Roads: Dean Harrison joins John McGuinness and Nathan Harrison at Honda

Dean Harrison has signed for Honda Racing UK and will contest the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, as well as the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT.

The 2019 Senior TT winner left DAO Racing Kawasaki earlier this year and will now join forces with John McGuinness and Nathan Harrison onboard the 2024 CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.

Harrison, who has three TT wins and 26 TT podiums to his name, will be hoping the Fireblade is the bike to take him back to the top step of the Senior TT podium after being unable to match the formidable Peter Hickman for the last two years.

• Pick up a copy of this week’s MCN for exclusive interviews with Dean Harrison, Nathan Harrison and John McGuinness.

“I can’t wait to begin a new chapter with Honda Racing UK, and I jumped at the chance when this opportunity came about,” Harrison said. “If I’m honest, it hasn’t sunk in yet and I don’t think it will until I get to ride the bike for the first time in Honda colours. It feels like a really good time to have a refresh and now is as good a time as any for a change.

“I have always been a Honda fan, and Honda is the way I want to go. I am also really looking forward to being part of a multi-rider team after riding in a solo team for so long. To be able to see each other’s data and collaborate on ideas is going to be of great value to me.

“The short circuits are a big part of my season and I think that working with Andrew and the team will help to bring me on and push me to the next level. Then on the roads, to work with John and Nathan, both of whom I have a great working relationship with, is really exciting. I think that the Honda package, with the new bike, could be the missing link that I need.”

Meanwhile, McGuinness ends any talk of retirement by signing up for his 34^th season of motorcycle racing. The 23-time TT race winner has started 108 races at the iconic event, 80 of-which have been onboard a Honda.

The 53-year-old went faster at this year’s TT than he did in 2022, showing that he still has the speed to compete with the very best. His experience is also invaluable to the team, both from a performance point of view as a development rider, and as a mentor to his younger teammates.

“I can’t wait to get going again for another year,” McGuinness said. “Honda, Harv and the team have shown such trust and loyalty, and it only feels right to continue for another year, I still love putting a helmet on and racing around the track. Everyone around me, at Honda, my sponsors and my family are all really happy for me to be here, to be out there flying the flag and I’m proud that I get to continue.

“I’m still going around and doing 131 [mph] and I’m going to carry on while I have good people, good products and a good team. I’m looking forward to working with my new teammates and getting stuck into a testing program with a new Fireblade. It’s always nice to get your teeth into something new, so I’m keen to get stuck in, it’s not often that Honda goes backwards!

Nathan Harrison remains for a second year and will focus solely on the roads. Harrison secured his dream move for 2022 but his season came to a premature and painful end in a crash at the North West 200 – ruling him out of the TT as a result.

“I couldn’t be happier to remain with Honda for another year,” Harrison commented. “I was over the moon when I signed for the team last year and it was a dream come true, but unfortunately, things just didn’t align last year, we had a good start, and I was flying at the NW200 before I came off.

“But I always look to draw the positives and try to learn from them and now I have another year to show what I’m capable of. I’ve seen how the team works and I’ve built a really strong working relationship with everyone, I know what I have to do and how to try and get the best out of everything. I can’t thank Havier and the team enough for giving me another shot and I can’t wait to get going again.”

Dean and Nathan Harrison will both contest the Superbike, Superstock and Supersport events at the NW200 and TT, with McGuinness focusing on Superbike and Superstock.

Pick up a copy of this week’s MCN for exclusive interviews with Dean Harrison, Nathan Harrison and John McGuinness.