Honda is preparing to launch TT 2024
In just four days, Honda Racing UK riders Dean Harrison, John McGuinness MBE and Nathan Harrison will fly down Glencrutchery Road for the first time in 2024 when the Isle of Man TT goes live.
This year’s two-week event will mark a number of important milestones for the Honda team as machines and riders alike make their highly anticipated debuts.
Wearing iconic colors inspired by the Honda Racing Corporation color palette, Dean Harrison will set off for Bray Hill on a Honda for the first time. He enters the event brimming with confidence after a successful adventure to the North West 200 and his best performance of the season at Donington Park just a few days ago.
One of the fastest road racers to ever tackle the famous Mountain Course while competing with Kawasaki, Dean will compete in three categories; The Superbike and Superstock Fireblades specification is for two 1000cc classes and a CBR600RR in Supersport, marking the factory team’s first return to the Supersport class since 2019.
Dean Harrison #5
“Looking forward to TT 2024, I feel really comfortable and I can’t wait to tell the truth. The anticipation has been building for a long time and now we are almost there. I won’t approach this event any differently to how I do every year, I’ll keep things the same – start practicing and get a feel for things the first night, see where we’re at and then build built from there. You have to ride differently between the three classes to maximize your potential and adapt your style to each bike. I’ve spent quite a bit of time on the Honda Superbike and ‘Stocker’ so they’re in a good place and I know we’ll put the 600 in a good place too. I’m looking forward to getting on the bike and getting started.”
At 52 years old and setting personal best laps almost everywhere he’s been this year, there’s no sign of racing royalty John McGuinness slowing down in any way. He arrives on the island as a track podium finisher once again after a crowd-pleasing third-place finish at the North West 200 just a few weeks ago. With a hundred and eight to his name starting out and choosing to focus all his energies on the big bike classes, John looks set to continue cementing his legacy as one of the road racers The greatest school in history.
John McGuinness MBE #1
“I’m in a really good position heading into the 2024 TT. I’ve been cycling a lot this year, from making my road bike debut, to testing, racing a bit in the British Championships, I’ve done does some things with his own bike too. So we built hard courts backstage and, you know, I was going faster than ever. The bike is good, the team is good and it feels great to go to the TT knowing that I will have another ride on the Factory Honda at the best event in the world. There really is no place like it. We’ve got a podium in the North West which I’m very excited about, if we can get a podium in the next two weeks that would really be great for me.”
After missing out on a dream debut for the Louth-based Honda team in 2023, Nathan Harrison looks to leave the Assembly Zone on factory machinery for the first time. He showed great pace in pre-season testing and delivered calm and mature rides at the North West to gain valuable bike time on his 2024 Fireblade. Choosing earlier this year to focus solely on racing a Superstock-spec bike and having not competed in the event for two years, he will race a Superstock bike in all major bike races.
Nathan Harrison
“I’m really excited and can’t wait to get back to TT. This event is everything to me and missing it last year reminded me how important it is. I have been preparing for this moment for a long time. The TT is an event that you cannot enter without preparation, and behind the scenes I have been working hard so that we can hit the ground running and progress from there. North West really got my confidence back and my fitness on the bike is back to where it was in our pre-season testing. This year it was all about winning the race to the starting line, not the race itself. At the end of the two weeks, I want to be where I want to be in terms of lap times and overall position. Previously, we decided as a team that I would use Superstock bikes for all races. After missing out on the TT last year and at this stage in my career, the benefits of focusing on one bike far outweigh trying to keep pace and dial in two different bikes. The Superstock bike is capable of going faster than me at the moment and the lap record is clearly a Superstock bike, so my focus is on getting to know that bike and maximize its potential. it is obvious.”
