Dean Harrison dominated his rivals on his Honda at the Superbike TT, the opening race of the 2026 Isle of Man TT. The Yorkshire rider controlled the six-lap race from start to finish, securing his sixth TT victory and his first win in the Superbike class.
The return match from Saturday will be played on Sunday.
Due to bad weather over the weekend, the Superstock race scheduled for Saturday was cancelled, making the Superbike TT the true curtain for the 2026 event. This also marked the first six-lap race held on the island since 2024. Once the track's wait was over, Harrison proved that the pace he had already displayed during practice week was a real warning.
One way from Glen Helen
Harrison took control from the very first seconds of the race and never relinquished it. The Yorkshire driver gained a 4.8-second advantage at Glen Helen on the first lap and increased that lead with each lap. At one point he was 33 seconds ahead of his nearest rival; he crossed the finish line 15.580 seconds ahead of Peter Hickman. Third place went to Michael Dunlop, who finished almost 12 seconds behind Hickman. Josh Brookes completed fourth place, almost a minute behind the podium group.
Six victories, four classes
Harrison added a small but significant note to TT history with this victory. The Honda rider is one of the rare individuals to have won at least one race in all four different solo classes he entered at the TT. Although there were some concerns about his physical condition during preparation for the event, these were completely evident when he took to the track.