Honda Racing returns to its roots at 2025 Isle of Man TT Races

John McGuinness MBE

“We’re in a good place for the TT, a bit of a sweet spot. We hit the ground running at the North West which meant that we were just hurtling round having fun, really. While it’s true I’ve set personal best times each time I’ve been out, I think what’s more important than that is I’m just enjoying riding my bike and being competitive.... I’m in a good place and I’m grateful to still be doing it and to be able to appreciate it for what it is. It’s quite a rare thing to be in this position and work with the Honda team and with these bikes. I still love the whole TT package. There’s the track itself, the people around it - nothing really compares to it. I’ve done a lot of things in racing all over the world, but the TT is just another level and it brings it home to you that we’re still allowed to do this type of thing - and long may it continue. Our bikes are working well, we were well over the 200 mph mark at the North West 200 and we’re competitive. I love working with Dean, he’s flying at the minute. He’s in a fantastic zone and got five podiums in Northern Ireland - and I’m actually really enjoying seeing him in that position. He knows what he wants and you’ve got to let him run because he’ll deliver. He’s happy to be in the position of doing what he affectionately calls a ‘roar round’. It’s a good way of looking at it. It’s a heavy programme on the event with all the commitments that we have, but at the end of it we get to roar round 38 miles of fantastic roads. There’s lots of places that give you a thrill and everywhere’s a challenge.”

Dean Harrison

“I’m feeling really good about everything except the weather at the moment, which looks like it might be a bit disappointing for the first week at least, so I hope that the forecast will change a little bit. The bikes are in place, the trucks in place, the hospitality’s all set and the lads in the team are arriving so it’s starting to feel like we’re ready to go. I’m good to go, in myself, and I’m ready to go now, to be honest. Realistically, how we finished the North West 200 is how we’re going to start at the TT, so it will take the first day’s practice to see how that then translates to what we need and where we need to work to really get our setup right for the rest of the week. We used the same specification of Metzeler tyres at the North West 200 as we use here, so I’m confident in terms of how they are handling. It’s impossible to predict who is going to be challenging for the win - at the moment it looks like everyone on the seeded list can come in looking confident, to a degree. It’s going to be extremely fast, there are a lot of guys and a lot of bikes who are in form so we need to hit the ground running, get the setup sorted as quickly as possible and get some fast laps under us belts.”

Team Manager Havier Beltran

“The entire motorcycle world will be watching closely for the next two weeks, and the TT is of course one of those few events that really reaches everyone who is interested in sport of any kind. It’s a massive endeavour, and the place where Honda really put itself on the global stage, so our preparations have been intensive as we prepare for the next fortnight. The bikes are in good shape, and I think that taking five podiums on the North West 200 was testament to how hard the team has been working to ensure that the riders can be confident in their equipment. Dean is really peaking at the right time, having really impressed everyone with his continued growth in shorter circuit racing within BSB and getting well inside the lead group of Supersport riders, while remaining at the top of his game as a road racer. John, meanwhile, is a rider who needs no introduction around the world. He continues to amaze us with his hunger to compete, and with his ability to improve his best-ever lap times year-on-year. We are optimistic for a safe and successful two weeks and an unforgettable event on this year’s calendar.”