Brookes third in shortened Senior TT as Harrison takes victory

Josh Brookes claimed a podium finish in the Milwaukee Senior TT, with the result ultimately taken from the end of lap one following Friday evening’s red-flag stoppage

Josh Brookes has secured his third Isle of Man TT podium, and his second in the Senior TT, after the interrupted 2026 Milwaukee Senior TT was officially awarded to Dean Harrison on the basis of the lap one standings from Friday evening’s original start. Fellow Australian David Johnson was classified seventh on the Platinum Club Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR.

Harrison, riding for Honda Racing UK, had blasted away from the line and built a huge advantage immediately, ending the opening lap 14 seconds clear of the field with a standing-start lap of 135.166mph. By the time the red flag was shown on lap two, he had already reached the Mountain section and had been running at lap record pace all the way to Ramsey.

The victory gives Harrison seven wins on the Mountain Course, drawing him level with Mick Grant, Wolfgang Kalauch, Michael Rutter and Tony Rutter. It also makes him a two-time Senior TT winner, while marking the second straight year he has won two races in the same TT week.

Peter Hickman, racing for 8TEN Racing, was classified second, with DAO Racing’s Brookes taking third.

The race got underway at 6.25pm, with Harrison leading through Glen Helen on lap one by 4.1 seconds over Hickman. Ian Hutchinson of Team RST BMW was third, another 3.2 seconds back. Brookes, on the DAO Racing Honda, was fourth, while Michael Dunlop MBE on the MD Racing Honda sat fifth, just three tenths behind Brookes. Johnson, riding for Platinum Club Racing Kawasaki, made a strong opening and held sixth. It was tightly packed further back, with only two seconds covering sixth to 12th.

By Ballaugh, Harrison had stretched his margin over Hickman to 6.7 seconds. Brookes had moved into third, although he was just 0.086 seconds ahead of Hutchinson. Dunlop remained fifth, another 1.5 seconds behind, while Jamie Coward on the Rapid Honda by DriveLife machine climbed to sixth.

At Ramsey for the first time, Harrison’s lead had grown again to 7.8 seconds over Hickman, with Brookes now 8.1 seconds behind the BMW rider in third. Brookes had edged 1.5 seconds clear of Hutchinson, while Dunlop stayed fifth, one second behind Hutchinson.

Harrison kept lifting the pace across the Mountain. His opening lap at 135.166mph sent him onto lap two with a 12.4-second advantage over Hickman, who recorded 133.510mph. Brookes stayed third with a lap of 132.775mph, leaving him 5.6 seconds behind Hickman. Hutchinson, Dunlop and Coward rounded out the top six with laps of 131.789mph, 131.356mph and 130.005mph respectively.

When they reached Glen Helen for the second time, Harrison was still pushing hard and had increased his lead to 14.3 seconds. Hickman had also opened his gap over Brookes, which was now 9.4 seconds, while Brookes had overtaken Dunlop on the road. Hutchinson, Dunlop and Coward continued to hold fourth, fifth and sixth.

Behind them, just three seconds covered the group contesting sixth, made up of Coward, Johnson, Nathan Harrison of H&H Motorcycles Honda, John McGuinness for Honda Racing, and Conor Cummins on the Conrod’s Motorsport BMW.

Out front, Harrison showed no sign of backing off. His lead had grown to almost 15 seconds by Ramsey on lap two, and he was on target to challenge Hickman’s three-year-old outright lap record before the race was halted.

Because less than half race distance had been completed, the event could not initially be declared an official result. The Milwaukee Senior TT was rescheduled for 12:00 on Saturday 6 June, to be followed by the Carole Nash Sportbike TT Race 2, but worsening conditions later forced the cancellation of all remaining racing. As a result, the Senior TT was subsequently declared on the lap one order from Friday’s original start.

Earlier in the day, Michael Dunlop took victory in Supertwin TT Race 2 in commanding fashion, setting a new class lap record of 124.530mph on his way to the win. Dunlop finished 28.775 seconds clear at the front, with Mike Browne taking second and Paul Jordan completing the podium after just 0.663 seconds separated the pair at the chequered flag.

Dunlop also won Supersport TT Race 2 after overturning Dean Harrison’s early advantage, with Harrison eventually finishing second and Peter Hickman taking third. The result gave Dunlop his 54th TT podium from 97 career starts, while Australia’s Josh Brookes completed a strong ride to finish fifth.

That proved to be the end of the 2026 Isle of Man TT, with organisers cancelling the remainder of the schedule after Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson MBE BEM confirmed there was no suitable weather window left to complete any more racing safely. With conditions around the Mountain Course not expected to improve sufficiently, no further action was possible.

Josh Brookes
“TT 2026 over and out! Super pleased to take P3 in the Senior. It’s a real shame about the conditions this week but the @ttracesofficial organisation have done a top job despite the challenges.A huge thank you to all the guys at DAO Racing, they’ve worked so hard and persevered to give me a great package and an extra thank you especially to Sommai and Clarissa, who make this all happen. To the fans and marshals who endured tough weather, we all appreciate your support, thank you.”

2026 Isle of Man Senior TT