Racing

Set to get underway in a month’s time, this year’s Classic TT will again see many of the world’s best road racers compete on the Mountain Course with Michael Dunlop MBE, Dean Harrison, John McGuinness MBE, Davey Todd, Peter Hickman and Jamie Coward amongst those on the entry list.Qualifying for this year’s event is scheduled to commence with two single familiarisation laps on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th August before the first full session takes place the following day. The line-up is every bit as good as anticipated, with six classes on the agenda - Formula One, Historic Senior, Historic Junior, Lightweight and, new for 2026, the Ultra-Lightweight and Junior 600. That breadth of machinery has helped attract an outstanding entry featuring multiple TT winners, podium finishers, class specialists and emerging stars for the two-week festival of racing. The 2026 event will once again culminate in the Senior Classic TT, the feature race of the meeting. Open to machines eligible for the Formula One and Lightweight classes, the race brings together the fastest 60 riders from across the event. Those who qualify earn the right to swap their white or green number plates for the iconic yellow plates - a nostalgic tradition that remains a favourite among long-time fans. Among those expected to feature on the grid are many of Michael Dunlop's regular TT rivals, including Davey Todd, Peter Hickman, Mike Browne, David Johnson, Paul Jordan, Nathan Harrison, Rob Hodson, Jamie Coward and Dominic Herbertson. Fresh from a superb Southern 100 debut, Hickman’s only previous Classic TT appearance came in 2015 whilst Michael Rutter also makes a welcome return to the Mountain Course after injury forced him out of last year’s event. Shaun Anderson, Michael Sweeney, Brian McCormack and the Manx pairing of Michael Evans and Joe Yeardsley should also be well to the fore whilst the F1 class will again have a plethora of overseas talent including the evergreen Stefano Bonetti, Amalric Blanc, Julian Trummer, David Datzer, Timothee Monot, Maurizio Bottalico, Michal Dokoupil and Horst Saiger. Dunlop has also entered the Historic Senior race where he’ll be joined by, amongst others, Dean Harrison, last year’s race winner Browne, McGuinness, Todd, Coward, Conor Cummins, Johnson, Herbertson, Yeardsley, Evans and Jordan. Another rider set to feature is Derek McGee who’ll make a return to the Mountain Course for the first time since 2019. Classic specialists Will Loder, Harley Rushton, Phil McGurk, Andy Hornby and impressive newcomer from last year Jeffrey Vermeulen will also contest the three-lap race. Harrison, Coward, Herbertson, last year’s winner Jordan, McGuinness, Todd, Browne, Evans, Yeardsley, McGee, Sweeney and Dan Sayle will line up in the Historic Junior race as well where the likes of Loder, McGurk, Rushton, Chris Moore, Jonathan Perry and newcomer Kyle Parkes add further strength in depth. One of the most intriguing entries comes from 14-time Sidecar TT race winner Ben Birchall, who will tackle the Mountain Course on two wheels for the first time. Dunlop, victor 12 months ago, Browne, Jordan, Sweeney, Sayle, Dokoupil, Stuart Hall, Rhys Hardisty and Moore should be the main front runners in the Lightweight race where the highly popular 250cc machines are expected to dominate. If the weather’s right, 116mph+ laps should be the order of the day. The concurrently run Ultra-Lightweight race will see the 400cc machines of yesteryear well to the fore with the likes of Nathan Harrison, McGee, Yeardsley, Perry and Rushton on board whilst Todd and Hickman have both entered the class too. New for 2026, 125cc machines are included too with Don Gilbert, German newcomer Chris Meyer, Tizano Rosati and Tom Snow all confirmed entries. The Junior 600cc race which will take place for the first time is set to feature many of the favourite middleweight machines from the nineties including the Honda CBR600 and Yamaha YZF-R6 taken to victory during the decade by the likes of Phillip McCallen, Ian Duffus, Jim Moodie, Ian Simpson and David Jefferies. As expected, the class has garnered great interest with over 60 entries including those from Dunlop, Todd, Herbertson, Yeardsley, Evans, Hodson, Marcus Simpson and Anderson. McCormack, Barry Furber, James Chawke, Johnny Stewart and Michael Russell are also on the entry list as are Ryan Whitehall, Paul Cassidy and overseas visitors Julien Cregniot and Laurent Hoffmann. With a wide variety of races including the very best riders currently plying their trade on the roads, this year’s Classic TT is set to be another thrilling and nostalgic event for all concerned and one not to be missed.