Ex-racer, MotoGP TV pundit announces surprise 2025 Isle of Man TT plans

Michael Laverty has announced that his MLav Racing team will enter road racing in 2025 and will field Ian Hutchinson at the Isle of Man TT.

The former British Superbike and MotoGP rider, who has been a mainstay of TNT’s grand prix coverage in recent years, currently fields a team in Moto3.

But he is set to expand his MLav Racing operation into road racing in 2025, which was accidentally announced ahead of schedule on Friday during TNT’s Argentina GP coverage.

Laverty will field BMW machinery for 17-time TT winner Hutchinson, as well as double podium finisher Mike Browne, at the North West 200 and the TT.

Speaking on TNT on Friday, Laverty said: “We are putting a team in the Isle of Man TT and the North West 200 this year.

“We will have a couple of quality riders on board... it will be Ian Hutchinson and Irish rider Mike Browne. So, we will hopefully be officially announcing it in the next week or so.

“We will be on BMW powered machinery, I am working on the livery at the moment and one of the deadlines is today for RST to leathers to produce the suits in time for testing.”

Hutchinson raced on the roads in 2024 with the Pagetts Racing squad on Honda machinery, reuniting with the team he took his historic five-in-a-week success back in 2010.

A difficult 2024 saw Hutchinson struggle to a best of 12th in the Senior TT.

Browne made his debut at the TT in 2019 and has quickly a leading name at the event.

Last year he took a podium in the second Supertwin race, while he breached the top six in the Senior TT aboard an Aprilia and set the fastest-ever lap for the Italian brand at the TT last year.

Browne took his maiden podium at the TT in 2023 in the Supertwin class.