Introducing 2025’s TT rookies

There are more than a dozen newcomers making their debut at the 2025 Isle of Man TT Races. Let’s check them out…

While one of the great appeals of road racing is its accessibility to amateur competitors, entry to the Isle of Man TT Races is strictly controlled. Such is the unique nature of the event, numbers are capped and organisers employ a vetting and mentoring programme to ensure any newcomers have the basic skills and mentality to take on the most demanding road race in the world.

Each year there’s a great buzz around the newcomers when the entry lists come out and 2025 is no different. This year’s newbies has a real international flavour and represents a mix of Manx Grand Prix graduates (the amateur races held each August around the exact same Mountain course) and those who’ve cut their teeth on the short circuits.

Those signing up are invited over to the island to discuss their motivations and to see the course first hand, guided by a team of TT rider liaison officers, led by local ace and former TT winner Richard Quayle (universally known as Milky, owing to his resemblance to the Milky Bar Kid in his younger years) and featuring experienced runners John Barton and Lee Cain, as well as sidecar legend Dave Molyneux.

They’ve all been doing their homework and all know the scale of the challenge they’ve signed up for.

Let Entire Cover introduce them to you…

Kiwi set to fly

Probably the most anticipated rider to be wearing an orange novice bib this year is Kiwi Mitch Rees. He’s a member of New Zealand’s most famous racing family: his father, Tony, has been one of New Zealand’s top superbike riders for almost three decades, while late brother Damon was a regular in the British Supersport Championship.

Mitch has dominated his national championships in recent years and has proven pace against top TT stars. He beat Peter Hickman and Davey Todd at the Wanganui meeting, held on the legendary Cemetery Circuit earlier this year, and is fancied by many top runners to adapt well to the unique demands of the Mountain course.

The 32-year-old attended the 2024 TT races and will make his TT debut with the famous Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles team. He’s been in Britain since April and has been warming up for the TT with outings in the National Superstock Championship and North West 200.

He explains: “I’ve always enjoyed riding on the roads back home and so the TT has always been on my radar.

“It’s obviously difficult to do being from on the other side of the world and we relied on Bruce (Anstey) to fly the flag for us for many years.

“But having met the likes of Davey and Hicky when they’ve come over to race in the NZ Suzuki Series, I started to discuss the TT with them more.

“I made it over to the island for nine days last year and loved everything about it. I did a couple of laps with Davey and going over the Mountain for the first time was pretty mind blowing especially considering the speeds that they do!

“Since then, I’ve been doing my homework, doing laps on the Playstation game and Milky Quayle’s on-board DVD to get used to the course as much as possible.

“The main goal for 2025 is to be safe, learn the course and enjoy it. And with the Padgett’s boys, I couldn’t ask to be with a better team. Clive and his crew are so well known, and so successful. And if you’re going to do something, it’s best to do the job properly.”

BB guns for TT challenge

Former British Superbike Championship (BSB) rider Barry Burrell is one of the most experienced TT newcomers ever. With 89 BSB starts to his name, this seasoned competitor from County Durham has competed at a high level for over two decades. As well as BSB, he’s ridden in the European Superstock and World Endurance Championships.

He’s one of the top runners in the BMW F 900 R Cup, which runs alongside BSB races, and just as he does in that series, he’ll run under the banner of Chester BMW Motorrad dealer Halliwell Jones for his TT debut, with an M 1000 RR prepared by Peter Hickman’s PHR Performance under his awning. 

Kershaw headliner of six sidecar new crews

The TT sidecar classes continue to attract high profile newcomers. Last year saw world champions Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement make their TT debuts, and they’ll return this year with one of their old rivals as a newcomer.

Steve Kershaw has been one of the UK’s leading sidecar drivers over the past decade, being British champion in 2018 and 2020 and scoring six wins and 18 podiums during his three seasons in the world series.

The 38-year-old Scotsman is joined on his TT debut by passenger Rhys Gibbons, who achieved a remarkable TT debut last year, when he partnered his uncle, Alan Founds, to a third-place finish.

Also new in the sidecars is George Holden, who follows in the footsteps of his father, two-time TT winner John Holden. He’s finished third in the 2023 and 2024 British championships and is paired the experienced Mark Wilkes, the former passenger of multiple world champion Tim Reeves.

“With dad racing for so long, I’ve obviously grown up with the TT so competing has been on my mind for a long time and now the time’s right to turn that dream into a reality. I’ve been building my experience up on the short circuits but, to be honest, it was only in 2023 when everything started to come together for making my TT debut,” said Holden.

“I obviously know which way the course goes but since 2023 I’ve turned my attentions to approaching it as a driver as racing around the Mountain course is a whole different ball game to going round in a car at 30mph! I’ve been watching onboard laps all the time and going over to the island as much as possible so it’s simply a case of trying to soak it all in.

I’ve got dad helping me and Dave Molyneux has been superb with his coaching. When Mark became available, we soon got everything arranged and it’s great to have a passenger on board of such high calibre and with so much experience. That can only be of benefit.”

Other sidecar pairings contesting the TT for the first time include British championship regulars Kieran Clarke and Andrew Johnson, and James Saunders and Sarah Stokoe. Overseas crews Bruno Mathern and Mathilde Jully, and Steveens Palacoeur and Yann Druel, will also bring an exciting international element to the field. Check out our preview of the 3wheeling.media Sidecar TTs here.

Six step up from Manx Grand Prix

Two young Manxmen, Joe Yeardsley and Marcus Simpson, made a real impression at last year’s TT after stepping up from the Manx Grand Prix and this year sees an international line-up of eight Manx GP graduates at the TT.

Spain’s Victor Lopez was due to tackle the TT for the first time last year but will now debut in 2025. A specialist on both Supersport and Supertwin machines, Lopez won the Junior Manx GP (the equivalent of Supertwins at the TT) two years ago on a Paton and is a 120mph+ runner on a Supersport bike and a 117mph+ rider in the Supertwin class.

Italy’s Andrea Majola is another who knows his way around the Mountain course, having made his Manx Grand Prix debut in 2019. He won the Junior race last year, defeating Maurizio Bottalico by almost 16 seconds. The 34-year-old will contest all classes at the TT with the Northern Irish Parker Transport Racing team, while Sammarinese rider Bottalico will also step up to the big show this year.

The 43-year-old will be riding a 1000cc machine around the island for the first time at the TT and has hooked up with the experienced Crowe Performance team – for whom he will campaign a BMW. His preparations have gone well, having picked up the best newcomer award at the recent North West 200 races.

Maintaining the Euro flavour, three French road racing specialists; Julien Cregnoit, Lancelot Unissart and Gerald Dath have TT entries for the first time – with Ireland’s Jacque Foley rounding out our list of newcomers to keep an eye on at TT ’25.