The organisers of the Armoy Road Races have voiced their 'disappointment' after Michael Dunlop's eleventh hour withdrawal from this weekend's event.
Dunlop announced on Friday morning that he would not be competing at his home race after claiming he was not being treated on an "equal and fair basis" to other teams on the grid.
In a statement released on Friday, Armoy said: "The Club is very disappointed that Michael Dunlop and MD Racing will not be attending the Armoy Road Races, particularly when this is his home race.
Read more: Emotional Dunlop celebrates 21st TT win after Supersport masterclass
"The Club treats all riders fairly and equally, always has done and are saddened that anyone would think otherwise. Riders enter races and withdraw for various reasons which is always disappointing.
"There will be no further comment on this matter.
"Today we have a quality field of entrants, and the races goes ahead with roads closed, as scheduled, at 11am. We wish all competitors a safe and enjoyable weekend with us in Armoy."
Practice and opening racing gets under way on Friday with the main race card scheduled for Saturday.
Dunlop - a 21-time Isle of Man TT winner -released a brief statement on Friday morning on his social media confirming his decision to withdraw.
It read: “All of the MD Racing machines were prepped and ready to take part in Armoy road races this weekend when the team was informed that it was not being treated on an equal and fair basis with some of the other teams taking part in the event.
"As a result, we have decided to withdraw from the meeting. This decision has been taken reluctantly after so many years of enjoyable and successful racing at Armoy, my home race, we can’t explain our level of disappointment with the situation with the club after 10 plus years of commitment to the event."
Dunlop's withdrawal is a major blow for the organisers ahead of this weekend's event. He has won the ‘Race of Legends’ contest a record nine times.
Included in this weekend's line-up is Davey Todd who will compete for the Milenco by Padgett's team in the Superbike and Supersport races.
Other riders taking part include Derek Sheils, Derek McGee, Paul Jordan and Adam McLean.
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