Superbike TT winner Davey Todd reveals near-disaster at end of the race

Davey Todd admits his 8TEN Racing BMW “cut out just as I came over the line” to win the 2025 Isle of Man TT Superbike race.

Todd came into the first race of TT 2025 as the reigning Senior TT champion from 2024 and had set the fastest lap overall of practice week on his Superstock-spec BMW.

Racing a Superstock-spec bike with a Superbike engine, Todd led every sector split of Monday’s four-lap Superbike TT and narrowly held off Michael Dunlop by 1.296s at the chequered flag.

Comfortably eight seconds clear of the field coming into the pits, Todd lost time at his stop, which allowed Dunlop to get as close as 0.269s through Glen Helen on the final lap.

Though Todd was able to maintain his lead through to the finish, he admits he “coasted” over the line as his BMW unexpectedly cut out.

“It was the most nervous I’ve ever been on a startline,” he told TT+.

“The week we’ve had weather-wise, every time we go on track the track’s different.

“We’ve just not had any consistency.

“So, to start a race without a warm-up lap, without a practice lap, and go straight in there having to push from the beginning - with these boys you can’t give them an inch.

“So, I had to go from the start, pretty blind from the track, not knowing what the conditions were like and just try to get my head down.

“We had a bit of a mare in the pitstop. We lost a chunk of time, lost my comfortable gap that I was just starting to manage.

“Then I had to put my head down for the last couple of laps, which I didn’t really want to do, but I had to do it.

“For some reason my bike cut out just as I came over the line. So, I’m glad it cut out there and not any sooner.

“I literally coasted over the line with the bike switched off. The BMW M1000RR is a fantastic bike, I’ve got basically a stocker with a faster engine in it and they’ve done a fantastic job.

“In the last three months, it’s not an easy task in the team for everyone to create this and to all the sponsors getting behind me and Pete [Hickman].”

The 8TEN Racing team only came into existence just a few months ago after FHO Racing withdrew from its 2025 racing activities.

Todd and Peter Hickman - who is not racing after crashing in practice week - are co-owners of the squad, though the former “can’t take credit” for the team effort that led to this result.

“It’s pretty special,” Todd added.

“I don’t think there’s many guys who can say they’ve done that.

“I can’t take the credit, though, for being team owner. It’s the rest of the team who had done the hard miles, and Pete included.

“Pete’s worked his butt off to make this happen and I’m gutted for him and I can’t wait till he’s healed up and back battling with me.”