Harrison wins first race of Isle of Man TT 2026
Dean Harrison took a sensational win in the opening race of the 2026 Isle of Man TT, claiming victory in the six-lap Superbike race ahead of Peter Hickman and Michael Dunlop.
The Honda rider dominated from the off to take his sixth TT win, and his first in the Superbike class, after a strong practice week set the tone for his race week.
Harrison crossed the line 15 seconds clear of BMW rider Hickman, despite doubts about his fitness heading into the event, with a further 12s back to Dunlop - also on a Honda after a late switch back from the Ducati he had been set to race.
The Yorkshireman quickly built a lead, with an advantage of 4.8s by Glen Helen on the first lap, and continued to built that gap throughout. At one point, he was 33s clear of his closest contender.
He has now taken victory in each of the four solo classes, and today's win marked his 36th podium.
Hickman and Dunlop repeatedly traded places throughout the race, and were separated by just tenths for much of the action.
Though Dunlop pulled the gap back to a couple of seconds, Hickman took the advantage after the second pitstop and put in his fastest lap of the race on lap six to seal second.
Dunlop, who holds the all-time win record on the Mountain Course, had doubted his pace after switching machinery, but made it onto the podium for his 52nd TT podium finish.
Josh Brookes was fourth after a thrilling battle with John McGuinness, marking the 30th anniversary of his first TT this year.
The gap was down to just 1.5s at one point on lap five, but Brookes rebuilt the gap across the final tour.
The Superbike race had been due to be the second race of the week, but Saturday’s Superstock race was rescheduled due to low fog.
Monday is currently scheduled to be a rest day before racing returns on Tuesday with a Supersport race in the morning followed by sportbike race one and a solo practice lap in the afternoon.
Full Superbike race results
- Dean Harrison, Honda Racing UK, Honda
- Peter Hickman, 8TEN Racing, BMW
- Michael Dunlop, MD Racing, Honda
- Josh Brookes, DAO Racing, Honda
- John McGuinness, Honda Racing UK, Honda
- Ian Hutchinson, TeamRST, BMW
- Jamie Coward, Rapid Honda with DriveLife, Honda
- Nathan Harrison, H&H Motorcycles, Honda
- Mike Browne, Boyce Precision Engineering by Russell Racing, Honda
- Paul Jordan, Jackson Racing powered by Prosper2, Honda
