For the first time since 2023, former winners, DAO Racing, will return to the TT paddock this summer.

The Cumbria-based team were regular TT contenders between 2014 and 2023, initially under the Silicone Engineering banner and latterly as DAO Racing, establishing themselves as one of the event’s most consistent and competitive teams.

Their most successful period came with Laxey resident Dean Harrison, who rode for the team on Kawasaki machinery between 2016 and 2023.

Across the 28 TT races they contested together, Harrison and the team finished on the podium 21 times and only failed to finish two races, underlining the consistency and reliability that became hallmarks of the programme.

The team focused their efforts on the British Superbike Championship in 2024 before switching to Honda machinery for 2025, with Josh Brookes and Lee Jackson joining the team.

The move proved productive, with Brookes securing the team’s first Bennetts British Superbike Championship podium at Donington Park before delivering their maiden win later in the season at Oulton Park. That continuity now extends to the roads, with Brookes contesting the TT on the same manufacturer.

Brookes will contest the Superbike, Superstock and Senior races on a Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.

The 42 year old from Sydney is one of the most experienced international riders in the field and has firmly established himself as a front-runner at the TT.

A double podium finisher, he took second place in the 2024 Senior race and remains one of the fastest riders to lap the Mountain Course.

His outright personal best around the Mountain Course remains 134.056mph, set during that runner-up finish in 2024, a speed that leaves him fifth on the list of fastest riders of all time.

Brookes said: ‘Reflecting on 2025, I was racing with DAO Racing in BSB and then I rode for a separate outfit [Jackson Racing] on the roads, which was a little bit disruptive to my preparations.

‘I think staying with one team throughout the whole process is a far better environment to work in, the equipment will be to the highest standard, something in which DAO Racing prides itself on.

‘I’ll have the confidence in the continuity of all the crew and team behind me. It’ll make for a more pleasant, competitive and enjoyable experience at these events.’

DAO Racing team manager Jonny Bagnall added: ‘It’ll be exciting to see how we get on: the roads were our pedigree, it’s how the team started back in 2014.

‘With Sommai and Clarrisa wanting the team to return to the roads and have a presence in the TT paddock, with them residing in the Isle of Man, it felt natural for us to do that.

‘We want to have a fast and safe road racing season - Josh is very experienced around the TT, he rode the Fireblade in 2025 and I think it’ll be more consistent for him this year, because he’s comfortable with the crew and the bike he’s riding, especially with him riding it week in, week out at BSB.

‘I feel that consistency and positive environment around him will help achieve some fantastic results.’