Honda might hold the record for the most Grand Prix victories in the premier class, but it is its immense success at the Isle of Man TT that ranks as arguably its greatest motorcycle racing achievement.
Indeed, Honda’s two-wheeled motorsport pedigree is nothing short of extraordinary.
It has won a mighty 314 grands prix in the 500/MotoGP class alone, a figure that multiplies when you factor in its wins as a constructor in the supporting 250GP, 125GP and Moto3 classes too.
It is also a multiple title-winner in WorldSBK, while it has swept up numerous championship wins at domestic level over the decades too.
And yet, amid all that success on the glittering international stage, it is Honda’s efforts on a small, unassuming – and often rainy - island in the Irish Sea that are often elevated beyond the glitz and sophistication of MotoGP and WorldSBK.
The 2025 Isle of Man TT yielded a historic 200th TT victory for Honda machinery, courtesy of Dean Harrison on a Superstock Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade.
With the countdown very much on for the 2026 Isle of Man TT - being held on 30 May-6 June, Honda is setting its sights on extenidng its record in the Superbike/Superstock classes with the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade and in Supersport with the Honda CB600RR.
As a summer of scintilating superbike action approaches, Vertu Motorcycles raises a toast to Honda, the TT and more than 60 years of success.
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The Isle of Man TT: The Original Extreme Sport
The Isle of Man TT needs little introduction. It is without a doubt the the wildest, most white-knuckle sporting event on two wheels. In fact, it’s probably the wildest, most white-knuckle sporting event, period.
It’s a festival that has changed extraordinarily little since the (unknowingly at the time) visionary idea to start motorcycle racing on the island way back in 1907. Indeed, only four years later the event had the foresight to move to a new 37-mile layout, named the Snaefell Mountain Course – and, 115 years later, the TT still races on the same route.
In that time the roads have barely changed – they’re still bumpy, they’re still lined by walls, fields and street furniture, they traverse through villages and across mountain passes.
What has changed is the machinery, which over time has seen top speeds climb to well in excess of 200mph and laps averaging an eye-watering 136mph. And this all happens with barely any room for error, with catastrophic consequences very often the outcome if a mistake is committed.
Honda Top of the Mountain
Being the ultimate test of precision for man and machine, the Isle of Man TT is the perfect arena for manufacturers to prove their wares can conquer such extremities.
It was the thinking behind Honda’s decision to enter the TT for the first time in 1959.
As a manufacturer famous for putting pure passion and the challenge of racing at the heart of its motorsport projects – rather than simply promoting its brand – Honda has become synonymous with the TT ever since.
Success came quickly too, Honda already the dominant manufacturer in the 1960s with a winning rider roll call that included the great Mike Hailwood, Jim Redman and Luigi Taveri.
A ten-year hiatus preceded a return in 1977 as a full factory entry to compete in the new World Formula One Championship Race, where Phil Read won out of the box before Alex George and Mick Grant repeated the feat in ensuing years.
Ron Haslam’s victory in 1982 preceded a spectacular run of 17 consecutive wins in the F1 class, ‘Rocket Ron’s achievements being mirrored by iconic alumni that included Joey Dunlop, Steve Hislop, Carl Fogarty, Phillip McCallen and Ian Simpson.
The Dunlop and McGuinness Years
Indeed, Dunlop and Honda remain the most devastating combination at the TT, the legendary Ulsterman scoring 24 of his 26 TT race wins on a Honda. It was a record-breaking tally that took 24 years to be broken, fittingly by his nephew Michael Dunlop – another rider to contribute to Honda’s TT success over the years.
He wasn’t the only rider to enjoy long and successful spells on a Honda with John McGuinness taking the helm as the TT’s dominant figure between 2006 and 2012 with 16 victories.
Then there is Ian Hutchinson, who retains the record for most wins at a single TT event after claiming five victories in 2010, all on Honda machinery.
The expansion of the racing programme at the TT to include races for Supersport and Superstock classes have also done their bit to swell the manufacturer’s victory tally, but it remains by far and away the most decorated manufacturer in the premier Superbike and Senior TT races with consecutive generations of the Honda Fireblade.
It’s a record that isn’t in danger of being bettered either, Honda’s 200 wins – achieved last year – well clear of the many rivals who have answered the call of the TT.
While many of those competitors have come and gone, Honda has maintained its commitment to the TT in some form for almost 70 years now… and it remains just as motivated.
For 2026, Honda Racing will field the ultra-experienced line-up of Dean Harrison – who was the rider to turn in Honda’s double century of TT wins in the Superstock race in 2025 aboard a Honda CBR1000RR-R - and McGuinness, who will toast 30 years of competing on the island.
It has been 67 years since a Honda powered down Bray Hill for the very first time,
Since then, a Honda has taken the chequered flag as a winner at the TT on 200 occasions.
As for the future, who can know? What is clear, however, is the era of Honda success at the TT is still very far from over…
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