Isle of Man TT: Michael Dunlop to ride Honda for Hawk Racing in Superbike and Senior races

Michael Dunlop was a double Supersport winner at the 2022 Isle of Man TT

Michael Dunlop will ride a Honda Superbike for the Hawk Racing team in the six-lap Superbike and Senior races at this year's Isle of Man TT.

Dunlop continues his successful partnership with the team run by father and son Stuart and Steve Hicken.

Hawk Racing have switched from Suzuki to Honda power for their 2023 British Superbike and road racing season.

The 33-year-old will hope to add to his 21 TT wins to date when he rides the team's new CBR-1000RR-R Fireblade.

It will be the first time Dunlop has ridden a Honda in the headline 'big bike' races since 2013 when he was part of the factory Honda TT Legends squad.

That year saw him win the opening Superbike race and finish second to team-mate John McGuinness in a thrilling Senior encounter.

Since then, the 34-year old has ridden either BMW or Suzuki machinery in the 1000cc races, primarily for the Hawk Racing team, with the combination taking a series of race wins and podium finishes through the years.

The team had run the Suzuki GSX-R1000R for the last six years in BSB.

Dunlop-Hawk Racing partnership has long history

The Hawk-Dunlop partnership began in 2014 when they took a resounding Superbike-Senior double with BMW, giving the manufacturer their first Senior race victory in 75 years.

The Hicken family then stepped in during TT 2015 after Dunlop split from the Milwaukee Yamaha team part way through qualifying week, going on to take a second-place finish in that year's Superstock Race.

The combination was back to its best in 2016 with another emphatic Superbike-Senior double as Dunlop became the first rider to lap the 37.73-mile Mountain Course in under 17 minutes, eventually increasing the outright lap record to 133.962mph on the Hawk Racing BMW S1000RR.

A switch to Suzuki followed in 2017 and although the GSX-R1000R was a brand-new model with no pedigree at the TT, Dunlop and Hawk Racing defied the odds to claim another Senior race win.

The pairing went their separate ways after their momentous victory but were reunited once again in 2022 after Dunlop's deal to ride for the PBM Ducati team fell through just weeks before the event.

The late change and a lack of testing dented their prospects, but they still managed a third place in the Superbike event, with Dunlop lapping in excess of 133mph.

'The pace is so hot right now'

Dunlop said: "It's good to get my plans sorted in plenty of time this year. You only have to look at the other boys to see how important it is to be working with a team you're familiar with and to be up to speed well before you even get to the TT.

"The pace is so high right now, you've got to be right at the top of your game from the get-go.

"In truth, preparations for last year were not what they should have been. Steve and the boys came in to dig me out of a hole at the last minute but we still managed a good result.

"Before then [in 2019] I was still struggling quite bad with [a wrist] injury, so this year will be the first time in a long while where I'm both fully fit and I'm on a bike I'm set with. It's good, I'm excited for it and I think we can put on a good show."

Dunlop is expected to ride his own MD Racing Honda in the Superstock races.