TT superstar and island resident Dean Harrison will make his return to the British Superbike Championship next year, as part of a formidable three-rider lineup at Honda Racing UK.
Following an impressive fourth place finish in the British Supersport Championship in 2026, during a season in which he also bagged both the Superbike and Senior TT crowns, the Laxey man will make the step up to the premier class for 2027. He is set to partner Ryan Vickers and three-time champion Kyle Ryde.
Speaking to Motorcycle News following the announcement, Harrison said: “This ride is the chance of a lifetime for me, I’ve got a three-time BSB champion for a teammate in one corner and one of the standout racers of the 2026 BSB championship in the other.
“The short circuit pace I’ve developed on the CBR600RR in the last year is really going to help and I learned a lot racing with Jack Kennedy, I’m certain I can do the same on the big bike.”
The step up in grade is not to be underestimated, as the 37-year-old acknowledges: “I’m under no illusions though, I know it’ll be tough but there’s more to life than taking the easy route and I want to challenge myself. This is why I wanted to do a full season on the big bike, I’ll put my full focus on the championship and making the new bike work as best it can.”
Not His First Rodeo
The Laxey native has graced the BSB paddock previously with the DAO Racing Kawasaki team, an outfit with whom he also scored a handful of TT triumphs. He moved to factory Honda for the 2024 season, but switched to the Supersport class mid-way through the year. His last appearance in BSB came as a stand-in reserve rider, replacing the injured Andrew Irwin at Oulton Park in 2025.
Joined in the garage by quintuple champion Jack Kennedy, Harrison enjoyed a strong year in 2026, claiming 17 top-six finishes and taking his maiden podium as he narrowly missed out on the third step of the rostrum in the overall standings.
Ideal TT Preparations
Harrison will spend the season aboard the newly released 2027 iteration of the Fireblade, Honda’s flagship superbike machinery. It’s likely to be a similar setup to the one he’ll use when aiming to defend his ‘big bike’ titles at next year’s TT races, allowing the Yorkshireman to get to grips with his weapon of choice ahead of time.
The adopted Manxman’s focus remains with short circuit racing, though, as he said: “Of course, the time spent understanding and developing the new Fireblade in BSB will contribute to our roads preparations, but in terms of our 2027 BSB plans it doesn’t get much better than being in this line up for a factory team on an all-new race bike.”