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WILLIAM DUNLOP TO
JOIN IRISH MOTORCYCLING
HALL OF FAME
W
illiam Dunlop will be
posthumously inducted
into the Irish motorcycling Hall
of Fame in a special ceremony
at the Crowne Plaza Hotel
in Belfast, Northern Ireland,
January 18.
Dunlop was killed follow-
ing an accident at the Sker-
ries 100 last July, and is the
third member of the illustrious
Dunlop family to perish racing
on the roads behind father
Robert (2008) and uncle Joey
(2000).
"We are still in complete
shock after the tragic incident
last summer, but any award
the Dunlop family has ever re-
ceived has been very special,"
said William's mother, Louise
Dunlop. "With this award, it's
just lovely to know the Dun-
lop name is still a force to be
reckoned with, but it will be an
emotional evening."
William, who started racing
in 2000 when he was aged
15, accumulated 108 Irish Na-
tional Road Race wins during
an illustrious career. He also
achieved victories at the inter-
national events the North West
200 and Ulster Grand Prix.
He joins some of Ireland's
most famous riders in the
Hall of Fame including former
World Champion Brian Reid,
MotoGP rider Jeremy McWil-
liams, road racing stars Phiilip
McCallen, Steve Cull, Johnny
Rea, Eddie Laycock and Alan
Irwin, plus top motocross rider
Gordon Crockard. CN
Dunlop will get the highest honor in
Irish racing bestowed upon him six
months after his death.
MARIA HERRERA FIRST FULL-TIME
FEMALE WORLDSSP RIDER
Maria Hererra will break
down another barrier as
the first female WorldSSP
rider in 2019.
S
panish star Maria Hererra will
take the honor of becoming
the first-ever full-time WorldSSP
female competitor when she lines
up at the opening round of the
championship at Phillip Island next
month, February 24.
The 22-year-old finished 13th in
the 2018 WorldSSP 300 category
on the MS Racing Yamaha and
will step up to the Supersport
class with the same team on a
Yamaha YZF-R6.
Herrera will also make a return
to the MotoGP paddock as lead
rider for the Angel Nieto Team in
the 2019 FIM MotoE World Cup,
however, she'll have to decide
which series to compete in on July
5-7, as the German MotoE and
British WorldSSP rounds are both
scheduled for that weekend. CN
