Manx rider Michael Evans continues with Dafabet Racing 2026, targeting further progress after joining the 130 mph Club last year.
This is a press release from Isle of Man TT…
Isle of Man (March 12, 2026) – Manx rider Michael Evans continues with Dafabet Racing 2026, targeting further progress after joining the 130 mph Club last year.
Following a successful first year together in 2025, Evans will again contest the RST Superbike TT, both RL360 Superstock TT races and the Milwaukee Senior TT aboard a Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP. The team will also expand its program with a return to the Monster Energy Supersport TT class, where Evans will compete on a Triumph Street Triple 765 RS in the two four-lap races, with engines prepared by Peter Hickman’s PHR Performance operation.
Bristol-based team, Dafabet Racing, bring considerable Mountain Course experience into the 2026 event, with three consecutive Lightweight TT victories among their achievements and a rider roster that has previously included Dean Harrison, Ivan Lintin, Steve Mercer, Paul Jordan and Rob Hodson.
Evans’ Mountain Course debut came 10 years ago, when he took victory in the Newcomers Manx Grand Prix, returning the following year to secure dominant wins in both the Junior and Senior Manx Grand Prix races, setting a lap record of 122.866 mph which remains unbeaten.
Making his Isle of Man TT debut in 2018, the Laxey rider steadily developed into a consistent top-20 finisher. After injury ruled him out of the 2019 event, Evans returned in 2022 to record four top-twenty finishes, including a breakthrough ninth-place result in the Supertwin TT while also surpassing the 125 mph barrier for the first time.
Further progress followed in 2023 with a career-best seventh-place finish in the second Supertwin TT while also improving performances across the Supersport and 1000cc classes. His upward trajectory continued into 2024, highlighted by ninth and 10th-place finishes in the Supersport class before achieving 16th place in the Senior TT race while upping his pace to 128 mph.
That form translated immediately following his move to Dafabet Racing last year. Evans opened race week with an excellent ninth-place finish in the RST Superbike TT before adding 11th and 13th place finishes in the Superstock races. During the opening Superstock TT race, he recorded a personal best lap of 130.094 mph to join the prestigious 130 mph Club. Another top 10 finish followed in the second Monster Energy Supersport TT, underlining his continued development across multiple classes ahead of his assault on the Senior TT.
Michael Evans: “After a strong first season together, I’m delighted to be continuing with Dafabet Racing and preparation is firmly underway with pre-season testing already taking place in Spain. I’ll be on the same Honda Fireblade, which served me so well last year, in the Superstock and Superbike races, while the team has also purchased a brand new Triumph for the Supersport races.
“I’m really excited about that as it’s a bike I know well and have had good results on in the past. Preparation for the season is going well, and I’m training with AStar, Dave Smyth Yoga and at Elite Gym to make sure I’m the fittest I’ve ever been for this year. I’m looking forward to building on the strong results we achieved, especially after joining the 130 mph Club in 2025.”
Ben Constable, Dafabet Racing Team Co-Owner: “Retaining Mikey was at the top of our priority list for 2026 as we couldn’t have been happier with how our first season together went. The results were excellent and, as a team, we want to be finishing consistently inside the top 10 at the TT.”
“Mikey achieved that last year while also recording his first 130 mph lap, and we firmly believe there’s more to come from him on the big bike. He’s already proven himself in the Supersport class, so adding the Triumph to our program was a straightforward decision and we’re confident he can continue progressing in all classes, including the Senior TT.”
For more information, visit www.iomttraces.com
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