Dean Harrison's masterclass ends early, but Honda star still claims 2026 Senior TT win.
When the Milwaukee Senior TT finally got underway on Friday evening, Harrison immediately stamped his authority on the race. Riding a Honda CBR1000RR-R in Superstock trim but wearing Superbike fairings due to a swingarm preference, Harrison’s riding was on another level to the rest of the field. By Ramsey on lap one, Dean had established an advantage of more than eight seconds over his rivals and looked completely untouchable. Dean Harrison completed the opening lap at a blistering 135.15mph from a standing start and had already worked his way past the two riders who started ahead of him on the road.
Behind him, Honda teammate John McGuinness recorded an impressive 129.1mph opening lap, but the story at the front was Harrison's relentless pace.
As the second lap unfolded, the gap continued to grow.
By Kirk Michael, the lead had stretched to 12.5 seconds and timing screens suggested something extraordinary was developing. He was not merely leading the Senior TT — he was threatening the outright lap record.
Through the western section of the course and onto the Mountain, Harrison continued to gain time. By the Mountain Box he was approximately seven seconds inside lap-record pace. Fans around the circuit and those watching around the world sensed they were witnessing one of the great TT performances and all eyes were on the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade mounted Isle of Man stopover.
Then everything changed.
A red flag was displayed following an incident further down the field at the 11th Milestone, bringing the race to an immediate halt. The stoppage prevented the Senior TT from concluding that evening.
Organisers scheduled a rerun for Saturday, but the weather that had plagued much of the fortnight returned once again. After consultation with the Isle of Man Met Office, officials concluded that conditions would not improve sufficiently to allow any further racing to take place safely.
With no opportunity to complete the race, the 2026 Isle of Man TT was declared over and the Senior TT result was awarded based on the completed distance of Friday’s red flagged race. Harrison was officially declared the winner, with Peter Hickman second and Josh Brookes third.
The record books will show that Dean Harrison won the 2026 Senior TT. The fourth big bike race victory at the TT in two years for Honda and for Dean Harrison. With eight bikes out of the top ten in the Superbike race being a Honda, the Fireblade takes its rightful place as the bike to beat in the Superstock and Superbike class. The plaudits belong to Honda and to Harrison, a match made in road racing Heaven.
Dean Harrison
I’m absolutely ecstatic, I’m over the moon for me and for the team effort. To win not one but both the big bike races is something else. Unfortunately we didn’t get to have a proper go in the superstock race where we felt strong, but that’s racing, that’s the weather and that’s what makes the Isle of Man TT races as unique as they are. It’s not easy to earn the label as the toughest race in the world but that’s what this is and that means sometimes the weather takes over. The anticipation builds around a mixed schedule, the anxiety to go creeps in and the whole tension of the event is part of what makes it so special to race here and to win here. To be sat here holding one of the oldest trophies in motorsport on behalf of the team is an incredible feeling after such a testing week.When I think back to the winter and how I was working with the team to turn the idea of a hybrid superbike into reality, I feel pride and relief that the idea worked and I was able to deliver. It’s a testament to the strength of the Honda Fireblade in standard trim and it gives us something really useful to build off going forward. I knew I was going to be fast, I was confident I could deliver and I did exactly that. We’ll keep the ball rolling and add to our successes.
John McGuinness MBE
I’ve got tons of mixed emotions after that race week. Some amazing successes to celebrate, the team have done the business and built some truly incredible bikes for me and Dean, who is the star of the show. We were hurtling round here in practice week having an amazing time, race week came and I was able to produce my fastest ever six lap race. I was strong in that one race I completed with a P5, there are no negatives but it’s hard not to feel frustrated at not being able to run a full length Senior TT again.I’m so pleased for Dean and for Honda. Dean was strong last year in winning those two superstock races on the Fireblade, he knows what he wants from a motorbike, we worked out what to ask for and Honda delivered. It’s so unique racing the TT and we all want exotica here but Dean is a realist, he knew what he wanted and asked for this hybrid superbike to be built. It shows just how good the stock bike is for him to have done what he’s done this week. I’m proud to be part of this jigsaw and super happy to be in this fantastically solid team. All the guys here on the spanners want to be here, we’ve been in each other’s pocket for two weeks and we still get on. The support we’ve had has been amazing too, from sponsors, friends of the team and from fans. We’ve all chipped in but it’s important to remember who is holding the handlebars and at the end of the day, Dean hammered everyone. I backed him up on the amazing RS250 ’96 replica bike, had amazing feedback from everybody and the fans clapped at me like I was winning. Nobody has ever been clapped in to a fifth place in a TT like I was this week. I wore a replica of my old kit, rode a mint superbike that looked like the first bike I raced here, everyone enjoyed some sunshine and the icing on the cake was seeing Dean win.
