Road racing line-up 2025: Davey Todd, Peter Hickman and Dean Harrison confirmed - more of the same for Isle of Man TT king Michael Dunlop?

Saltburn man Todd, who was declared the winner of the cancelled Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix in November based on qualifying positions for the race in southern China on his debut for Faye Ho’s team, will be out to build on a stellar 2024 after he bagged a hat-trick at the North West 200 and ticked off his maiden TT victories, coming out on top in the Superstock race and the prestigious Senior.

Hickman remains in the FHO Racing colours as part of a formidable pairing with Todd on the M1000RR machines.

The Louth man won a dramatic Superbike race at the TT, with Northern Ireland’s Michael Dunlop denied what appeared to be a certain victory when he was forced to stop at the top of Bray Hill at the beginning of the fifth lap of six to adjust the sidepod on his helmet.

Hickman – a double winner in the Supertwin class at the North West 200 on his Swan Yamaha – crashed out while leading the blue riband Senior at Ginger Hall, fortunately escaping injury.

The 37-year-old also suffered several uncharacteristic crashes this year in the British Superbike Championship and will be eager to wipe the slate clean as he faces a fresh challenge from his new team-mate in BSB and at the North West, TT and Macau GP.

Ballymoney’s Dunlop made history by setting a new record of 29 wins at the TT following a four-timer in June, taking over the mantle from his legendary uncle Joey, whose record of 26 victories had stood since 2000.

Dunlop has yet to reveal his plans for 2025 but has excelled on the Hawk Racing Honda Fireblade over the past two seasons, returning to the top step in the premier class at the TT in 2023 for the first time since 2018 and clocking his fastest ever Mountain Course lap this year, just shy of 136mph with a Superbike TT record of 135.970mph.

The 35-year-old experimented with a Triumph 765 this season but ultimately reverted to his tried and trusted MD Racing Yamaha R6 and clinched a Supersport double at the TT to make it six successive wins in the class.

During a reception to honour his TT success at Stormont in September, Dunlop said his future would continue to revolve around the TT.

“The main focus is the TT and everything else will fit in around that and we’ll make a plan from there,” he said.

“Like everything in life, it’s finance-regulated and I’ve got some good sponsors behind me, but we’re always trying to push that next level and if we had some support, factory-wise, it’d be great and more support sponsor-wise it’d be great to make the job easier.

“Obviously we hit the goal but sometimes you’re having to spend extra money that you probably shouldn’t be spending, or I do especially, to get there.

“This year we built two 600s which wasn’t the most practical thing on a finance level but sometimes when you’re stuck in a moment and you want to break a record you just spend!

“We just need to tighten in the reins and make it work again.”

Honda Racing UK’s Dean Harrison, an integral part of the TT’s ‘big four’ along with Dunlop, Hickman and Todd, impressed in his maiden season in the official squad.

Harrison was left on the back foot due to a shortage of parts and had no Superbike or Supersport machinery at the North West.

The Bradford man was playing catch-up at the TT but earned a raft of podiums, twice finishing third in the Superbike and Senior races, and claiming a runner-up result and a third-place finish in the Supersport class.

With his first season as a Honda rider in the bag, Harrison should be an even stronger candidate for success next year.

Harrison will again have 23-time TT winner John McGuinness as his team-mate as the Morecambe man’s long association with Honda continues.

In an intriguing move next year, Manxman Conor Cummins, a 12-time podium finisher at the TT, takes on a fresh challenge with Northern Ireland’s Burrows Engineering/RK Racing team.

Cummins parted company from Clive Padgett’s Honda squad at the TT this year after eight seasons and will ride BMW M1000RRs in the Superbike and Superstock classes for John Burrows’ team, and a Ducati Panigale V2 in the Supersport races.

North West 200, TT and Ulster Grand Prix winner Lee Johnston will also be taking on a new challenge following the Ashcourt Racing team’s decision to withdraw from the sport.

The Fermanagh native has been sidelined by injury in recent years and will be looking to make up for lost time.

Glenn Irwin will be absent from the NW200 next May after the record-breaking 11-in-a-row Superbike winner announced his retirement from road racing recently.

Irwin will concentrate solely on the British Superbike Championship, opening the door for a new winner in the Superbike class.

However, there is optimism fellow Carrick man Alastair Seeley, the most successful rider in NW200 history with 29 wins, could return to the ‘Triangle’ course in 2025 after missing the event this year.

Ulstermen Paul Jordan, Adam McLean and Shaun Anderson have yet to officially reveal their plans, while there is a question mark over England’s Ian Hutchinson, who returned to racing this year with the Milenco by Padgett’s Honda team after suffering a stroke in 2023.

Clive Padgett has not yet unveiled his riders but his famous Batley-based team is expected to feature a fresh line-up.

Aussie Josh Brookes, who was not retained by FHO Racing for 2025, sealed a sensational runner-up finish in the Senior TT this year and has joined the DAO Racing team to ride a Honda Fireblade in BSB.

Brookes’ participation at the NW200 and TT though remains unconfirmed at present.

Ulster team TAS Racing has made the move to Ducati for 2025 with Rory Skinner leading the charge in BSB and exciting prospect Edoardo Colombi stepping into the Supersport class.

However, team principal Philip Neill says the Moneymore outfit – who won the Senior trophy at the TT with Todd on the Milwaukee BMW in June – intends to focus on BSB next year, although he didn’t rule out a return to the roads in the future, stating “never say never”.

Elsewhere, Dominic Herbertson, who rode for John Burrows this year, teams up with James Hillier in the WTF Racing outfit, while Australian David Johnson remains with Lee Hardy Racing as the official Kawasaki roads representative.

Manxman Nathan Harrison isn’t part of the official Honda line-up next year but has confirmed he will be on the grid.

Other notable riders yet to officially announce their plans include Cork’s Mike Browne and Yorkshireman Jamie Coward.

Browne rode an Aprilia in the Superbike class this year and could be set for a change, while Coward has forged a strong relationship with KTS Racing over the past few seasons and is a solid top-six contender at the TT.