Joey Dunlop truly deserves to be voted www.paddockgossip.com’s Top Legend.

Joey Dunlop the motorcycling legend started at Maghaberry in 1969 riding a Triumph Tiger club which was bought for £50, for the next 31 years Joey dominated the road race scene.

Joey Dunlop will probably be best remembered for his achievements in the Isle of Man. , With a total of 26 race victories on the famous mountain circuit Including three hat-tricks in 1985, 1988 and 2000 and 42 victories on the Billown Circuit.

If that wasn’t enough he won 5 Formula One World Championships, 24 Ulster GPs , 13 at the North West 200, 24 Killinchy or Dundrod 150’s, 15 Skerries, 17 Tandragees, 10 Cookstown 100‘s, 15 Mid-Antrims, 6 Killalanes, 5 Temple 100’s, 6 at Fore and victories at every major road racing circuit in Britain and Eire.

Joey won a total of 119 Irish National road races and 37 international road races in Ireland plus 23 Irish road and short circuit championships.

Some people said he couldn’t race on the short circuits, but did you know he was on the rostrum at the very first World Superbike race at Donington Park?

Joey Dunlop was awarded the MBE in 1986 for his services to motorcycle racing, and in 1996 he was awarded the OBE for his humanitarian work for children in Romanian orphanages.