Tweed inspired by famous Dunlop racing family
Ballymoney rider Darryl Tweed says his racing career has been inspired by the legendary Dunlop family, who like him, are from Ballymoney.
Darryl Tweed says he was inspired to compete in motorcycle racing by his proximity to the famous Dunlop racing family, who like him hailed from the County Antrim town of Ballymoney. Tweed began racing on short circuits in 2010 and four years later switched much of his focus to racing on closed public roads. He was named man of the meeting at the recent Cookstown 100 meeting after collecting two second places, a third and two fourths over the Orritor circuit.
"I grew up in the shadow of some of the greatest road racers in the world, like Robert and Joey Dunlop, and I grew up with Michael - he was at school with me, a year or two above me," said Tweed on the BBC Bikes Podcast. "I was awe of them in many ways and I just thought. 'I want to be like them some day'.
"I lived on the Garryduff Road, same as Joey, and you passed his house every day. So you were like 'one of the greatest motorcycle racers in the world lives there', so it was always a big thing for me. "It makes me proud to be from Ballymoney.
Michael is probably the best rider of our generation and William [Robert's son and Michael's brother who died in a crash in July 2018] was a great rider too. "I'm the third generation of motorcycle racer in my own family. My uncle and my grandfather did it before me and it just continued through the bloodline.