Seeds revealed for 2025 Entire Cover Insurance Supertwin TT

Dunlop, Hickman and Todd all line up on the ‘twins, with a few class specialists looking to upset the applecart

There’s just over a month until the 2025 Isle of Man TT Races fire into life, and the list of seeded riders lining up of the Metzler and Entire Cover Insurance Supertwin TTs has been released.

The TT’s big three, Michael Dunlop, Peter Hickman and Davey Todd, will all be lining up on the lightweight machines for the three-lap races, with the Metzeler Supertwin TT scheduled to take place on Tuesday 3 June and our Entire Cover-backed outing slated for Friday 6 June.

Starting in his traditional sixth off the line, Dunlop is reunited with the MD Racing Paton on which he has enjoyed enormous success over the years. Dunlop has won five of the last seven Supertwin TTs (formerly known as the Lightweight TT) on the Italian built Paton, with only mechanical issues denying him a clean sweep in that period. It goes without saying that Mickey D will be expected to extend his record 29 TT wins in these two races alone.

Winner of those other two Supertwin TTs was Hickman, who returns on a Yamaha R7 prepared by his PHR Performance organisation. Hicky had been involved in an epic battle with Dunlop in the solitary 2022 Supertwin TT, the pair trading blows on their respective Patons before Michael’s retirement saw the race decided in the English rider’s favour.

Hickman was also a surprise winner in 2023’s second race, when his underdeveloped R7 took the honours following the retirement of the main Paton runners. With the Yamaha now entering its third TT, expectations are that it should now have the performance to match the Paton, setting up a mouthwatering proposition for this year’s races.

Having run a Kawasaki with little success last year, Todd now gets his hands on the dominating Paton for 2025. It’ll be run by the iconic Milenco By Padgett’s squad, giving the 2024 Senior TT winner a real shot at honours in the Supertwin class too. We can’t wait!

But the specialist and unpredictable nature of the ‘twins means that the class has regularly thrown up surprises, with a number of riders taking their maiden TT podiums in the category.

Among them is Paul Jordan, the former 125 Grand Prix rider who was third in 2022. As he did last year, the Irishman will run the number one plate as he leads the riders down Glencrutchery Road. He’ll be mounted on an Aprilia RS 660 for the Preston-based Prosper2 team.

As with the Yamaha, the Aprilia has yet to really show the speed to match the Patons in race trim but with a number of years’ worth of development under their belts, this could be TT where the challenge is mounted. The only other seeded rider to run the RS 660, incidentally, is Manxman Joe Yeardsley, the 2023 Senior Manx Grand Prix winner who had an impressive TT debut last summer.

The last rider outside of the dominant Dunlop/Hickman duo to win the race was Michael Rutter, who lines up third on his distinctive Bathams AJN Racing Yamaha. The veteran Black Country rider, now aged 53, just loves racing and is a seven-time TT winner. Having retired from racing the bigger bikes, the Supertwins will be Rutter’s sole focus at TT’25.

A podium finish isn’t out of the question, especially if others hit problems, and would be hugely popular. Adam McLean and the popular Baz Furber are other Yamaha riders in the top 20 seeds.

Rutter heads off 10 seconds ahead of the top Kawasaki runner Jamie Coward. The Yorkshireman has been one of the most consistent men at the TT in recent years and is always a podium threat in the Supertwins, having twice placed in the top three in the class.

He should be up there again this year, though whether the Kawasaki is capable of matching the exotic Patons is the only question mark. Mike Browne, Mike Evans and South African Allan Venter are the other seeds on Kawasakis this year – all capable of challenging for top six on their day.

But there are plenty of fast riders on the Paton S1-R this year, none more so than fan favourite Dominic Herbertson. The podcasting tree surgeon was a hugely popular podium finisher in the Supertwins last year and this could be the race in which he makes a real breakthrough. With a small step he really could take it to the established trio in 2025, having finished third and fourth in last year’s two ‘twins races.

The Supertwins also tend to attract a very international entry. The seeded rider list includes three Paton-mounted Italians in the form of Andrea Majola, last year’s Manx Grand Prix winner, Maurizio Bottalico and Stefano Bonetti, a regular frontrunner in the class. Making it a quartet of Italians in the top 20, 2022 Manx Grand Prix winner Francesco Curinga takes the final seeded spot on a Yamaha R7.

Spain’s Victor Lopez goes off at 17 on a Paton. He’s another former winner at the Manx, where he won the 2023 Junior Grand Prix, the same year Pierre-Yves Bian became the first Frenchman to stand on a solo TT podium.

Bian finished second on a PHR Performance prepared Paton back then, and he’s scheduled to start second in this year’s Supertwin TTs, although his bike and team have yet to be confirmed.

Metzeler/Entire Cover insurance Supertwin TT seeded rider list

1.   Paul Jordan | Jackson Racing powered by Prosper2 | Aprilia
2.   Pierre-Yves Bian | TBC 
3.   Michael Rutter | Bathams AJN Racing | Yamaha
4.   Jamie Coward | KTS Racing powered by Stanley Stewart Racing | Kawasaki
5. ;   Michael Evans | Dafabet Racing | Kawasaki
6.   Michael Dunlop | MD Racing | Paton
7.   Adam McLean | Flitwick Motorcycles / SMV | Yamaha
8.   Davey Todd | Milenco By Padgett’s Motorcycles | Paton
9. ;   Mike Browne | KMR Kawasaki | Kawasaki
10.   Peter Hickman | Swan Racing by PHR Performance | Yamaha
11.   Joe Yeardsley | Scott Racing Motorcycles | Aprilia
12.   Barry Furber | DC Motorcycles Newtown | Yamaha
13.   Dominic Herbertson | Melbray Racing | Paton
14.   Stefano Bonetti | VAS Engine Racing | Paton
15.   Rob Hodson | SMT Racing | Paton
16.   Allann Venter | TH Racing / Hywel Griffiths | Kawasaki
17.   Victor Lopez | Team ILR & Martimotos | Paton
18.   Andrea Majola | VAS Engine Racing | Paton
19.   Maurizio Bottalico | Team ILR / Frog Vehicle Developments | Paton
20.   Francesco Curinga | Delmo Racing Team/Top Surface/TRT | Yamaha