Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) and Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) have jointly decided that Dakar Saudi Arabia 2027, scheduled from 1 to 15 January 2027, will not be held in the Kingdom, following recent developments in the region.
This decision is exceptional and one-off and was taken in close coordination with the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), and with the support of the FIA and the FIM.
Motorbike racing hasn’t even finished for the 2026 Season (with the final round of the MotoGP still to come and Macau only a few weeks away) but the 2027 British Superbikes Calendar has just been announced and more importantly it is already updated on the TBNI.Blog Racing Calendar.
Dates have been confirmed for the 2 pre-season test sessions in March and April 2027 as well the 8 Rounds of the Main Season followed by the 3 Showdown Rounds which bring the season to a conclusion in mid October 2027.
The 2027 North West 200 will run from the 10th – 15th May 2027.
The North West 200 will run a week later than usual in 2027, bringing a welcome return to its traditional race week schedule with Tuesday hosting the opening practice session of the week.
The calendar shift avoids a direct clash with the Northern Ireland Assembly and local council elections, where polling day lands on Thursday, 6 May 2027.
To steer clear of the political machinery, the Triangle circuit will roar to life a week later, running from Monday 10th May through to Saturday, 15 May. The revision means the paddock reverts to its much-loved traditional format: opening qualifying on Tuesday, final qualifying alongside evening races on Thursday, and the headline race day wrapping up proceedings on Saturday.
Road closures are set for 09:00 across all three days of action, with a three race schedule for Thursday evening followed by a stacked six-race card on Saturday.
End of an Era on the Mountain: Full Sportbike Regulations Locked in for TT 2027
If you’ve spent any time leaning over the hedges at the North West 200 or shivering on the hedge tops at the Bungalow, you’ll know road racing rarely stands still for long. After a multi-year transition that kicked off back in 2024—and saw the new breed phased onto the Mountain Course for the 2026 races—the Isle of Man TT has officially confirmed the change: from 2027 onwards, full Sportbike regulations take over, bringing the curtain down on 14 years of Supertwin machinery.
It marks the end of a proper chapter. When the Lightweight TT revived in 2012, it was the springboard that handed debut TT victories to the likes of James Hillier, Dean Harrison, and Ivan Lintin. In more recent times, our own Ballymoney maestro, Michael Dunlop MBE, turned it into his personal masterclass aboard the factory Paton S1-R—taking top honours in six of the last eight encounters.
Yet, as fond as we all are of that era, the writing has been on the wall. Here is what’s shifting and why it matters for the paddock.
Why the Shift Away from Supertwins?
Supertwins was arguably the last bastion of genuine, shed-built engineering freedom. If you had the know-how to squeeze horsepower out of a middleweight twin, you could build something unique. But that very freedom eventually became its undoing:
The Cost Trap: Winning required either bespoke, limited-run exotica or eye-watering engine development budgets that squeezed traditional privateers out of contention.
Waning Factory Interest: The road-going market moved on, and mainstream manufacturers gradually drifted away from backing Supertwin projects.
The Sportbike Formula: Levelling the Field
From 2027, the category aligns directly with the National Sportbike Championship rulebook, anchored by a proven Balance of Performance (BoP) structure.
Parity Across Engine Formats: Whether a twin, triple, or alternative layout, BoP keeps performance envelopes tight so that rider craft and sharp setup take precedence over chequebook horsepower.
Controlled Build Budgets: Stricter technical bounds rein in running and build costs, making it a viable, turn-key proposition for privateer outfits.
Factory Involvement: Crucially, the showroom relevance of the class has already brought major manufacturer support back into the road racing paddock.
Mountain Course Adaptations
While the baseline rules mirror British short circuits to allow teams to run identical machinery without reinventing the wheel, the 37.73-mile Mountain Course still demands respect.
Much like the Superstock category, organisers will permit minor TT-specific aero concessions. Teams will be allowed tweaks to the fairings and frontal profiles purely to give riders adequate wind protection when tucked in flat-out through Sulby and over the high-speed stretches of the Mountain.
A Clear Runway for Young Talent
Perhaps the biggest win here is for the next generation. We saw the potential during this year’s trial run: Dominic Herbertson turned heads by cracking 7th on the factory KTS Macadam Triumph Daytona 660 (lapping just shy of the 120mph barrier), while debutant Rhys Stephenson showed just how seamlessly a young rider can carry national short-circuit speed to the Island.
Rather than forcing young riders through the high-risk, high-cost gauntlet of tuned 600s or 1000cc superbikes before they’ve even learned the hedges, the Sportbike class offers a direct, affordable ladder straight from short-circuit paddocks to Glencrutchery Road.
The Verdict from the Paddock
Both Ed Wilson (Head of Sport) and Dave Hagen (Technical Director) underlined that this isn’t about throwing out tradition—it’s about safeguarding the future. By moving away from hyper-specialised, fragile engineering packages and adopting an established national formula, the TT gains commercial sustainability, manufacturer backing, and full grids where a privateer lad with a well-prepped production bike can actually dream of a result.
The Supertwins gave us some unforgettable battles and iconic noise down Bray Hill, but the sport has to keep pace with the real world. Come TT 2027, the middleweight class enters a sharp, level, and very welcome new era.
The TBNI Road Racing Calendar will be updated as soon as new information comes to light so make sure you are subscribed to that : https://tbni.blog/road-racing-calendar/
Motor Cycle Road Racing between the hedges in Ireland has been attracting competitors and spectators since 1903 when the Governing Body for Motor Cycle Racing was first established.
This year the MCUI (UC) has five road race events in Northern Ireland, Cookstown 100, NW200 which have already been completed, the Tandragee 100, Armoy and the Mid Antrim 150 are still to come between the end of June and July months.
November 2025, we published the plans for the return of the Ulster Grand Prix in 2027.
The planning and funding stages are very much underway, with various meetings with the local council LCCC and amenity providers on the course preparation.
Areas of road surface in need of repair have been identified with DFI Roads Eastern division and meetings with Openreach on relocation of several telegraph poles have taken place with positive discussions.
Shortly after our November announcement we had a constructive residents meeting in the Ballymac Hotel, at which there was a willingness from them to see this great event return under the new management group.
Rumours have been circulating for a couple of days now about a return of the Ulster Grand Prix and it now has been confirmed that the Northern Ireland Government will be budgeting for around £400,00 over a ‘multi-year contract’ and that approximately 50% of that will be set aside for the UGP in order to make improvements around the circuit. However, and notably funding will not be provided for the racing itself.
So the Ulster is by no means back just yet, but this is the biggest step forward in ensuring bikes return to the Dundrod circuit.
Motor Cycle Union of Ireland (Ulster Centre) Ltd Press Release for 2027 “Ulster Grand Prix” Press Release dated – 03/11/2025 @ 2.30PM
The MotorCycle Union of Ireland (Ulster Centre) Ltd over the last four months have engaged with many government departments, MLA’s, councils and agencies on “pure road racing” in Northern Ireland.
Road Racing between the hedges in Ireland has been attracting competitors and spectators since 1903 when the Governing Body was first established.
We have built a legacy around road racing over this period of time which has produced world class talents. 2026 will see five pure road race events in Northern Ireland, Cookstown 100, NW200, Tandragee 100, Armoy and the Mid Antrim 150 is back on the Calendar. This is a great upturn and promising for road racing since the covid pandemic which had a huge impact on everyone. We appreciate all the support and help from Department of Communities, SportNI and 2&4 Wheel over the years for the funding for much needed safety equipment.
Thinking ahead to 2027 our plan is to bring back probably the purest and most natural road race events in the world.
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