Dean Harrison has emerged as the rider to beat at the Isle of Man TT, posting impressive speeds in both the Superbike and Superstock classes during final qualifying. The Honda rider lapped the course with an average speed of 134.877mph on his Superbike. He then bettered that in the afternoon session on his Superstock machine, posting a lap of 135.484mph.
Harrison Leads Superbike and Superstock Qualifying
Harrison’s strong form makes him a favourite for the first of eight races. The first race is a three-lap Superstock TT on Saturday, followed by the first Superbike race on Sunday. Peter Hickman, Josh Brookes, and Michael Dunlop were Harrison’s closest challengers in the Superbike class.
Dunlop was second to Harrison in Superstock qualifying with a lap of 131.946mph. Ian Hutchinson, Jamie Coward and Mike Browne followed. Browne topped the morning session when the majority of riders focused on their Superbikes.
Dunlop Dominates Supersport and Sportbike Sessions
Michael Dunlop was quickest in both Supersport sessions on his Ducati. His speed of 128.719mph in the afternoon was just shy of his fastest time of the week in the class. Hickman, Harrison and Josh Brookes were behind Dunlop.
Dunlop also led the Sportbike class with a speed of 123.020mph in the morning session on his Paton. Mike Browne was the fastest man in the afternoon session, though his speed of 121.348mph was down on Dunlop’s earlier effort. Hickman and Paul Jordan were the only other riders to break the 120mph barrier in the class on Friday.
Sidecar Races Suspended After Accidents
The two scheduled sidecar races will not take place. This follows on-track action involving the class being suspended on safety grounds after an accident involving Ryan and Callum Crowe. Organisers said the move was a “precautionary measure” following an “immediate technical and operational review” of the crash on Wednesday evening.
The first week of the 2026 Isle of Man TT has seen a series of high profile crashes. These include the fatal accident of 2024 Manx Grand Prix winner Daniel Ingham on Wednesday. On Monday, eight spectators and a rider were injured after a motorcycle crashed into a crowd on the exit from Parliament Square in Ramsey during an untimed practice session on the opening day of the event.
Maria Costello and her passenger Shaun Parker were injured in a red flag incident at Brandish near the end of Tuesday evening’s sidecar qualifying session. There was also the accident for the Crowe brothers.
Given his qualifying speed, Harrison will be the rider to beat when racing gets under way on Saturday.