Dean Harrison is the 2026 Milwaukee Senior TT winner after rain meant organisers were unable to run a restart following a red flag on Friday’s initial running.
Rain and low cloud caused havoc at TT26 and, with Saturday’s scheduled Senior TT looking vulnerable to weather for a second successive year, organisers brought it forward by a day – giving competitors their best chance to take on the showcase race, albeit over a reduced four-lap distance.
Racing got underway in the early evening, with Carole Nash ambassador Harrison setting the early pace from Peter Hickman and Josh Brookes, with a resurgent Ian Hutchinson rolling back the years to slot into fourth on his privately run BMW, ahead of a struggling Michael Dunlop – who had looked ill at ease on his Honda superbike throughout TT fortnight.
Riding his superstock specification Honda Fireblade, Harrison was on lap record pace on lap two when the red flags came out for a crash involving Erno Kostamo at the 11th Milestone. Organisers originally hoped to re-run the race on Saturday but, as per the original forecast, the rain returned and with it any hope of racing evaporated. Shortly before 2pm on Saturday, organisers confirmed that they’d been defeated by the weather and that the result of the Senior TT would be awarded based on the standings at the end of lap one.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic,” Dean said after being presented with the trophy on Saturday. “I’m over the moon for me and for the team effort. To win not one but both the big bike races is something else. Unfortunately we didn’t get to have a proper go in the superstock race where we felt strong, but that’s racing, that’s the weather and that’s what makes the Isle of Man TT races as unique as they are.
It’s not easy to earn the label as the toughest race in the world but that’s what this is and that means sometimes the weather takes over. The anticipation builds around a mixed schedule, the anxiety to go creeps in and the whole tension of the event is part of what makes it so special to race here and to win here. To be sat here holding one of the oldest trophies in motorsport on behalf of the team is an incredible feeling after such a testing week.”
It was Honda’s first Senior TT victory since Dunlop took the honours in 2017, and a big part of the success has been credited not only by the signing of Harrison three years ago, but also the way in which they’ve worked together to create a Fireblade which is not just fast, but easy to ride too – retaining many of the production bike’s standard parts to create a crossover between a superstock and superbike machine
Dean continued: “When I think back to the winter and how I was working with the team to turn the idea of a hybrid superbike into reality, I feel pride and relief that the idea worked and I was able to deliver. It’s a testament to the strength of the Honda Fireblade in standard trim and it gives us something really useful to build off going forward. I knew I was going to be fast, I was confident I could deliver and I did exactly that. We’ll keep the ball rolling and add to our successes.”
It was Harrison’s second TT win of the year, his seventh overall, and although anti-climatic few could deny he was the man to beat on the 1000cc bikes. He had romped to victory in Sunday’s six-lap Superbike TT – the only race to go its scheduled distance – and had been fastest in practice for the superstock races, both of which were defeated by the weather.
Only four TTs were completed in 2026, the Superbike, two Supersport and the first Sportbike TTs. The Senior was declared after one lap, while both RL360 Superstock TTs and the second Carole Nash Sportbike TT all fell foul to the weather. No Sidecar TTs took place, the category being ‘suspended’ following some serious incidents in practice.
Rain affected seven of the nine days on which racing could have taken place, severely limiting the opportunities available to the race organisers, who worked wonders in the circumstances. Speaking of his challenging race week, Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson said: “This has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging TTs in recent years from a weather perspective. Over the course of the event, we set out with nine days on which racing could potentially have taken place, and rain will have affected seven of them. That is an exceptional set of circumstances and it has had a major impact on what we have been able to deliver.
“Throughout the event, the weather simply hasn’t worked in our favour. We have faced low cloud, rain, standing water and changing conditions across different parts of the mountain course, which have significantly limited the windows available to us.
“We fully appreciate that today’s outcome will be disappointing for competitors, teams, sponsors, volunteers and, of course, the thousands of fans who travel to the Isle of Man from around the world to experience the TT.
“However, throughout the event we have remained committed to making the very best use of every available weather window, while carefully managing the operational, logistical and safety considerations involved in delivering racing on the mountain course.
“The challenges we have faced this year are part of the nature of an event that takes place on 37.73 miles of public roads. That is what makes the TT unique, but it also means that weather and course conditions will always play a significant role in determining what is possible.
“I would like to sincerely thank our competitors, teams, marshals, volunteers, officials, medical teams, residents, partners and fans for their patience, understanding and continued support throughout what has been a difficult week. Their cooperation has been greatly appreciated.”
While few could deny Harrison his win, behind him there were more than a few riders with stories to tell, and who would have loved some more laps to sign off the TT in style. For Hickman, the Senior had looked encouraging. The 14-time winner was injured during last year’s event and has improved throughout this year’s TT, suggesting he could well be back to his best in 12 months’ time.
For Brookes, he showed he continues to knock on the door of the fastest road racers, despite still being seen mainly as a short circuit rider, while Hutchinson, in fourth, was hugely impressive as he posted a 131.789mph lap. The 46-year-old Yorkshireman, another 14-time TT winner, has had a torrid time since his last win in 2017 but despite serious injuries and a stroke in 2023, Hutchy has never given up and at times looked close to the history maker who won five races in a week back in 2010.
And there was some sadness for fellow legend John McGuinness. The 23-time winner was widely expected to announce his retirement after the race. The 54-year-old finished a brilliant fifth in the Superbike TT but was sitting 11th when the red flag came out in the Senior. He said on Friday that he wanted to finish the race and ‘can’t finish on a reg flag’ suggesting that rumours of his retirement were true, but he remained tight-lipped on his future when the result was declared on Saturday, instead reflecting on his performance and that of Honda Racing team-mate Harrison.
He said: “I’ve got tons of mixed emotions after that race week. Some amazing successes to celebrate, the team have done the business and built some truly incredible bikes for me and Dean, who is the star of the show. We were hurtling round here in practice week having an amazing time, race week came and I was able to produce my fastest ever six lap race. I was strong in that one race I completed with a P5, there are no negatives but it’s hard not to feel frustrated at not being able to run a full-length Senior TT again.
“I’m so pleased for Dean and for Honda. Dean was strong last year in winning those two superstock races on the Fireblade, he knows what he wants from a motorbike, we worked out what to ask for and Honda delivered. It’s so unique racing the TT and we all want exotica here but Dean is a realist, he knew what he wanted and asked for this hybrid superbike to be built.
It shows just how good the stock bike is for him to have done what he’s done this week. I’m proud to be part of this jigsaw and super happy to be in this fantastically solid team. All the guys here on the spanners want to be here, we’ve been in each other’s pocket for two weeks and we still get on. The support we’ve had has been amazing too, from sponsors, friends of the team and from fans.
We’ve all chipped in but it’s important to remember who is holding the handlebars and at the end of the day, Dean hammered everyone. I backed him up on the amazing RS250 ’96 replica bike, had amazing feedback from everybody and the fans clapped at me like I was winning. Nobody has ever been clapped into a fifth place in a TT like I was this week. I wore a replica of my old kit, rode a mint superbike that looked like the first bike I raced here, everyone enjoyed some sunshine and the icing on the cake was seeing Dean win.”
As always, the TT had its lows as well as highs. Qualifying was suspended on the first day when a bike went into the crowd, while newcomer Daniel Ingham died in an accident at Doran’s Bend on the first lap of third qualifying. Sidecars were suspended after the top outfit of Callum and Ryan Crowe flipped over a jump in qualifying, while sidecar driver Maria Costello has been left with lifechanging injuries following a crash in practice. Jamie Cringle and Erno Kostamo, whose crash brought out the red flags in the Senior, have both been transferred to Aintree Hospital, Kostamo with leg and hip injuries and Cringle receiving treatment for leg, chest and back injuries. We wish all the injured competitors and their families well.
TT 2026 is in the books and plans are already underway for TT 2027, with action set to resume slightly later next year – with first practice scheduled for Monday May 31 and racing set to conclude on Saturday June 12.
We’ve got it in our diaries already. Let’s just hope for some better weather next year!
Photos: Impact Images and Honda Racing
