Dean Harrison stormed to his fifth career Isle of Man TT victory on Friday afternoon, taking the win in the Opul Superstock TT Race with a decisive performance aboard the factory Honda. The Englishman crossed the line 16.03 seconds ahead of Davey Todd, riding for Monster Energy by 8TEN Racing BMW Motorrad, with TT legend Michael Dunlop securing third for MD Racing BMW—his 50th TT podium in the process.
The race was originally scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m. but faced a nearly four-hour delay due to wet conditions following overnight rain. Once the roads dried and racing finally got underway at 2:30 p.m., Harrison wasted no time asserting his pace. He led at the first timing point at Glen Helen by 2.2 seconds over Todd, with Ian Hutchinson (moobob/MLav Racing BMW) running in third.
Michael Dunlop, meanwhile, found himself playing catch-up early on. TV cameras spotted him going through Ballagarey alongside Josh Brookes—who had started ten seconds behind—indicating something had gone awry. It turned out Dunlop had overshot Braddan Bridge on the opening lap, costing him valuable time. By Glen Helen, he was 17.2 seconds adrift of Harrison and languishing down in 20th.
James Hillier, riding for Muc-Off Racing Honda, slotted into fourth position, followed by Manx locals Conor Cummins (Burrows Engineering/RK Racing BMW) and Nathan Harrison (H&H Motorcycles Honda).
As the first lap progressed, Todd began to close in on Harrison, slicing the gap to just 1.1 seconds at Ballaugh. By Ramsey Hairpin, Todd had not only caught but also passed Dunlop on the road, and edged 0.025 seconds ahead of Harrison in the virtual leaderboard. Hillier moved up to third, pushing Dean Harrison momentarily down to fourth, with Cummins and Dominic Herbertson (HRRC/Adam Hewitt Ltd Honda) close behind. Hutchinson, meanwhile, was seen coasting slowly through Ramsey, confirming mechanical trouble.
At the Bungalow, Harrison reasserted himself, retaking the lead by 1.1 seconds and completing the first lap with a flying average speed of 133.464 mph. Todd wasn’t far off, clocking 133.387 mph and arriving at the pits just half a second behind Harrison. But disaster struck for the BMW rider: his bike failed to restart after the mandatory pit stop, costing him over ten crucial seconds.
Cummins’ consistent 130.378 mph lap elevated him to third, nudging ahead of Hillier (130.241 mph), with Dunlop (130.236 mph) now up to fifth and Nathan Harrison (130.017 mph) holding sixth. Brookes, Herbertson, Mike Browne (KTS Racing by Stanley Stewart BMW), and veteran John McGuinness MBE (Honda Racing) rounded out the top ten after lap one.
On the second lap, Harrison began to stretch his lead significantly. By Glen Helen, the margin over Todd had ballooned to 13.3 seconds. Dunlop, having fought his way back into contention, now held third. Hillier jumped Cummins thanks to a quicker pit stop, pulling out a 3.5-second buffer. Cummins still had his hands full though, with Nathan Harrison just 0.44 seconds behind. Hutchinson retired in the pits at the end of the lap, and Paul Jordan, Brookes’ teammate, also bowed out at Ballacraine.
Harrison continued to turn the screws. He added two more seconds to his lead between Glen Helen and Ballaugh, and by the time the riders hit Ramsey, the gap had increased to 17.5 seconds. Dunlop was holding third but only had a 2.7-second cushion over the charging Hillier. Meanwhile, the tight fight for fifth continued, with just 1.39 seconds separating Nathan Harrison and Cummins on the northern loop.
Heading into the final lap, Harrison was in cruise control mode, with a commanding 20-second lead. Todd sat safely in second, a solid 25.2 seconds ahead of Dunlop, who had pulled away from Hillier by 5.6 seconds. The real drama was in the battle for fifth, where fewer than five seconds covered Cummins, Nathan Harrison, and Brookes.
From there, it was smooth sailing for the Honda rider. Harrison kept his pace steady and brought it home with a closing lap of 132.580 mph, sealing his second victory of TT 2025 and fifth overall at the event. Todd, who lapped a blistering 133.099 mph on his final tour, was left to ponder what might have been without the pit stop issue. Dunlop, too, reflected on his early mistake but still secured a hard-fought podium with a 132.126 mph lap.
Hillier continued his strong form this week with another top-five finish, recording 131.569 mph on his final lap. Cummins narrowly edged Brookes for fifth—just 0.121 seconds between them—with both riders setting their best laps of the week. Nathan Harrison, McGuinness, Herbertson, and David Johnson (Platinum Club Racing Kawasaki) completed the top ten.
This win solidifies Harrison’s place among the TT elite and adds another memorable chapter to an already thrilling week on the Isle of Man.
