Dunlop continues to be a dominant force at the Isle of Man TT, taking doubles in the Supersport and Supertwins events this year to continue his winning streak in those classes, his sequence in the former standing at eight races in a row.
Adding to his number of wins in the Superbike races is what the Northern Ireland rider craves and speculation as to which machinery he will opt for in the larger capacity classes is, as always seems to be the case at this time of year, rife.
Much attention will focus on whether 14-time winner Hickman can rediscover the form he has shown in previous years after recovering from significant injuries sustained in a crash in qualifying at this year’s event.
Harrison will set out to replicate the form which saw him secure a Superstock double in 2025, and aim to add to his existing total of five wins.
Todd is another who will seek to increase his tally of three victories, accumulated over the past two years.
While those four are likely to again be the ones to watch, established stars like Conor Cummins, James Hillier and Josh Brookes, plus improving riders such as Paul Jordan, Jim Hind and Nathan Harrison, recovering from another injury setback, all add quality and depth to the entry.
Changes to the schedule for the 2026 edition of the Manx event, which runs from 25 May to 6 June, will see increased rest days, a greater number of contingency periods and the Superstock and Supersport classes switching places in the race running order.
An update to the Supertwin class will allow Sportbike specification machines to compete for the first time.
This move reflects the wider development of the Sportbike class internationally and its adoption in the World and British Superbike Championships.
Existing eligible Paton, Aprilia, Kawasaki and Yamaha machines will now be joined by Triumph and Suzuki bikes, as well as the Chinese CF Moto 675SR-R.
Race organisers will be hoping for better weather than they encountered in 2025, a disrupted fortnight culminating in the cancellation of the blue riband Senior event on the last scheduled day of racing because of high winds.