The Manx Grand Prix has announced that Michael Dunlop will switch from his familiaܫr Suzuki machinery to a Ducati for this year’s Cla♏ssic Superbike race.

Dunlop has raced Team Classic Suzuki machinery since 2013 when the Classic Superbike was first run under its ‘Classic TT’ guise. He rode aജn 1,100cc XR69 to victory in the inaugural edition of the race in 2013, and continued with that bike until 2022, before switching to the GSX-R750 SRAD in 2023, a switch whi൩ch brought his fifth victory.

Another switch will come this year, though, as the allure of Borgo Panigale brings Dunlop onto the Ducati 916, a cult icon and the machine from which the later 996 and then 998 would be deriv🌼ed.

The 916 also has a strong history on the Isle of Man, wit🎶h Iain Duffus and Michael Rutt🔯er both taking TT podiums with it in the 1995 Senior TT and 1996 Formula One TT, respectively.

Last year, the bike was ridden byꦿ 2019 Senior TT winner Dean Harrison, who to🐭ok the bike to its fastest ever lap of the TT Mountain Course at an average speed of 125.597mph.

This is not the first time Dunlop has planned to race a Ducati on the Isle of Man, of course, having initially planned to race for the PBM team with their Panigale V4 R at th෴e Isle of Man TT back in 2022, before switching back to the more familiar — to him — Hawk Racing Honda.

Dunlop will also compete at this year’s Manx Grand𒉰 Prix in the Lightweight cla💟ss on a 250cc Honda.