- Dean Harrison and John McGuinness will ride for Honda Racing UK at the North West 200 and the TT in 2027.
- Harrison also steps up to the BSB Superbike class, where his teammates are Kyle Ryde and Ryan Vickers.
- Both road racers are to set up the all-new Fireblade for the road circuits.
It had already been hinted at the end of October, and now it is official. Honda Racing UK is once again relying on a rider pairing in 2027 that could hardly be more different. On one side is 54-year-old John McGuinness from Morecambe, who has been racing at the TT since 1996 and has won 23 races there. On the other is Dean Harrison, 37 years old and a native Yorkshireman who now lives on the Isle of Man with his family. He was the most successful rider at the 2026 TT. What is new above all is the machinery: both will line up in 2027 with the new generation of the Fireblade.
Who will ride for Honda Racing UK at the TT and the North West 200 in 2027?
In 2027, Honda Racing UK will once again send Dean Harrison and John McGuinness to the North West 200 in Northern Ireland and the Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man. The road racing team thus remains unchanged from 2026.
Team manager Scot Hargreaves bases the decision on the 2026 season. He describes Harrison’s success on the Isle of Man as the highlight of the year for the whole squad. In McGuinness, the team particularly values his experience, commitment and consistently good results. Hargreaves expects that with these two riders as developers, Honda can be competitive from day one.
Harrison sees it similarly: “Having John as a teammate only improves our outlook for 2027.” The two are friends off the track. Harrison says he is proud to share the paddock awning with McGuinness again. In his view, their combined experience lifts the mood in the entire Honda camp.
How successful was Dean Harrison in the 2026 season?
At the 2026 TT, Dean Harrison won the Superbike race and the Senior TT, the two six-lap races regarded as the main events of the meeting. He also finished on the podium in both Supersport races.
At the North West 200, he added three more podium finishes. In total, Harrison has collected seven TT wins and is fourth on the all-time list of TT podiums. He himself considers his performance on the Mountain Course in 2026 to be the best of his career. He wants to carry the confidence from it into the new year.
Things also went well on the short circuits. In British Supersport, Harrison rode the CBR600RR for Honda and finished fourth in the championship. Along the way, he took his first podium in the class and finished in the top six 17 times. His teammate was Jack Kennedy, the five-time Supersport champion, who was runner-up in 2026 and will continue to lead Honda’s Supersport project in 2027.
Why is Dean Harrison also racing in British Superbike in 2027?
Honda is rewarding Harrison for his Supersport season with a place in the Superbike team in the British Superbike Championship. There he will contest a full season on the new Fireblade in 2027.
The factory team will therefore field three riders. Alongside Harrison, Ryan Vickers and Kyle Ryde will ride the Superbikes. Ryde is the reigning champion and has won the title three times in a row since 2024. He is the first rider to win consecutive titles on motorcycles from two different manufacturers, and is now moving to Honda. The manufacturer has been waiting 14 years for a title in the British Superbike Championship.
The class is not new to Harrison. He previously rode a Kawasaki for DAO Racing in BSB. In 2024, he started the season on the factory Honda but switched to the Supersport class mid-season. Most recently, he stood in for the injured Andrew Irwin at Oulton Park in 2025.
Harrison calls the new contract “the chance of a lifetime”. He expects a tough season but wants to take on the challenge deliberately. The pace he built up last year on the smaller CBR600RR should help him. He says he learned a great deal, especially in his battles with Jack Kennedy.
What role does the new 2027 Fireblade play for road racing?
The Fireblade is completely new for 2027, and Harrison and McGuinness are to set it up together for the road circuits. For Honda, this links the work on the short circuits with the outings on the Isle of Man and in Northern Ireland.
Harrison sees this as an advantage. In his view, everything he learns about the new machine in BSB also feeds into the preparation for the road races. Kyle Ryde is also set to help with development in the first year. Harrison is not worried about adapting the Fireblade to his riding style. He continues to rely on his well-established team with crew chief Stew Millen and data analyst Bob Grey.
The new Fireblade is one of Honda’s most important new models for the 2027 model year. Harrison and McGuinness already appeared with the new model at EICMA.
What else does John McGuinness have planned for 2027?
John McGuinness will once again race the North West 200 and the TT in 2027. In Northern Ireland, he is set to make his 100th race start at the North West 200.
His 2026 season was solid. At the TT, he finished fifth in the Superbike race. In August, he won the Historic Senior race at the Classic TT. At the TT itself, however, his last win was eleven years ago, dating back to 2015. At the 2026 North West 200, he finished in the top ten three times, with his best result being fifth in the Superstock race.
McGuinness is convinced that more would have been possible. He says Honda was fast in 2026, but the weather at the TT allowed too little track time. He is all the more looking forward to returning with Harrison as his teammate and a new motorcycle. His outlook is correspondingly optimistic: “it’s going to be an excellent year for road racing”.
When does the 2027 TT take place?
The 2027 TT begins on Monday, 31 May, with qualifying week, which runs until Friday, 4 June. Race week runs from 5 to 12 June.
For Harrison, his title defences are on the schedule right at the start. The Superbike race opens race week on Saturday, 5 June. The Senior TT follows on Friday, 11 June. In 2027 it will be the 100th running of this race and, like the Superbike race, it will be held over six laps. In total, the programme comprises nine instead of the previous ten races, because the Superstock class will now only run one race over four laps.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is John McGuinness racing at the TT in 2027?
Yes, John McGuinness will once again race for Honda Racing UK at the TT in 2027. He will also compete at the North West 200, where his 100th race start is due. The 54-year-old has been racing at the TT since 1996 and has won 23 races there.
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Which team will Dean Harrison ride for in 2027?
Dean Harrison stays with Honda Racing UK in 2027. He will ride the North West 200 and TT road races as well as a full season in the Superbike class of the British Superbike Championship. His bike is the new Fireblade.
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Who are Dean Harrison’s teammates in BSB in 2027?
In the Superbike class, Harrison will race alongside Ryan Vickers and Kyle Ryde. Ryde has won the British Superbike Championship three times in a row since 2024 and is moving to Honda for 2027.
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When is the 2027 Senior TT?
The 2027 Senior TT takes place on Friday, 11 June. It is the 100th running of the race, which is held over six laps. The defending winner is Dean Harrison.
