike weapon is the Panigale V4 R, revised for 2026. Among the most notable changes is a new double-sided swingarm, which replaces the previous single-sided design. There is also a revised aerodynamics package as well as modifications to the chassis characteristics and engine behaviour. The combination of these measures is intended to make the bike more manageable both on the racetrack and, crucially for Dunlop, on bumpy road racing courses.
In the Superbike World Championship, the new V4 R has so far been unbeaten. Nicolò Bulega won all seven races of the season up to and including the round on 18 April 2026 at Assen. At that very race in the Netherlands, Ducati riders took the top four places, with Iker Lecuona, Sam Lowes and Álvaro Bautista behind race winner Bulega. At the same time, the updated V4 R is making its debut in the British Superbike Championship in the current season, among others with former PBM rider Scott Redding as well as reigning champion Kyle Ryde and his teammate Glenn Irwin at Nitrous Competitions Racing.
A Project With a History
The link between Dunlop and Ducati in the Superbike class goes back further than the current deal might suggest. As early as 2020, the Northern Irishman was supposed to ride a Ducati V4R for Paul Bird Motorsport, testing the bike in Spain before the Covid-19 pandemic wiped out the entire road racing season. For 2022 the plan was revived, this time on a V4 RR, but Dunlop parted ways with PBM only a few weeks before the North West 200 due to a lack of test time and instead fell back on his long-standing connection with Hawk Racing to compete on a Suzuki. A win on a big Ducati at the Tourist Trophy is therefore something the Bologna manufacturer has not yet been able to celebrate.
Hints at the now-realised project had already been dropped during the winter of 2025/26. At the Irish Motorbike Awards in Belfast in January, where Dunlop was crowned Irish motorcyclist of the year for the second time in a row, he suggested that he would stay with Ducati. He said that Ducati had already shown interest back in 2024 and had come back with the new-generation V2, with the aim of securing a TT win. Looking back, he says it fitted for him, another manufacturer for him, and it was nice that it had been 30 years since Ducati had won a TT race and at the same time it was his 30th win. He describes the move to the big bike as a major challenge with something completely different, but also speaks of having worked with his people on the 600 and on the V2 during the winter, and that now it was time to move up to the big bike.
PICTURE BY STEPHEN DAVISON
First Outing on the V4 R at a BSB Test
An early public taste of the new package was already on offer at the start of April 2026. Dunlop appeared on the entry list for the official British Superbike test at Donington Park as a guest rider on a machine listed as “Ducati 1000. The two-day test took place on Good Friday and Easter Saturday and offered an early chance to get to grips with the V4 R before moving on to the tighter and bumpier street circuits of Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.
For the two main events of the Northern Irish road racing season and the TT, Dunlop’s decision introduces an additional variable. With Davey Todd and Peter Hickman on BMW, Dean Harrison and John McGuinness on Honda and Dunlop on Ducati, 2026 is shaping up into a field in which several top riders from different manufacturers are fighting for wins. The pressure on Dunlop to claim the first major TT win on a Ducati since the 1990s thus becomes one of the key storylines of the season.
PICTURE BY STEPHEN DAVISON
Frequently Asked Questions
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Which motorcycle will Michael Dunlop race in the Superbike class in 2026?
In 2026, Michael Dunlop will contest the Superbike class on the Ducati Panigale V4 R in its current 2026 specification. Technical support comes from the Hawk team. In the previous year, the Northern Irishman was still on a BMW supplied by the Superbike World Championship team run by Shaun Muir.
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Why did Michael Dunlop’s switch to Ducati come so late?
In his announcement, Dunlop himself speaks of the project having come together ‘somewhat late’. The official confirmation came just under three weeks before the start of practice at the North West 200. He had completed his first runs at the beginning of April 2026 at the official BSB test at Donington Park on a Ducati.
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What is new about the Ducati Panigale V4 R for 2026?
For 2026, the current Panigale V4 R received a new double-sided swingarm instead of the single-sided design, a revised aerodynamics package, as well as changes to the chassis characteristics and engine behaviour. In the 2026 Superbike World Championship, the model has won all races in the first seven rounds of the season with Nicolò Bulega.
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Has Ducati ever won the Tourist Trophy?
In 2025, Ducati claimed its first TT win since 1995 with Michael Dunlop in the Supersport class on the Panigale V2, ending a 30-year wait. The Bologna manufacturer has not yet been able to secure a win in the big Superbike class on the Isle of Man. For Dunlop and Ducati, such a success in 2026 would be a historic milestone.
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Was Michael Dunlop lined up for Ducati rides earlier?
Yes, as early as 2020 Dunlop was supposed to ride a Ducati V4R for Paul Bird Motorsport and tested the bike in Spain before the Covid-19 pandemic halted the season. A renewed attempt for 2022 on a V4 RR fell through just weeks before the North West 200, and Dunlop switched instead to Hawk Racing on a Suzuki.
➤ This article is part of our comprehensive overview: Isle of Man TT 2026: The Complete Overview – Schedule, Riders, Teams & Results. Find all key information on this topic in one place.
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