Five key stories to watch for at the 2025 Isle of Man TT

The greatest time of year for motorcycle racing is just around the corner, with the 2025 Isle of Man TT taking place from 26 May - 7 June.

As the Isle of Man gears up to burst into life with the sounds of motorcycle racing and swell with the oncoming ferries full of expectant fans, all eyes will be on Michael Dunlop once more coming into TT 2025.

Now officially the most successful rider ever around the 37.75-mile Mountain Course, the storyline shifts from if he can beat the record to just how far can he go?

A positive, if controversial, North West 200 earlier in May has put Dunlop on course to be hard to beat at the TT this year - even with an all-new roster of bikes for the 2025 event.

The 8TEN Racing superteam of Peter Hickman and Davey Todd will provide stiff opposition for Dunlop as he looks to add to his tally of 29 wins, while Dean Harrison has a point to prove as he settles into his second season with Honda.

Across all classes at the TT in 2025, the competition is fierce and holding the potential to see a few stings in the tail when racing gets underway in just over a week’s time.

With TT practice week about to get started, crash.net picks out five key storylines to watch out for in 2025.

Can Michael Dunlop take new bikes to further TT success?

Coming into last year’s Isle of Man TT, Michael Dunlop had the weight of expectation on his shoulders as he sat one win away from his late uncle Joey’s record of 26 victories.

Now coming into 2025 sitting three clear on 29, Michael Dunlop has looked the most relaxed he as in a long time. And that’s even with a last-minute decision on machinery to use in 2025, which wasn’t really finalised until the eve of the North West 200.

He has traded a Honda for a BMW in the Superbike/Superstock class, while in Supersport he has elected to run a Ducati Panigale V2.

So far, he has been able to put race wins on his new machinery on the national road racing scene as well as at the North West 200. Dunlop bagged three wins on his new machinery at the North West, including in the controversial Superbike race on the Saturday (more on that later).

Taking in some low-key North West’s in recent years, the fact that he came out swinging on the Triangle a few weeks ago has many fearing just what he’ll be like when he gets onto the Isle of Man.

Earlier this year he admitted he has been “pissed off” thinking about the Superbike TT win that went missing last year due to a helmet issue, which would have brought his record up to 30 victories.

Now on the BMW machinery that has proven so good in the big bike class over the past few years, he’s on equal terms with the likes of Peter Hickman and Davey Todd. The Ducati V2 managed a brace of podium last year at the TT, and Dunlop’s factory-spec example (the same bike Adrian Huertas won the World Supersport title on in 2024) only strengthens his position in a class he has been king in for a while now.

Teething issues will certainly arise on his new machinery, but a clear run in practice week should give him enough time to figure any of those out.

With the win record under his belt, there is a real possibility Dunlop’s next title could be besting Ian Hutchinson’s five-in-a-week achievement set back in 2010.

The TT superteam with a point to prove

The FHO squad looked formidable coming into 2025 before it sensationally withdrew from its racing activities. But the Peter Hickman/Davey Todd superteam was saved when both stepped up to form 8TEN Racing and secure BMW backing for the Superbike/Superstock classes.

Hickman is Michael Dunlop’s nearest challenger in terms of overall wins, having claimed his 14th last year. The outright lap record holder still, Hickman had an off-year by his standards in 2024 having taken just one win and three podiums.

Davey Todd, by contrast, scored his first TT wins last year and could have had a third in the opening Superbike race had it not been for a pitstop issue. Now with the monkey off his back, Todd was on fine form at the North West 200.

Todd won two Superbike races and a Superstock contest at the North West this year, while Hickman managed just three podiums.

How these two mix as team-mates will create an interesting subplot to TT 2025, as a good result for one in theory is a good result for all, with both being team owners. But Hickman is very much the elder statesman being challenged by the young gun and that is either going to raise his level - or break him down.

That said, the pair will be united on one thing coming into TT 2025: both were royally upset by Michael Dunlop having a 10-second time penalty for cutting a chicane during a North West 200 Superbike race rescinded after he’d taken the chequered flag in first.

Hickman has already threatened to never return to the North West 200, and has previous with Dunlop at the TT. In 2023, the year he won both Superstock races and set the outright lap record on that bike, the Dunlop camp lodged protests after both contest - albeit, to no avail.

With Dunlop now on BMW machinery in the big bike races too, there will likely be an extra sense of urgency to hit the ground running in practice week and make sure they both can keep the 29-time winner on his toes when racing begins.

Dean Harrison looking to end victory drought

Given how prevalent he has been as a frontrunner at the Isle of Man TT for so long, it’s still something of a statistical oddity that Dean Harrison is only a three-time winner.

And, believe it or not, Harrison hasn’t won at the TT since the 2019 Senior TT when he was still riding Kawasaki machinery. His switch to the factory Honda squad last year didn’t start off in the best of ways, as preparations were stunted by delays in bikes being built.

For the Superbike races at the TT, he was essentially racing a Superbike/Superstock hybrid. Though still reaching the podium in four of his five races, he was held back somewhat by his less-than-ideal preparation at the North West 200.

Everything has gone to plan this time around though and Harrison was quick at the North West 200, bagging five podiums across the big bike and Supersport classes as he proved that his Honda machinery looks to be potent this year.

Arguably, Harrison comes into TT 2025 in something of a similar position to Todd one year ago. While not exactly underrated, the conversations coming into TT 2025 have largely centred on what Dunlop/Hickman/Todd can do.

But Harrison will be in the mix from the off, that’s for sure, and looks in as best a shape as he ever has for TT 2025.

A lengthy list of veterans can test podium favourites

It feels like this year that the depth of field at the TT is maybe the best it has ever been. There is a clear quartet of victory favourites in Dunlop/Hickman/Todd/Harrison, but the group of riders with realistic podium aspirations is stacked.

Top of that list should be double British Superbike champion Josh Brookes. Starting his third successive TT for the first time ever, Brookes is doing so at arguably the best time for him.

Despite a few years away, Brookes came back to the TT as a top five threat on the big bikes and managed a Supertwin podium. In 2024, he climbed the rostrum in the Senior TT. Swapping out BMW machinery for Honda with Jackson Racing, Brookes enjoyed a couple of top six showings at the North West 200 in the big bike races.

Though seemingly resigned to the fact that winning a TT on pure pace isn’t likely to happen again, John McGuinness’ spirit appears as bright as ever as he comes into the 2025 event. The 23-time winner has remained sharp on the factory Honda and noted recently that the marque wouldn’t be putting number one on his bike if wasn’t deserving of that.

A fifth in the Senior TT proved that as his lap times continue to best his previous fastest efforts. He cracked the top eight four times at the North West 200, including a best of sixth. Scaling back his efforts to focus on the big bikes, he will miss out on some track time his immediate rivals will enjoy.

But equally, focusing fully on the big bikes and getting the best out of arguably his strongest class has been what has helped him remain so sharp at the TT even at 53 this year.

This year marks 15 years since Ian Hutchinson achieved his still-to-be-broken feat of five TT victories in a week. Given there are now eight solo races instead of the five there were in 2010 when Hutchinson set that record, that is quite incredible.

Numerous injury and health issues since the end of TT 2017 have seen the TT’s ‘miracle man’ drop away from the sharp end. He didn’t even crack the top 10 last year at the TT on Honda machinery.

But he still believes in himself and has found a new home at the Michael Laverty-run MLav Racing on BMWs in the big bike class, Hutchinson clambered into the podium at the North West 200. It’s a result that has offered renewed hope that perhaps Hutchinson still have a big result or two left in him at the TT.

Another rider looking to prove that is home favourite Conor Cummins. Quitting the TT midway through last year’s event as things at Padgetts Honda just didn’t work out, Cummins has found a home at Burrows Engineering for 2025.

Cummins was on the podium at the TT as recently as 2022 and was fourth in the Superstock class in 2023. Clearly, there is still form there and Cummins will be hoping that BMW machinery in the big bike races, as well as a Ducati in Supersport, will prove this.

Ben Birchall looking to rule the Sidecar class again

Ben and Tom Birchall stamped their authority over the Sidecar class at the Isle of Man TT between 2013 and 2023, tallying up 14 wins in that time and getting the lap record to over 120mph.

When Tom Birchall elected to retire at the end of 2023, there was little doubting that Ben Birchall couldn’t carry on their legacy. But 2024 didn’t work out for Ben Birchall, who - along with passenger Kevin Rousseau - sat out the first race after a heavy crash in practice.

The duo made the second race and got to the podium, but the Crowe brothers - Ryan and Callum - thoroughly outclassed them as they rode to a double victory for the first time.

Birchall has got a new passenger this year in the form of Patrick Rosney, who previously rode alongside Lewis Blackstock in the class. While praising the job Rousseau did last year, the experience Blackstock has will definitely prove to be a big gain for Birchall.

And while there is no doubting his form as a driver, nor his preparation of his outfit, the Crowe brothers quite quickly crept their way into win contention when the Birchalls were at the height of their powers.

Now with wins under their belt, the Crowes will be a hard crew to beat when TT 2025 gets going.