By Year in year out producing top draw racing across the unparalleled Mountain Course, you would be brave to accurately predict the final top five finishing order from next month’s four-lap, Monster Energy Supersport races.
Unbeaten within the SSP class since 2022, 33 times TT winner Michael Dunlop MBE, has his ambitions on more victorious TT odysseys.
As in 2025, ‘Maverick’ is V2 Panigale Ducati propelled, competing under his own teams MD Racing banner in conjunction with British Supersport Championship Leaders Scars Racing.
Winner earlier this month of the sole NW200 SSP race, the 131 times Irish road race victor looked ominously at ease with Ducati exotica.
If pre-racing predictions are determined by NW200 pace, then Dunlop MBE’s likely lead challenger will be Honda Racing UK’s Dean Harrison.
Just 0.292 behind Dunlop MBE in the four-lap Triangle course SSP contest, Harrison a recent first-time British Supersport podium finisher, ended with a new middleweight category lap-record of 118.748 mph (4 minutes 31.938 seconds).
Arguably-in-the best-form of his life, astute road racing insiders believe his TT wins tally of five is more than likely due to increase.
Added prospective front running contenders include:
Outright lap-record holder Peter Hickman (Trooper Triumph/PHR Performance), a class conqueror in 2019, the only rider aside from Dunlop MBE to register a 130-mph lap astride SSP apparatus.
No.1 plate-holder Michael Browne (Boyce Precision Engineering/Russell Racing – Yamaha), Ian Hutchinson (Burrows Engineering Racing/Richardson Kelly Racing – Ducati), Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing Powered by Prosper2 – Ducati).
Josh Brookes (Uggly & Co. Racing – 750 Suzuki), Jamie Coward (Rapid Honda with DriveLife) and David Johnson (CD Racing – Kawasaki).
Others expected to battle for impressive finishes include IOM roads royalty Conor Cummins (North Lincs Components – 750 Suzuki), KTS Macadam Triumph pilot Dominic Herbertson, Rob Hodson (SMT Racing – Ducati).
Shaun Anderson (Stanford Racing by ARD – Suzuki), Michael Evans (Dafabet Racing – 765 Triumph), Nathan Harrison (H&H Motorcycles – Honda).
Laxey’s Joe Yeardsley, TH Racing’s Joey Thompson, Michael Sweeney, Pierre-Yves Bian (Swan Racing/PHR Performance – Triumph), Erno Kostamo (Zerowaste Motorsport – Ducati).
Marcus Simpson (D&D Buckley Racing – Triumph), Sam West (Prosperity Racing – Ducati), Barry Furber, Julian Trummer (Smith Racing – Triumph), Mitch Rees (Milenco by Padgetts – Honda), Brian McCormack, twice TT winner Gary ‘AKA Driver’ Johnson (Team Schleizer Dreieck – Suzuki) and South Africa’s top pure road racer AJ Venter (TH Racing – Honda).
The sixty-four-racer, fourteen nation represented entry, additionally includes:
Never Be Clever Racing’s Amalric Blanc, Kevin Keyes (Daracore Racing – Yamaha), Rhys Hardisty, Jamie Cringle, Maurizio Bottalico (Crowe Performance/Basomba Racing – Yamaha).
Jonathan Perry, Michal ‘Indi’ Dokoupil (Indi Racing – Yamaha), Tom Weeden, James Chawke, Martin Morris, Jorge Halliday, Stephen ‘Trevor’ Parsons (Parsons Racing – Triumph).
Manx GP to TT graduates Caomhan Canny, Ryan Whitehall, Ryan Garside, Michael Gahan, Dan Forbes, Mike Mace, Craig Szczypek, Dan Ingham, and Cowton Racing’s Toby Shann.
Croatian history maker Loris Majcan (Bihui Yamaha Racing Team), who stated the following when looking towards his third TT expedition:
“I’m really pleased to be returning to the TT for a third year.
Each visit has been about learning and improving, and I feel like I’ve built a strong- foundation over the last two years. For 2026 I am fully focused on Supersport.”
Just one newcomer is-entered, Gary McCoy (Mad Bros Racing – Suzuki) in what will certainly be Monster Energy Supersport race thrillers.
Quotes courtesy of TT Races press team.
Photo credit: Nick Wheeler, Mark Corlett, Tommy Vennard
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
