Isle of Man TT - Honda presented with the Manufacturer’s Award at this year’s Isle of Man TT Races
Tuesday 11th June 2024
After two weeks of racing at the Isle of Man TT Races, Honda emerges once more as the manufacturer of choice, securing the coveted Manufacturer Award.
Heading into the opening day of practice at the event, nine of the top twenty-seeded riders in the big-bike classes were all competing aboard Honda Fireblades, whilst in the Supersport class, four riders were utilising the CBR600RR as their motorcycle of choice.
Although the weather seemed desperate not to play ball with the 2024 schedule, the TT organisers still delivered a fantastic fortnight of action across all classes. First of which was the Monster Energy Supersport Race which kicked off the racing on Saturday 1st June. In the hands of Dean Harrison this race marked the first of several podium visits for the Yorkshireman with a hard fought third. Paul Jordan, Jackson Racing, also bagged himself a strong result with a seventh place finish.
In the RST Superbike Race, the only six-lap race of the year, the first six motorcycles on the road all sported the iconic logo of the Honda wing. Honda Racing UK’s Dean Harrison displayed his sensational talent once more, putting in a strong performance to score his second rostrum finish in third. Suffering misfortune in the pits however, Michael Dunlop (MasterMac by Hawk / MD Racing) missed out on a podium finish and left fans wondering what could’ve been after setting a new Superbike lap record on his final lap at a remarkable average speed of 135.970 mph on his 2024 Fireblade.
In Superstock trim, the class of racing most closely aligned to the road-going production model of ‘the blade,’ Michael Dunlop (MD Racing) secured a third place finish to lead a train of six Honda riders inside the top ten. In total, ten Honda riders finished inside the top fifteen in the single stock race of the event.
The second Monster Energy Supersport Race was shortened to just two laps as a result of the disrupted schedule and held on the final day of racing. In which, Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) delivered arguably his best ride of the 2024 Isle of Man TT Races to a superb second on his CBR600RR, just under four seconds away from a debut Honda TT win.
The final race of the event was the blue riband Milwaukee Senior TT, also reduced in length to ensure that all racing could go ahead during a suitable weather window. In this final race, also contested aboard a Superbike spec machine, a remarkable eight Honda riders would occupy positions within the top fifteen. Five of which were inside the top ten, with all of the factory mounted Honda riders inside the top seven. The highest-placed Honda finisher was once more Dean Harrison, who added another podium to his tally with a third-place finish.
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