The Boys Are Back in Toon

As the NW 200 gears up this week, we look back at this documentary on the race featuring Robert Dunlop, who won at the North West 200 more times than any other racer (including his brother, the legendary Joey Dunlop) until Alistair Seeley surpassed his record. In this short film, the famous Dunlop family values are much in evidence, as Robert describes how his racing life became a (family) business. At thirty, we hear the racer reflect on his future and his legacy, as he discusses his plans to renovate his recently-purchased Victorian home and transform it into a guest house, “something for [his] sons, maybe.” He hardly imagined that he would later be killed in practice for the same race that marked his son’s first victory in the 250cc category, in 2008. For all its reputation as a dangerous sport, this footage, taken some twenty-five years ago, shows the family heart of racing on the North Coast, the enduring appeal of the North West 200, and the “doon-tae-earth” nature of one of its most fondly remembered stars.