Classic TT 2026: Bonetti Rides the TZ 350 for a New Bimota Project

• Historic Junior Classic TT: Monday, 24 August 2026, start at 3:00 pm, three laps
• Rider: Stefano Bonetti, machine: Yamaha/Bimota TZ 350 GP
• Goal: data collection for a frame modelled on the historic Bimota YB1

The Italian Speed Shadows Racing Team returns to the Snaefell Mountain Course in August. After several years with four-stroke machines, the team from Chiusi in Tuscany is changing direction this time and opting for a two-stroke from the 1970s. In the saddle sits Stefano Bonetti, who has been one of the fixtures among European road racers for more than two decades.

When does Stefano Bonetti start at the Classic TT 2026?

The Historic Junior Classic TT starts on Monday, 24 August 2026, at 3:00 pm and runs over three laps. According to the organiser, the race follows the Junior and Senior Manx Grand Prix on that day.

The event already begins on Sunday, 16 August, with the first practice sessions. The course opens for the classics from Monday evening, 17 August. Dedicated sessions for Historic Senior and Historic Junior are scheduled from Wednesday, 19 August. One lap of the Mountain Course measures 37.73 miles, or a good 60.7 kilometres, run on closed public roads.

Why is the team using a Yamaha TZ 350?

The choice has a technical background: the Yamaha TZ 350 formed the basis for the Bimota YB1, the manufacturer’s first racing motorcycle, built in Rimini. The entry on the island therefore also serves as data collection for a future frame that is meant to be modelled on the historic YB1.

The motorcycle was built by team boss Paolo Girotti together with chief engineer Andrea Neri. In the 1970s, the TZ 350 was one of the defining racing machines of its era and was widely used in the smaller-displacement classes. For a team that defines its identity strongly through the Bimota brand, this closes a circle. Girotti describes the entry as a project that connects both eras: “We will race with a bike that speaks to the past but will also help us build the future.”

Who is behind the Speed Shadows Racing Team?

The team is led by Paolo Girotti, who also runs Bimota Classic Parts. Alongside Girotti and Bonetti, the core of the team includes chief engineer Andrea Neri as well as Cristian Tiraboschi and Filippo Pagani.

The project’s main sponsor is Bimota Classic Parts. The entry is additionally supported by several Italian companies from areas such as tool making, stainless steel processing and precision engineering, as well as by three technical partners. The team states that an undertaking of this scale would not be feasible without this support.

What has the team achieved on the Isle of Man so far?

Previous entries took place at the Manx Grand Prix, which hosted the classic races during the Classic TT’s hiatus. In 2023, the team competed there for the first time with the Bimota YB4 750 EIR in the Classic Superbike class and, according to media reports, finished the race in 15th place.

In 2024, the team fielded two motorcycles, the YB4 alongside a Kawasaki ZX-4RR. Both races were heavily affected by the weather and shortened to a single scored lap each. On the Kawasaki, Bonetti took second place in the Lightweight class, and according to media reports he was sixth overall and the fastest rider among the four-stroke machines behind that category’s class winner. On the Bimota he finished 14th, completing his lap in 19:23.582 minutes, an average of 116.733 miles per hour, or around 187.9 km/h.

Stefano Bonetti and the Mountain Course

Bonetti comes from Castro in Lombardy and was born on 23 December 1976. He made his Tourist Trophy debut in 2004, and has since completed 86 race starts on the Mountain Course. His best result stands at a fourth place, and he set his fastest lap in 2018 at 127.070 miles per hour, roughly 204.5 km/h. He also holds nine silver and 55 bronze replicas, the awards given at the TT for finishing times within a certain percentage margin of the winner.

His career did not follow a straight path. Because the Italian federation did not issue road racing licences for years, Bonetti had to start under the licence of other countries. Instead, he trained in hill climbing, a discipline in which he became champion several times. He missed the TT in 2006 and 2013 after sustaining serious injuries, including two broken legs, at the Macau Grand Prix. He returned to the island in 2014. In 2019 he won the Lightweight race at the North West 200, making him the first non-English-speaking winner of that event. That same year he finished second at the Classic TT.

How is the Classic TT 2026 programme structured?

The organiser has expanded the race programme for 2026 to include two new classes. New additions are a Junior 600 race for pre-injection supersport machines, as well as an Ultra-Lightweight race for 400cc supersport bikes and 125cc two-strokes.

Racing takes place over three race days. The Historic Junior is scheduled for 24 August, followed on 26 August by Formula One, the combined Lightweight and Ultra-Lightweight race, and the Junior 600, while Historic Senior and Senior Classic TT close out the event on 28 August. According to the organiser, Formula One, Historic Junior and Historic Senior remain the core programme. In addition, a parade lap is scheduled for 28 August to honour John McGuinness’s 30-year TT career. This places the Speed Shadows Racing Team’s entry within a season in which the Classic TT, following its 2025 comeback, returns with a significantly expanded programme for the first time.

Where can the team be found during the event?

The Speed Shadows Racing Team is assigned a pit spot in the Grandstand area. According to the team, this area is reserved for a limited number of teams selected by the organisers.

Visitors can view the Yamaha/Bimota TZ 350 GP up close there and meet those involved. For a team whose project is strongly defined by its connection to the brand’s history, this visibility in the paddock is a part of the entry in its own right.

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