Isle of Man TT 2026: Dunlop Surprises with Honda Instead of Ducati at Practice Opener

• Michael Dunlop rides Honda Fireblade instead of Ducati Panigale V4 R in the Superbike class, and a BMW in the Superstock class
• All three sessions on Monday were untimed free practice, the planned first qualifying session did not take place
• Davey Todd absent due to injuries from the Daytona 200, Peter Hickman back in the field after his 140-mph crash in 2025

The 2026 Tourist Trophy began on Monday in sunshine and optimal conditions with the first free practice sessions on the Mountain Course. Michael Dunlop immediately provided the first major talking point when he lined up in the Superbike class on a Honda Fireblade instead of the previously announced Ducati Panigale V4 R. Newcomers, Supersport and Sidecar riders completed their sessions without incident.

• Michael Dunlop rides Honda Fireblade instead of Ducati Panigale V4 R in the Superbike class, and a BMW in the Superstock class
• All three sessions on Monday were untimed free practice, the planned first qualifying session did not take place
• Davey Todd absent due to injuries from the Daytona 200, Peter Hickman back in the field after his 140-mph crash in 2025

The TT 2026 runs from May 25 to June 6 on the 37.73-mile Snaefell Mountain Course. This year’s event brings several changes: the former Supertwin class has been converted to the Sportbike class, an additional third rest day has been added to the qualifying week, and seven qualifying sessions are available instead of the previous six. That the opening day would immediately resolve one of the most discussed personnel questions of this year’s TT was something hardly anyone had expected.

How did the newcomer laps on the Mountain Course go?

The course was closed on schedule in the morning, and around 10:45 a.m. local time the newcomers headed out for their speed-controlled acclimatization laps. Among the solo riders, Gary McCoy and Rhys Stephenson experienced the Mountain Course under competitive conditions for the first time. McCoy, an experienced rider from Cookstown in Northern Ireland and a former Oliver’s Mount champion, had originally planned to make his TT debut in 2025 but was sidelined for the rest of the season after a crash at the North West 200.

In the sidecar category, Jamie Hanks with passenger Jonathan Kirk as well as Andrew Miller, Ben Gale and Rob Coppock completed their debut laps. Experienced travelling marshals Richard “Milky” Quayle and John Barton accompanied the solo newcomers around the course, while Greg Lambert and Andrew Haynes guided the sidecar debutants through the 37.73-mile lap. Although the newcomers are formally TT debutants, some of them already know the Mountain Course from the Manx Grand Prix and are therefore not complete novices on the circuit.

What happened in the Supersport and Sportbike sessions?

At 11:03 a.m. local time, the first untimed free practice session for all classes began. Michael Dunlop was the very first rider out on track, initially on the SC Project Paton in Sportbike configuration. After just one lap, the 33-time TT winner switched to the MD Racing/Scars Racing Ducati. This approach is not unusual for Dunlop, as he traditionally uses free practice to ride different machines and settle in on the Mountain Course.

In the Supersport class, Michael Browne on the Yamaha of the Boyce Precision Engineering/Russell Racing team was the first rider on track. Browne is competing on a Yamaha YZF-R9 for the first time this year, marking the machine’s debut on the Mountain Course. Right behind him followed Dean Harrison on the Honda Racing UK machine and Ian Hutchinson for BE/RK Racing. Harrison was in strong form at the recent North West 200 and described his current performance level as the best of his career. Hutchinson, meanwhile, is riding for a new team for the first time in 2026 and has made the switch to Ducati machinery.

The Supersport and Sportbike sessions ran without major incident. Two TT newcomers had to retire early: Lewis Arrowsmith stopped at Sulby Bridge, while Ryan Whitehall ended his session at Glen Vine. Both are Manx Grand Prix graduates who had qualified for the TT through their results there. The subsequent sidecar practice also ran without problems.

Why is Dunlop not riding the Ducati V4 R in the Superbike class?

The most discussed story of the practice day concerned Michael Dunlop’s machine choice in the Superbike class. The record winner had taken delivery of a 2026 Ducati Panigale V4 R before the season and even ran it on track at the official BSB test at Oulton Park in April. At the North West 200, however, he already appeared with a Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade. On the first TT practice day, it was confirmed: Dunlop is racing the Superbike class on a Fireblade on behalf of Hawk Racing.

In an official statement, Dunlop explained that the Ducati was a “full WSBK Ducati V4R version” that had arrived very late at the team. The project needed more development time. “We are looking forward to working along with Ducati so we can put the project in a good place and get testing done before we get it to the roads in the future.”

Davey Todd, who is missing the TT 2026 due to his injuries from the Daytona 200, commented on Dunlop’s decision on the official TT livestream: “I don’t think you can ever fully confirm, even the day before the TT, what bike Michael will be riding. There was a lot of hype about him riding the new Ducati V4. And, whatever’s happened with that, he’s ended up deciding not to ride it and to pull out a Honda Fireblade instead.”

Todd added that Dunlop set his personal best time on the Mountain Course on the Fireblade, specifically 135.970 mph (218.8 km/h average) in 2024. In the 2024 Superbike race, Dunlop had led on the Honda until the final pit stop, before a visor change problem cost him his chances of victory. In the Superstock class, Dunlop is running a BMW, while in the Supersport class he rides the Ducati Panigale V2 from Scars by MD Racing. With the V2, he won both Supersport races at the 2025 TT, giving Ducati their first TT victories in 30 years.

Which riders are missing from the TT 2026 and who is back?

The most prominent absentee from the field is Davey Todd, who was declared medically unfit for the entire TT after serious injuries at the Daytona 200 race in the United States. Todd had won the 2025 Superbike race and was considered one of the top favorites. He had been scheduled as part of the official BMW Motorrad factory team alongside Peter Hickman.

Hickman himself, however, is back in the field. The 16-time TT winner and holder of the outright lap record (135.452 mph, set in 2018) suffered a serious crash at speeds exceeding 140 mph during the 2025 TT and sustained nerve damage. He is competing in 2026 with the 8TEN BMW Team in the 1000cc classes, plus Trooper Triumph in the Supersport class and House of Swan Yamaha in the Sportbike class. Whether his shoulder, arm and confidence are already back to the required level will only become clear during the course of practice week.

John McGuinness, with 23 TT victories the number three on the all-time winners’ list, is celebrating his 30th TT anniversary this year. The question of whether the TT 2026 might be his final appearance on the Mountain Course has followed the veteran for several years.

How did the practice day end?

The Superbike/Superstock practice in the afternoon was red-flagged following an incident in Ramsey. The first qualifying session of the TT 2026, scheduled for 2:15 p.m. local time, did not take place, and all track activities were suspended for the rest of the day. We reported on the details of the incident at Parliament Square in a separate article: Isle of Man TT 2026: Incident at Parliament Square

This brought the first day of the TT 2026 to an early end in the afternoon. It is the second consecutive year in which the opening day was cut short. In 2025, rain meant that no further sessions took place after the newcomer laps.

What is on the schedule for Tuesday?

Regular qualifying is set to begin on Tuesday. According to the schedule, the Mountain Road closes from 4:45 p.m. local time, with the full course closing from 6:00 p.m. The Superbike and Superstock riders are due to head out first at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Supersport and Sportbike riders and the sidecars. It would be the first timed session of the TT 2026 and therefore the first real performance comparison between the riders. The organizers have scheduled more alternative dates for this edition of the TT than in previous years, so the loss of the first day can be absorbed.

Race week itself begins on Saturday, May 30, with the RL360 Superstock TT Race 1 as the opening race. The TT 2026 is part of an international road racing season in which the competitive pecking order was already hinted at during the North West 200 in early May. Performances in Northern Ireland are traditionally regarded as a benchmark for what to expect on the Mountain Course.

Häufige Fragen