The long winter months represent a fallow period for motorcycle road racing fans.
With the engines silent and no action on track enthusiasts are left to reflect on the season just past and look ahead to speculate about what may be to come in the following year.
A number of teams have already revealed their rider and manufacturer line-ups for 2025 but others have yet to show their hand and some competitors face an anxious wait to see if they fit into the major teams’ plans for the likes of the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT.
With talking points aplenty to ponder, BBC Sport NI assesses the deals that have already been done, who is on the move, and which pieces have yet to fit into the jigsaw over the coming weeks.
Who has confirmed their ride for 2025?
Peter Hickman and Davey Todd were successful flag-bearers for German manufacturer BMW in 2024 as they racked up a series of wins between them at the international road races.
Hickman took his tally of TT wins to 14 with a success in the Superbike event for FHO Racing, while Todd excelled in the Milwaukee by TAS Racing colours by taking victory in the Senior and Superstock races, just weeks after he secured a treble on BMW and Ducati machinery at the NW200.
For 2025, the English riders will be team-mates in the FHO stable for the Superbike and Superstock classes at the TT and North West 200 as they target more triumphs.
Faye Ho’s team was absent from the North West paddock last year after withdrawing from the meeting the previous year, although Hickman rode under his own PHR Racing banner.
The announcement that they will return to the Triangle circuit for the next running of the event represents a major boost for organisers and fans alike.
John McGuinness will continue his long association with Honda Racing as he takes in the two major internationals in the big bike classes. The Morecambe rider claimed his first NW200 podium since 2012 by finishing third in a Superstock race in May.
Three-time TT winner Dean Harrison joins him in the Honda awning for a second year, aiming to build on the progress he made in his first campaign with the Japanese marque.
Elsewhere, Dominic Herbertson comes in to partner James Hillier under the WTF (We’re The Future) Racing Honda banner and Manxman Conor Cummins has signed to compete for the Northern Ireland-based Burrows Engineering/RK Racing outfit on a BMW Superbike, taking up the berth previously occupied by Herbertson.
Australian David Johnson will again be the official Kawasaki rider on machinery prepared by Lee Hardy Racing.
What of the top Northern Ireland riders?
Lee Johnston returned to action in the latter half of the 2024 season after recovering sufficiently from a series of serious injury setbacks in recent years.
The Fermanagh native revealed in September however that the Ashcourt Racing team, with whom he had combined his role as rider with that of manager, had decided to step away from the sport.
There is much interest in where the 35-year-old will end up for next year’s big races following the end of his long association with Phil Reed’s outfit.
Michael Dunlop’s future plans are always the subject of much speculation and this year is no different. Will the Ballymoney rider continue with Hawk Racing and race on Honda, Yamaha and Paton machinery again or will he seek a new challenge?
Eleven-time NW200 Superbike winner Glenn Irwin will be a notable absentee from the grid for that meeting in May after announcing his retirement from road racing in October.
There is optimism however that record 29-time winner Alastair Seeley will return to the north coast speed spectacular in May next year after sitting out the most recent edition because of a failure to acquire suitable competitive machinery. It’s a case of ‘watch this space’ as to which bikes he will be riding.
Other leading NI riders Paul Jordan, Adam McLean and Shaun Anderson have yet to confirm their plans.
What about some other big names?
While Nathan Harrison was absent from the official Honda Racing line-up announced in November, the Manx rider has indicated that he will be on the grid at the TT and North West, with likely continued involvement from the same manufacturer in some guise.
Double BSB champion Josh Brookes clinched a second place in the Senior TT and lapped in excess of 134mph this year but his participation in the road racing scene next time out remains to be confirmed after he made the switch from FHO Racing to DAO Racing Honda for the 2025 British Superbike series.
DAO Racing team manager Jonny Bagnall has indicated on his team’s YouTube channel his intention to concentrate on BSB next year and “not have any distractions of road racing for 2025 at least”. Will Brookes be on the grid at either or both of the big internationals? We must wait and see.
Sixteen-time TT winner Ian Hutchinson rode for the Milenco by Padgett’s last term but neither the rider nor the team have revealed their intentions for 2025 as yet.
TAS Racing, run by father and son Hector and Philip Neill, have switched from BMW to Ducati for their forthcoming British Superbike and Supersport campaigns but have yet to announce whether they will compete in road racing in 2025.
Republic of Ireland rider Mike Browne, KTS Racing regular Jamie Coward, Rob Hodson, last season’s Bathams Racing duo Michael Rutter and Craig Neve, plus North West customary frontrunners Richard Cooper and Jeremy McWilliams are others yet to announce their confirmed 2025 roads schedule.
