As the 2023 Isle of Man TT Races draw closer, riders, teams, and manufacturers begin to implement the plans which have been developed over the past weeks and months. For Kawasaki, this means putting its support behind Dean Harrison, the brand’s leading rider on the Isle of Man over the last few years.
Since 2018, Dean Harrison has been one of the top riders on the Isle of Man, fighting for podiums and victories in almost all solo classes. A Senior TT win that year confirmed his place among the very best of the current crop of road racers around the Snaefell Course.
Harrison continues with Kawasaki in 2023, a brand with which he has become almost synonymous in the road racing scene during his racing career, whether it be with the Supersport-class ZX-6R or the ZX-10RR Superstock and Superbike machines.
This year, Harrison’s middleweight efforts will be contested aboard a Yamaha R6, which he also rode at the North West 200 as teammate to Richard Cooper. The move is due to Harrison’s DAO Racing team’s desire to put their full focus into the 1000cc Superstock and Superbike classes, which has resulted in their withdrawal from the Supersport class.
Developments on the engine and chassis of the Superbike have taken place over the winter, with support from Kawasaki UK, while development of the Superstock machine has benefitted from DAO Racing’s National Superstock Championship participation with Brayden Elliott.
In these classes, there is little doubt that Harrison’s major rival will be Peter Hickman, who has dominated the 1000cc classes in recent years, taking a total of nine TT wins since 2018, including the 2022 Senior TT. The likes of Padgett’s Honda’s Davey Todd, who had impressive showings at the 2023 North West 200 on both 600cc and 1000cc machinery, will also be one to watch towards the front at the upcoming Isle of Man TT.
Ross Burridge, Head of Marketing & Racing Department at Kawasaki UK: “We have been working hard with the team over the winter to try and improve the spec of their Superbike as much as possible to give Dean as much support around the demanding mountain course. He and the team are in a good place heading into the event, and we are confident they will be able to put on a good show when practice week gets underway on Monday.”
The 2023 Isle of Man TT begins next week on Monday 29 May, with the first races scheduled for Saturday 3 June.
