Keanu Reeves Goes Racing: Arch Racing Team Sets Sights on Isle of Man TT
No, that isn’t a title for a new Hollywood action movie, Keanu Reeves and his Arch Motorcycle company are forming a racing team with big aspirations
The motorcycle maker, partly owned and founded by Keanu Reeves, is hitting the track, as the Arch Racing team joins the MotoAmerica Super Hooligan Class with an in-house designed and built bike.
The news means Arch will be going toe-to-toe with some of the biggest names in two-wheeled competition, with BMW, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Triumph, and Yamaha-based machines all being fielded in the class.
The bike being ridden in the class is stated to be Arch through and through, and not a badge-engineered model from another maker's range. That said, Gard Hollinger, the co-founder of Arch and mechanical genius behind the bikes, has called on one big name from racing, with support coming from Suter Racer. The Swiss company, which is famous for making Moto2 and MotoGP machines, is Arch Racing’s official engineering partner.
While the Super Hooligan bike is the start, Hollinger and Reeves aren’t stopping there, with the motorcycle maker setting its sights on much bigger, more historic racing exploits in the future.
“[The] timing never felt right… until now". Hollinger said. “While testing our new engine and platform, it became clear that we have an absolute monster, and it needs to be put to the test – we know it sounds crazy, but why not build a proper team and go racing against the industry giants? If it works like we believe it will, we hope to expand our efforts and take it overseas for races, including the Isle of Man TT in 2026”.
Lofty ambitions they may be, but the fledgling team has already seen one strong result. The team's number one rider, Corey Alexander (a former AMA Supersport and MotoAmerica Stock 1000cc champion), brought the all-new bike home in 7th place at the Daytona 200 round race in March. Arch has also secured one very famous name as the race strategist, as former MotoGP racer and current road racer, Jeremy McWilliams, joins the team. The press release from Arch claims that he’ll apparently be racing on the bike himself later in the season.
Now, if, like me, you’re thinking, ‘well, how does this relate to the TT?’ I’m not sure either. The Super Hooligan class is aimed at bikes of 750cc in capacity, which produce 125bhp or less. If the newly founded Arch Racing team has an eye on the Supertwin class, they’re going to need to do a lot of work to meet the current regulations. Supertwins must be road-derived twin-cylinder bikes of not more than 700cc in capacity. That means, as it stands, their current bike would not be eligible. Or they might just get special dispensation, because Keanu Reeves.
Adding to the allure of another big-name Hollywood star in the TT paddock is the news that Arch Racing’s exploits on the track will be covered in a new TV show. The documentary series is being produced by Sharon Trojan Hollinger for Trojan Horse Productions. A release date for this is to be confirmed.
Find the latest motorcycle news on Visordown.com
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
