What can we expect from the 2026 road racing season?

Fans of motorcycle road racing can reflect on a 2025 season which delivered its fair share of excitement, thrilling achievements, controversy and disappointments, but thoughts are already turning to what 2026 may bring.

Michael Dunlop and Davey Todd were the standout performers at this year's North West 200, grabbing a hat-trick of wins apiece, while Dunlop continued his record-breaking exploits at the Isle of Man TT in June, taking the fifth four-timer of his career over the Mountain Course to take his tally of victories to 33.

Todd further embellished his burgeoning CV with a Superbike TT race victory, success in the Southern 100 Solo Championship in July and a triumph in the Macau Grand Prix in November.

Some of the top riders and teams already have their plans in place for the next campaign, while race organisers have announced changes to schedules, additions to the calendar and racing classes ahead of next year's events.

BBC Sport NI looks ahead to what we might expect in 2026.

The North West 200 traditionally ushers in the busiest month of the international road racing season and will again occupy its traditional dates of recent years, with on-track action taking place from 6-9 May.

In a new initiative for next year, the North West will host the second round of six of the new European Series Road Racing Superbike Championship (ESR), a development which is expected to strengthen the international character of the meeting.

Honda Racing pairing Dean Harrison, still searching for a maiden victory after five second places at this year's race, and John McGuinness, are to fly the flag for the Japanese manufacturer for a third year in a row.

Todd and Peter Hickman meanwhile have indicated that they will again represent the BMW marque with their 8TEN Racing team.

Expect Dunlop to chase more race wins after ending a nine-year victory drought at the meeting in spectacular style with his popular treble in May.

Many of the other pieces of the jigsaw have yet to fall into place as regards team and rider match-ups but record 11-time Superbike race winner Glenn Irwin teased a possible return to the event after a one-year absence in an interview with BBC Sport NI in August.

Irwin, who will ride a Ducati for his Nitrous Competitions Racing team in British Superbikes in 2026, said that he would not rule out competing over the Triangle circuit again.

"We spoke about lot of things about the North West, including safety improvements," Irwin said of a meeting with Event Director Mervyn Whyte in the summer.

"My reason for not racing, there was the danger with having a family, but if these guys can make the event even safer then you never know. If they can keep making steps then I couldn't rule it out for next year.

"If we go back it's to do the same job we done before, it's not for anything else."

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.

Following a period of uncertainty caused by insurance issues in 2023, the road racing scene in Northern Ireland appears to be on a much stronger footing.

Along with the North West 200, the Armoy road race continues to prosper in its late July slot and the Cookstown 100 occupies its long-established role as the traditional curtain-raiser to racing 'between the hedges' in late April.

The Tandragee 100 returned to the calendar in 2025, with Dunlop attracting top billing just a few weeks after his latest TT tour de force and claiming a big bike double. The Ballymoney rider had also won two races at Cookstown.

Republic of Ireland rider Mike Browne was a four-time winner at Armoy.

The Mid Antrim 150 is now set to be reinsated into the road race running order on 31 July-1 August following an ill-fated attempt to revive the road race in 2022 when the event had to be cancelled after oil, glass and nails were deposited on parts of the Clough circuit.

There is also the realistic prospect of road race meetings returning in the Republic of Ireland in 2026 under the auspices of Motorcycling Ireland after a four-year absence caused mainly by exorbitant insurance costs.

More good news for road race supporters materialised in November with the news that plans were being put in place to restore the renowned Ulster Grand Prix international road race following a funding boost from the Northern Ireland Executive - with 2027 the target year for that to potentially come to fruition.