Michael Dunlop, the 29-time TT winner, will headline the entry of big name stars turning out at the 2024 Manx Grand Prix, which takes place around the iconic Isle of Man TT course later this month. He’ll be joined by a host of other confirmed TT legends, including John McGuinness, Ian Hutchinson and Lee Johnston, who returns to pure road racing after missing the past two TTs through injury.

Traditionally the ‘amateur’ version of the legendary TT races, and one of only two times the 37.73 mile road course is closed for racing each year, the Manx has expanded its remit in recent times with experienced TT stars now able to participate in the classic motorcycle classes, which take place alongside the two ‘modern’ Grands Prix for those who, with a few exceptions, have never ridden at the TT. While the Senior and Junior Manx races are the place to see up-and-coming amateurs, some seriously big names from the world of road racing will be out racing historic 250cc, 350cc, 500cc and superbike equipment from the sport’s golden era.

Practice starts on Sunday August 18, with evening practices during the week and six races over three days across the Bank Holiday weekend (23-26 August). Amateurs will take part in the four-lap MGP Supporters Club Junior Manx Grand Prix, which is for twin cylinder motorcycles like the Kawasaki Z650 and Yamaha R7, on Saturday 24 August and the Mylchreests Group Senior Manx Grand Prix, a four-lap race for supersport machines, two days later.

The classic racing kicks off with two three-lap outings on Friday 23^rd. The 2 Wheeling Classics Classic Junior Manx Grand Prix makes a comeback for 2024 and features classic 350cc racing machines, while the ever-popular PE Lightweight Manx Grand Prix will come alive with the sound and smell of 250cc two-stroke Grand Prix bikes like the Honda RS250 and Yamaha TZ250, gridding up alongside 1990s 400cc four-cylinder rockets from Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha.  Saturday sees a four-lap outing for the Carole Nash Senior Manx Grand Prix, giving a trip down memory lane with pre-1973 four-stroke racers on track, while we go back to the 1980s and ‘90s for Monday’s RST Classic Superbike Manx Grand Prix, where the tackle includes Honda RC45s, Suzuki GSX-R750s and Kawasaki ZXR750s, among others, in a race for pre-1997 machinery.

Top bikes, top riders

Dunlop is the star name at any road race meeting and having raced classic Suzukis in recent years it will be a surprise to many to see him heading down Bray Hill on a Ducati at this year’s event. It’s 30 years since the iconic 916 was unleashed to an unsuspecting world and Mickey D will be hoping to give the most successful superbike racer of all time a real go around the island course in the Superbike event. It might be a classic motorcycle race, but expect to see average lap speeds of around 125mph. Dunlop will also be out on a 250 Honda in the Lightweight, giving fans twice the opportunity to see an absolute legend at work. Dunlop was the inaugural Classic Superbike TT winner, with other TT titans including Dean Harrison and Bruce Anstey also among the past winners.

Another top name doing both the Superbike and Lightweight is 2018 double Manx GP winner Nathan Harrison. The local star has really established himself as one to watch at the TT and, as a factory Honda rider, he’ll ride a Honda RC45 in the big bike race and a 400cc four-stroke in the Lightweight. He and his father, who run the family H&H Motorcycles shop on the island, have built the 400 especially for the race and while an outright win would be unlikely against the dedicated 250cc two-stroke racers, a class victory is a definite possibility. The 250s to beat may well be Laycock Racing’s Yamaha TZ250s, which will have Irishman Mike Browne and veteran Welshman Ian Lougher behind the handlebars. Browne has won the last two editions of the race, and will be tough to beat this year, despite the presence of Dunlop and his Honda.

Jamie Coward, a TT podium finisher, will compete in three of the four classic races. The three-time TT Privateer’s Champion will ride for Team York Suzuki in the Superbike class, alongside a Norton in the Carole Nash Classic Senior and a 350 Honda in the Classic Junior event.

Popular Geordie Dominic Herbertson, who scored a career first podium in the first Supertwin TT earlier this year, is another doing the 350/750 combo, with a Honda outing in the Classic Junior and a Kawasaki in the Superbike. Another huge fan favourite is Lee Johnston. The Yorkshire based Northern Irishman has had a torrid few years due to injury but has made a short circuit comeback in the British Supersport Championship in the past few weeks. The former Supersport TT winner will be keen to get some more mountain miles under his belt on a pair of Hondas. He rides an RC45 in the Superbike and an RS250 in the Lightweight, a race he won way back in 2018.

The Classic Superbike category looks like once again proving the most popular category, in no small part down to the greater availability of machinery and the relatively modern nature of the bikes. While all the bikes are otherwise period correct, advances in tyre and suspension technology make them arguably even better than they were when they were at the cutting edge of technology, and able to run at the sort of speeds run in the Supersport category at the Isle of Man TT Races.

Ian Hutchinson will continue his remarkable comeback on a classic superbike. The 16-time TT winner, the only rider to win five races in a week, missed TT’23 after suffering a stroke early that year. He made an exploratory comeback at this year’s event and will look to get more miles under his belt on a Kawasaki ZXR750 he’s been preparing with long time crew chief Chris Anderson. Being a rare opportunity to ride the mountain course in anger, the 2024 Manx may well be a critical point in Hutchy’s rehabilitation.

Kawasaki power will also be at the heart of the four-rider Mistral Racing team, with top names David Johnson, Michael Sweeney, Joe Yeardsley and Paul Jordan campaigning ZXR750s in a striking livery paying homage to the world endurance machines of the era.

The list of podium contenders in the Superbike class goes on with top Italian rider Stefano Bonetti coming over with a very rare Bimota YB4. Another rare and interesting entry comes in the shape of the WizNorton Racing team. They have two fast jockeys in the form of Shaun Anderson and James Hind, and a pair of 588cc Norton rotaries at their disposal. The WRS Norton enjoys near mythical status at the TT in the wake of Steve Hislop’s 1992 Senior TT win on one, and the scream of the bikes on full chat will provide a real treat for the trackside fans.

McGuinness headlines entries for Carole Nash Classic Senior Manx Grand Prix

With the extremely rare and fragile machines lining up for over 150 miles of the demanding Isle of Man TT course, the Carole Nash Classic Senior Manx Grand Prix usually attracts a smaller but more exclusive range of entries.

Recent years have seen the twin-cylinder Patons rule the roost, with the 23-time TT winner John McGuinness becoming synonymous with the Team Winfield machine upon which he has won numerous times. McGuinness has broken the 20 minute lap on the Paton, which is a stunning replica of the company’s 1960s Grand Prix racer, averaging over 113mph around the TT course – although last year he was beaten by Dean Harrison on a single cylinder Norton. The British singles are not as fast as the more modern Italian twins, but they are less thirsty and that allowed Harrison to run non stop while McGuinness pitted for fuel in a shortened three lap race last year.

With Harrison not in attendance this year, McGuinness and the Paton will again be the headliners in a race many expect to be theirs to lose.

Mike Browne, third on a Manx Norton for the past two years, remains with the New Zealand based Team Grantham Lodge, who fly in with a varied trio of bikes for the Irishman and his team-mates Rob Hodson and Rhys Hardisty. The unassuming Browne is one of the coming men at the TT, having broken the 130mph barrier at this year’s event, and will be hoping for a best ever result in the Classic Senior.

Another big name in the race is local star Conor Cummins. He’s making his Manx Grand Prix debut, although he’s no stranger to classic machinery, having been a regular at the old Classic TT (which was integrated into the Manx post Covid) between 2013 and 2019. He’ll focus exclusively on the Classic Senior class, where he will be riding a 500cc Steadplan Honda.

All the way through the grid are top riders mounted on glorious sounding (and smelling) classic machines. The Carole Nash Classic Senior Manx Grand Prix will also see an island comeback for classic bike specialist Glen English. The Cornishman won the race all the way back in 2000 and is a regular on the classic racing scene, especially at the Goodwood Revival races. He’ll be one of many riding the trusty Manx Norton.