Rising Manx prospect Nathan Harrison joins John McGuinness at Honda for 2023

Manxman Harrison impressed at the TT in 2022, recording a lap of 128.087mph in the Senior race and finishing 10th as he made an eye-catching debut at the event.

The former Manx Grand Prix winner takes over the coveted ride on the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade from Ulsterman Glenn Irwin, who has made the switch to Paul Bird’s Ducati team for 2023 and won’t compete at the TT this season after becoming the fastest newcomer last June.

Honda’s line-up combines youth with experience and Mountain master McGuinness, who made a milestone 100th TT start last year, remains in the official Honda team for a second successive year after returning to the fold in 2022.

McGuinness and Harrison will compete in the Honda Racing UK colours in the Superbike and Superstock classes at the North West 200 and TT.

McGuinness said: “Riding a Fireblade again at the TT last year was something special so it only felt right to continue for another year.

“I couldn’t feel more at home with the Honda team so I need to say a massive thank you to Harv [Havier Beltran] and Neil [Fletcher].

“Celebrating 100 TT starts with the team and riding with that one-off livery and all of the history that we have was really something else,” added the 50-year-old.

“We also managed to crack the top five last year on the Superbike, which was great, but I'm hungry for more. I just want to get started now and go racing again.”

Harrison said the chance to ride alongside McGuinness at Honda was a “dream come true”.

“To race alongside John and to ride in the Honda Racing UK team has always been a dream of mine.

“Coming from a Manx family that has always been involved in motorcycling, the TT has always been in my blood. Watching the TT as a child with John and Honda dominating, it made me want to be the next ‘John McGuinness’ and that was my full focus.

“I can’t thank Havier and Honda Racing UK enough for the opportunity,” he added.

“It’s only my second ever TT, so to be going into it on a great bike, with the best team-mate I could ask for, will be an incredible experience.

“Hopefully, the long-term plan of where John can teach me things I may not know, learning from the team with the experience they have on the Fireblade and then my own progression, we can make small steps on last year to hopefully get me to that top step in the years to come.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my Mum and Dad for all their support and sacrifice over the years, my sponsors and supporters for sticking by me and helping me to get to this position where I have been given the fantastic opportunity.”

The North West 200 takes place from May 9-13 with the TT running from May 29 to June 10.

Both events were held for the first time last year since 2019 after successive cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.