Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Autosport
Autosport

Hutchinson in Isle of Man TT return with Padgetts a year on from stroke

Hutchinson was forced to sit out last year’s TT after suffering a stroke while out cycling in Spain in March.

As per ACU regulations, Hutchinson had his racing license suspended for 12 months while he recovered from the stroke.

He was due to contest the 2023 season once more with TAS Racing, while the Northern Irish outfit sat out the TT altogether following Hutchinson’s forced withdrawal.

Making a relatively quick recovery, Hutchinson has now firmed up plans to return to racing in 2024 and will reunite with Clive Padgetts’ squad.

Hutchinson made history with Padgetts Racing in 2010 when he became the first rider ever in TT history to win five races in a week.

Later that year Hutchinson suffered a horrific leg injury in a British Championship crash at Silverstone that would set his career back several years.

He would return to racing to win seven more TTs to add to the nine he secured between his first in 2007 and his latest in 2017.

Hutchinson said: "I’m really pleased to be back with Clive and the team. I think that the way that I work and the team works just fits right. Clive puts together a bike you know you can get on and ride fast straightaway.

"With injuries, COVID and missing last year, I don’t feel as though I’ve had a good run at the TT since 2017 and so it’s ideal to be with the team that can let me get the laps which is what I need.

"We’ve already been out testing in Spain and we’re back out again to Portugal and Spain in the next few weeks, plus we’ve plenty more track time in the run up to TT so I’m really looking forward to what 2024 can bring."

Podium: second place Michael Dunlop, Yamaha, race winner Ian Hutchinson, Yamaha, third place Dean Harrison, Kawasaki (Photo by: Isle of Man TT)

He last raced for Padgetts in the Supersport class at the TT in 2018 – achieving a best of 11th - a year on from a second serious leg injury when he crashed on the mountain section during the Senior TT.

Padgetts Racing endured a podium-less TT in 2023, with riders Davey Todd and Conor Cummins only managing a best of fourth across all the races the team entered.

Todd has departed the squad to race for TAS Racing on BMW machinery, effectively replacing Hutchinson, doing so partway through last year.

Hutchinson will pilot Honda machinery in the Superbike, Superstock and Supersport classes at TT 2024.

It is unclear yet as to who will be his team-mate this season, though it is thought that Cummins is likely to remain with Padgetts for another year.

Padgett added: "We’re absolutely delighted to have Ian back into the Padgett’s racing family. We’ve a long, enjoyable and highly successful relationship that goes back many, many years and it’s an honour to be back working together again across all the classes.

"He’s had one hell of a journey since that incredible year in 2010, but there is no denying the man’s determination and I don’t think you can ever rule him out of getting a top finish. I truly believe in him but regardless of the results, I think having him back with the team is just a fantastic story for the sport and for the TT."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.