THE AWARD WINNERS OF TT 2026
With a weather disrupted race week at the 2026 Isle of Man TT Races, the number of race and trophy winners were reduced compared to previous years and out of those that did take place, Dean Harrison and Michael Dunlop MBE dominated the haul of silverware.
Indeed, both Harrison and Dunlop picked up no less than seven trophies each for their success whilst Barry Furber, Rhys Stephenson, James Chawke and Honda Racing UK were also among the trophy winners.
Harrison’s race victories saw him receive the Superbike and Senior TT trophies whilst he also won the Joey Dunlop Trophy as the overall winner of the two ‘big bike’ races. His rapid pace during TT2026 also saw him win no less than four fastest lap awards.
Harrison’s race victories saw him receive the Superbike and Senior TT trophies whilst he also won the Joey Dunlop Trophy as the overall winner of the two ‘big bike’ races.
Setting the fastest lap in the Superbike race at 134.892mph meant he won the John Williams Trophy, awarded in memory of the former outright lap record holder, whilst it was a similar outcome in the Senior race with his opening lap of 135.166mph seeing him win the Norman Brown Trophy, the Ulsterman another former outright lap record holder.
That lap proved to be the fastest lap of race week for which Harrison received the Jimmy Simpson Trophy, the legendary British rider having been the first rider to lap the 37.73-mile Mountain Course at 60mph, 70mph and 80mph in the 1920s and 1930s. Finally, Harrison also set the quickest Supersport lap, 129.218mph, to win the TT Formula 2 Cup.
Harrison’s success also meant Honda Racing UK won both the Solo Team Championship and Solo Manufacturer Championship Awards, John McGuinness’s fifth place in the Superbike race contributing to the former, and performances by the likes of Dunlop, Josh Brookes, Jamie Coward, Nathan Harrison and Mike Browne scoring for the latter.
Honda Racing UK won both the Solo Team Championship and Solo Manufacturer Championship Awards
Dunlop’s victories in Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 1, Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 2, and Carole Nash Sportbike TT Race 1 added to his remarkable trophy haul. His two Supersport wins secured the overall Supersport victory and earned him the TT Supporters Club Trophy, while his Sportbike triumph saw him add his name once again to the Gavin Lee Trophy.
A new lap record of 124.530mph in the solitary Sportbike race meant he also received the Joe Craig Trophy whilst a lap of 133.933mph in the Superbike race resulted in him winning the Martin Finnegan Trophy. Awarded for the fastest lap by an Irish competitor, Dunlop has won the trophy every year since 2010.
Dunlop's Sportbike success also saw him add his name once more to the Gavin Lee Trophy.
The Privateer’s Cup went the way of Furber. The Bishops Castle rider took another top ten finish in the Sportbike race and took a brace of top twenty finishes in the two Supersport races.
Going into the final Senior race, Furber and Erno Kostamo were tied on points in the Privateer’s Cup table but with the Finn suffering an unfortunate accident at the 11th Milestone, the trophy went to Furber. The one-lap race saw him finish 19th and set a new personal best lap speed of the Mountain Course at 126.376mph.
The Privateer’s Cup went the way of Furber.
The Monster Energy People’s Challenger award, voted for by the public, was won by Chawke, the popular Irish rider receiving 42% of the vote. The 2018 Junior Manx Grand Prix winner had another solid week on the island, taking a best finish of 22nd in the Sportbike race whilst also winning a bronze replica in all five solo races. Like Furber, he too set a new personal best lap with a speed of 125.909mph in the Superbike race.
The People’s Challenger award, voted for by the public, was won by Chawke
Meanwhile, at 20 years of age Stephenson was the youngest rider on the entry at TT2026 and impressed many with his attitude, application and speed throughout the event. Continually improving every time he took to the Mountain Course, Stephenson had limited track time after race week but finished in a fine 24th place in the Sportbike race to win his first bronze replica.
With a best lap of 114.073mph, Stephenson was the deserved winner of the prestigious Vernon Cooper Newcomers Trophy whilst his efforts were noticed elsewhere as received the RST Star of Tomorrow award.
Stephenson was the deserved winner of the prestigious Vernon Cooper Newcomers Trophy
