It’s TT time!

Goodbye FHO, hello 8TEN

With FHO Racing announcing its withdrawal from UK racing in February, riders Peter Hickman and Davey Todd moved swiftly to put together their own squad with the continued support of the BMW factory.

Called 8TEN, a combination of their Isle of Man start numbers, they retain much of the FHO outfit’s key personnel, meaning continuity shouldn’t be a problem. The lateness of the deal has meant they’ve been a bit behind the 8-ball in preseason preparation, but they arrive at the TT with the North West 200 and two British Superbike rounds under their belt.

Hicky and Todd are always among the favourites, especially for the 1000cc races where the BMW M 1000 RR remains the weapon of choice. Both have plenty of experience of the Beemers, Hickman winning numerous TTs and holding the outright lap record on one, while Todd rode a TAS Racing (who are focusing on short circuit racing in 2025) BMW to two TT wins last year.

It’s hard to imagine both riders won’t be right up there come race week. 

Mickey’s Euro garage

It’s (mostly) all change for TT G.O.A.T. Michael Dunlop at TT 2025, with a European flavour to his fleet this year.

Out go the Hondas he’s raced in the big bike classes for the past few years, as well as his trusty Supersport Yamaha, and in comes some BMW M 1000 RRs for the Superbike and Superstock outings, and a new generation Ducati Panigale V2 for Supersport. Unsurprisingly he sticks with the Paton S1-R, upon which he’s been unstoppable in the Supertwin races for years.

As always, Michael will be taking a very hands on approach to his racing – not being tied to a single manufacturer and essentially running as a privateer under his own MD Racing banner. He’s got some seriously good people and some seriously good bikes behind him though.

As well as his own mechanics, he’ll continue to work with top superbike team Hawk Racing to run the BMWs, while his supersport bike comes directly from Feel Racing – Ducati’s works world supersport team – and he remains supported by the passionate Paton factory too.

It might seem like too many changes, but Dunlop has been quietly getting a lot of seat time over the winter. He’s raced the Ducati in the iconic Daytona 200 and taken both the BMW and Ducati to wins in the early season Northern Irish road races at Cookstown and the North West 200. Will he add to his 29 wins on the island this year? We’d be surprised if he doesn’t! 

Can Hutchy make another miracle?

Ian Hutchinson will forever be a TT legend. He made history in 2010 when he became the first rider to win five TTs in a week and, after a decade of injury woes, last year he overcame more adversity to return to the races after suffering a stroke in 2023.

He made a low-key return with Padgett’s, itself something of a miracle, and he could have been forgiven for throwing in the towel after some underwhelming results.

You can’t keep a good man down though and the 16-time TT winner returns with the new Michael Laverty-fronted Moobob BMW squad and expectations are higher. He’s been on the podium at the North West 200 and been very competitive in the opening rounds of hotly contested National Superstock championship.

Hutchy’s known as the Miracle Man for his incredible resilience and bouncebackability. Is 2025 the year when he writes another unbelievable chapter in his fairy tale career?

Honda keep the faith

It’s a year of continuity at Honda Racing, the official Honda team, where team leader Dean Harrison is again joined by the veteran John McGuinness.

Harrison is a bona fide member of the Big Four, alongside Dunlop, Hickman and Todd, and the 2019 Senior TT winner will be looking to find a small step with the Fireblade if he is to challenge the BMW riders for outright honours.

TT legend McGuinness will again run the number one plate in the 1000cc races. The 23-time TT winner, 53, is realistic when it comes to his chances of adding to tally of race wins, but he still loves racing the iconic Mountain course as much as ever and is still a genuine top six contender. If the cards fall in his favour, an emotional 48^th TT podium is not out of the question.

Big man joins the Beemer set

There’s always a certain romance when a Manx native lines up on the TT grid, and the highest profile Manxman over the years has been Conor Cummins.

It’s hard to believe the big man, who will turn 39 over TT fortnight, hasn’t won a TT in his illustrious career. It’s almost two decades since he made his debut around the Mountain course, and its 16 years since he finished second (behind Steve Plater) in the 2009 Senior TT.

His fame rose when he spectacularly crashed down the side of the Mountain in the following year’s Senior – an accident which was immortalised in the 2011 docufilm TT3D: Closer to the Edge.

The intervening years have been tough for the tall rider from Ramsey, who has struggled with injuries. Last year he parted company with long term collaborators Padgett’s midway through the TT, but this year he is reenergised as he rides a BMW for the first time – in the colours of the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing team.

Hillier and Herbertson go it alone

WTF Racing, an offshoot of the equally cheekily named OMG Racing, was another winter casualty, leaving two more seeded riders looking at a TT on the sidelines.

Thankfully team owner Alan Gardner was able to make the team’s Honda Fireblades available to riders Dominic Herbertson and James Hillier, even if the funds weren’t in place to run a team, and both have been able to put their own outfits together to take on the 1000cc using the bikes originally earmarked for them.

Hillier runs the ‘blade in Muc Off colours, and reunites with long time collaborators Bournemouth Kawasaki to take on the Supersport TTs on a ZX-6R. Popular podcaster Dom the Bomb has put together his own HRRC (Herbertson Road Racing Company) team to run the Hondas, and has some competitive looking equipment in the smaller classes too, with a Ducati for Supersport and a Paton for the Supertwins, the class in which he took a maiden podium finish last year.

Injured warriors set to miss out

Two of the top 20 seeded riders will be missing the 2025 TT after picking up injuries at the North West 200. Podium finisher Jamie Coward, a regular top six runner, had hoped the switch from Honda to BMW would help him push on this year but instead the 34-year-old will be forced to watch from the sidelines after picking up multiple injuries in a crash with Gary McCoy last month.

McCoy, who was due to take his place among the newcomers at this year’s TT, was airlifted to hospital after the incident and will also miss out. Craig Neve, who was slated to set off 14^th on the road, is another who ended the North West in hospital and will miss out on the big event.

Coward’s KTS Racing BMW will now be piloted by Irishman Mike Browne, who was originally meant to run alongside Ian Hutchinson on the Moobob BMW, while Neve’s Bathams Racing squad have yet to announce if they will be running a replacement – although they will definitely be in attendance as team boss Michael Rutter will be competing in the Supertwin races.

Kawasaki and Suzuki flags still flying

When it comes to the 1000cc races, BMWs and Hondas are still the machines of choice – with half of the 20 seeded runners slated to race Fireblades and eight on the German bikes.

There are two outliers though, with solitary entries for Kawasaki and Suzuki among the top 20 entrants. Veteran Aussie David Johnson remains on a ZX-10RR Ninja, looking to make amends for a disastrous 2024 TT which ended when he crashed the Platinum Club Racing Kawasaki at K-Tree.

Northern Ireland’s Shaun Anderson is also staying put for 2025, returning with the Team Classic Suzuki GSX-R1000R upon which he finished eighth in the Senior TT.

Despite the lack of front runners campaigning the venerable machines, the Kawasaki and Suzuki (not to mention the odd Yamaha) remain popular choices among the privateer riders.

Newcomers look to make their mark

There are over a dozen newcomers racing at the TT for the first time. A combination of Manx Grand Prix graduates and short circuit specialists from the world of two and three wheeled racing, this international motley crew has been doing their collective homework for months now. They can’t wait to get started, and you can read more about them here.

Twins shock?

Did you know that we’re real suckers for the Supertwin TTs?

As proud sponsors of the Entire Cover insurance Supertwin TT, we always take an extra interest in these trick little bikes, and this year’s two outings for the ‘twins (don’t forget our friends at Metzeler back the first race too) are shaping up to be really interesting.

All the big stars are out this year. Michael Dunlop starts as a serious favourite on his Paton, but these highly strung bikes always throw up a surprise or two. With Davey Todd also on a Paton, and Peter Hickman enjoying a third year on the always improving PHR Performance Yamaha R7, he won’t have it all his own way.

Read our full preview here.

Don’t forget the three-wheelers!

Sidecars have a long tradition at the Isle of Man TT Races and last year saw a changing of the guard, with the Crowe brothers taking over from the Birchall brothers as the dominant force.

The Crowes, Callum and Ryan, are back and running the number one plate, while Ben Birchall has a new partner in Paddy Rosney, as he looks to add to his 14 wins.

Add in multiple runners-up Peter Founds and Javen Walmsley, not to mention world champions Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement in their sophomore year, and we have some intriguing battles brewing on the three wheelers. And with some highly rated rookies, including multiple British champion Stephen Kershaw, the sidecar class looks to be in good health for many years to come.

Check out our Sidecar TT preview here.