The Isle of Man TT roars back into life on Monday 25 May as the 2026 edition of the world's most dangerous road race opens with untimed practice on the legendary 37.73-mile Mountain Course, kicking off a 13-day fortnight that will run through to Senior race day on Saturday 6 June.
The build-up has been heavy on storylines, none bigger than 33-time winner Michael Dunlop's pursuit of a 34th victory. The Northern Irishman surpassed his uncle Joey's all-time benchmark of 24 wins in 2024 and has continued to extend the record, currently sitting on 33 victories and 51 podiums. He also holds the Superbike and Supersport lap records, set at 16:38.953 and 17:21.605 respectively, and starts as the marked man across multiple classes.
Standing in his way is the outright lap record holder, Peter Hickman, whose 16:36.115 (136.358 mph) on the BMW M 1000 RR from 2023 remains the fastest ever circulation of the Mountain. Hickman is back at the TT after a 140mph crash at the 2025 event ended his fortnight early and required months of rehabilitation. "I am not any slower," he said as he confirmed his return, reaffirming that he intends to fight at the front from the opening session.
Dean Harrison, John McGuinness and Davey Todd round out the headline Superbike and Senior entries, while Hickman, Harrison and Todd are also among the top seeds in the RL360 Superstock category. In the Sidecars, the Crowe brothers — Ryan and Callum — head the seedings ahead of Ben and Tom Birchall.
The Isle of Man Department for Enterprise has signed off a programme that includes a notable scheduling change. Wednesday 27 May becomes a 'double dose' qualifying day with both an afternoon (12:30pm) and evening (6pm) session — a first for the modern TT — designed to bank track time before any weather delays. Thursday 28 May has been left as a contingency and rest day, with Friday's final qualifying running in the evening.
Race week begins Saturday 30 May with the RL360 Superstock TT Race 1 (10:45am) and Motul Sidecar TT Race 1 (1:30pm), followed by the RST Superbike TT on Sunday 31 May. A new class enters the calendar on Tuesday 2 June: the inaugural Carole Nash Sportbike TT, which slots in alongside the established Monster Energy Supersport TT to give middleweight machinery two distinct race opportunities across the fortnight.
The Sidecar Race 2 and Superstock Race 2 run together on Wednesday 3 June, followed by the second Supersport and Sportbike races on Friday 5 June. The Milwaukee Senior TT, traditionally the showpiece, takes the flag at 11am on Saturday 6 June, with Sunday 7 June held as a final contingency.
Volunteer marshal numbers are reported as "looking pretty healthy" heading into the event, a relief after recent years in which the recruitment of the 500-plus marshals required to safely run the Mountain Course had become an annual concern.
Road closures on the A18 Mountain Road begin on Friday 22 May at 4:30pm and stay in force until Tuesday 9 June at 9:30am, with full course closures from 10am on race and qualifying days. As ever, the fortnight begins with a single question hanging over every garage: who will keep up with Dunlop?
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/isle-of-man-tt-2026-practice-week-opens-dunlop-chasing-34-hickman-harrison). Visit for full coverage.*
