ROBERT DUNLOPMore than 5,000 people attended the funeral of Robert Dunlop, who died during a practice session on 15 May, 2008.Mr Dunlop was a revered motorcycle racer who, despite living in the shadow of his older brother Joey Dunlop, enjoyed great success of his own and overcame serious injuries which might have ended the career of a lesser man.Mr Dunlop began racing professionally in 1981 when his brother was already an established rider in some of the sport's most demanding events. During the decade he notched up several notable wins, including several at the Isle of Man TT, setting new lap records in the process.A high-speed crash in 1994 nearly ended his career and even his life, but after three years of gruelling recovery, he returned to racing, determined to add more trophies to his already-impressive haul. It was in pursuit of one of these, the North West 200 in Northern Ireland, that he died at the age of 48.Robert Dunlop was born in Ballymoney in County Antrim in 1960. He followed his brother into the sport as a teenager, doing his apprenticeship on short circuits before making a road race debut in 1979. He raced at the Temple 100 and the Cookstown 100 meets before turning professional at 21.Like Joey, he would come to be a dominant figure on the Isle of Man, marking his arrival with a win at the 1983 Manx Grand Prix 350cc race. His first win in the professional TT event came in 1989 when he beat the competition in the 125cc class with a new lap record. He went even faster the following year and made it a hat-trick in 1991, winning the Junior TT race at the same meeting.He also broke records at the Cookstown 100, winning his first race in the 1985 250cc race and taking home three winners' trophies from the 1987 event, as well as the 'Man of the Meeting' award. He retained his 125cc title for the next three years and won it for a fifth time in 1993.Other successes came at the Macau Grand Prix in China, numerous races at the North West 200, plus a third place in the Formula One race at TT, the event his brother dominated for many years. But it was also the event which would nearly cost him his life when the back wheel of his 750cc Honda RC45 broke at high speed, sending him careering off the track.He sustained severe tendon damage and a badly broken leg, ruling him out of the sport for three years, just when he looked to be reaching his peak. Nevertheless Mr Dunlop was determined to race again. "There is no point in me saying I am going to pack it in, lying here in this bed and feeling wretched," he said at the time. "I know I will be back as soon as I am fit, should it take years." He eventually returned at Cookstown, the scene of many of his previous victories, to reach an impressive ninth in his comeback race.The death of his brother in a 2000 crash in Estonia rocked the world of motor racing and, with his previous brush with death still in mind, many feared the same thing happening to Robert. But he continued to compete, battling through a great deal of pain to reach the podium of several high profile 125cc events.In 2005, after going into retirement, he underwent drastic surgery to lengthen his leg, having lost some inches in his accident 11 years previously. He then launched a comeback, setting his sights on final wins at the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT. In 2006 he achieved one of these goals with a win at the North West 200, adding to the Dunlop brothers' record total of wins there (28), but despite being well into his forties he continued racing, perhaps driven by the years and opportunities he had lost due to injury.The regard in which he was held within the sport was illustrated when Irish Racer magazine made him the first inductee into its 'Hall of Fame' in 2005. He was undoubtedly a great rider, but the strength of character he showed to overcome his injuries and the tragic loss of his brother made him a national icon in a country that knows the value of overcoming hardship.He was killed during the Thursday practice session while chasing yet another trophy, what would have been his 16th, at the North West 200 event when his bike seized up at the Mathers Cross section, throwing him to the track and into the path of another rider (who suffered a broken leg and concussion). He was survived by his wife Louise and their children William, Daniel and Michael. In recent years he had been coaching William and Michael as they entered the sport.Mervyn Whyte, clerk of the North West 200 course, was among the first to pay tribute to Mr Dunlop: "Our thoughts and prayers are with Robert's family and we extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, children and wider family circle. Robert was one of Northern Ireland's best known and most experienced riders, who will always been remembered for his infectious personality and love for road racing."Northern Ireland's First Minister Ian Paisley said: "This is a tragedy that will be felt deeply by the people of Northern Ireland. Robert was one of our greatest sportsmen and will be sadly missed."
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