Dunlop, Harrison and Hickman among major stars at Classic TT

We’re just a month away from this year’s Carole Nash-backed Classic TT, one of the undoubted highlights of the historic motorcycle racing calendar, and all of the biggest TT stars are confirmed to be taking on the legendary Mountain course on classic machinery.

TT 2026’s three biggest names, Michael Dunlop, Dean Harrison and Peter Hickman, resume battle, with the welcome comeback for Davey Todd, who missed TT fortnight after failing to return from injury in time. Almost all of the top 20 seeded riders from the main TT will take on the Classic, confirming the event’s importance and reputation, and they’ll be joined by a returning Michael Rutter and an intriguing entry from Ben Birchall, the 14-time sidecar TT winner who will be racing a solo around the 37.73-mile circuit for the first time.

The Classic TT runs alongside the Manx Grand Prix, the amateur version of the TT races, and gives island visitors plenty of race action to take in over a 13 day programme from Sunday August 13 through to Friday August 28. There will be four Manx Grand Prix categories and, after seven solid days of practice, racing will take place over four days from Saturday 22nd.

The amateur Manx Grand Prix races run to modern Supersport and Sportbike regulations, while the star names will ride a wide variety of equipment spanning the decades in the Classic TT. Two historic categories, covering 350cc Junior and 500cc Senior machines built before 1973, bring the sensational sound and smell of barely silenced four strokes, while a number of more modern machines provide a bit of something for everyone. Two-stroke Grand Prix machines, in 125 and 250cc categories, contest the Ultra Lightweight and Lightweight Classic TTs, while golden era superbikes contest the Formula One and Senior Classic TTs. New for 2026 is a ‘pre-injection’ Junior Classic TT featuring 20^th century 600s like the Honda CBR600F, Suzuki GSX-R600 and early Yamaha YZF-R6s.

But aside from the races there’s a real festival feeling to the combined Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix, which makes it one of our favourite events of the year. The diversity of machinery is almost unmatched, with iconic original classics and painstakingly recreated replicas right there to be seen in the paddock and being ridden hard on the track. The Classic isn’t simply a parade, it’s one of the last remaining places where you can see top line racers riding classic motorcycles as they were intended to be ridden. All the big stars are in attendance, but with the racing less intense it brings a more relaxed environment where they’re more accessible to the fans.

Every year the Classic TT has a theme, or a celebration, and this year we’re going back to 1996 to celebrate the first TT of 23-time winner John McGuinness. The Morecambe Missile is still active at 54-years-old, finishing sixth in this year’s six-lap Superbike TT on board a Honda Fireblade which paid tribute to the RS250 Grand Prix bike upon which he debuted in the 1996 Lightweight TT. This year’s Classic will pay homage to his 30 year career with a special exhibition set up to showcase many of his bikes and memorabilia, while the man himself will close the event by riding a parade lap on board the 2007 Fireblade on which he set the first ever 130mph lap of the Mountain course.

The Classic TT first ran in 2013 but took a hiatus between 2020 and 2024, after the 2020 event was cancelled due to the pandemic. It returned last year to some success, and 2026 sees it combined with the Manx and expanded with the new Junior 600 Classic TT. A total of 10 races are planned across the Manx and Classic events, plus qualifying and two parades. Add in all the off-track activity, and the popular Jurby Festival, and it all adds up to the biggest Classic TT ever and an event we’re really looking forward to.