DAFABET RACING SIGN EVANS FOR 2025
Dafabet Racing have signalled their intentions for the 2025 Isle of Man TT Races by signing Manxman Michael Evans whilst also switching to Honda machinery for the 1000cc races at the June event.
Evans will get his first taste of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP this year and is set to contest the RST Superbike, Milwaukee Senior and RL360/PE Superstock TT races for the Bristol-based team.
The 31-year-old will also compete in the two Metzeler/Entire Cover insurance Supertwin TT races on the team’s tried and proven Z650 Kawasaki ridden recently by Josh Brookes and Davey Todd, the former finishing on the podium in 2023.
Santon’s Evans, winner of the 2017 Senior and Junior Manx Grand Prix races, gets his opportunity with the former TT winners after some superb rides and results around the Mountain Course since racing resumed in 2022 with no less than 12 top-twenty finishes.
Those results have been spread across the classes, which only serves to highlight Evans’ versatility, but key results have been seventh and ninth place finishes in the 2022 and 2023 Supertwin TT races as well as ninth and 10th in last year’s two Supersport TT encounters.
His success in the 2024 Supersport TT races, including a 126.113mph lap, came on the Smith Racing Triumph which he’ll continue to campaign in 2025, but he’s also been making his mark in the 1000cc races too, improving his lap times year on year.
Indeed, 2024 saw him set a new personal best lap of 128.232mph on his Suzuki GSX-R1000 during the Superbike TT, where he was running as high as 11th, whilst also finishing 16th in the Senior TT.
That form was what brought Evans to the attention of Dafabet Racing, which continues to be run by the father and son duo of Roy and Ben Constable.
Having joined forces at last year’s Macau Grand Prix, where Evans qualified in a fine eighth, they now look to elevate Evans further up the TT leaderboard just as they’ve done for previous riders, such as Dean Harrison and Ivan Lintin, who won three consecutive Lightweight races between them from 2014-2016.
Evans commented: “I’m really excited for this opportunity with Dafabet Racing especially with a bike as competitive as the Honda Fireblade; a truly competitive bike in the big bike class is all that’s been missing for me.
“The Suzuki has served me well and I’ve been pleased with the results and the progress we’ve made as a small team, but you only have to look at the entry at the International Road Races and BSB to realise the Honda is the bike to be on.
“I lapped at 128.2mph and finished inside the top twenty last year, an achievement I was pleased with, but we had a few issues and there’s definitely more speed in me.
“I believe I’m capable of more and getting as close to the top ten as possible on the big bike will be the main aim in 2025, but I’m also excited to ride the Kawasaki as it’s widely recognised as one of the best Supertwins on the grid.
“The team have the experience of running at the sharp end and I’m confident they can help me improve and climb further up the leaderboard - their track record speaks for itself and if I can crack the top five, that’ll be amazing.”
Ben Constable, Team Co-owner said: “We’re delighted to welcome Michael to the team and are confident that together we can make a significant step forward to put us both where we feel we should be.
“As a team, we’ve slipped off the radar a bit but we know what it takes to get good results around the Mountain Course and with Michael and the move to Honda machinery, we believe 2025 is going to be a good year for all concerned.”
“We shared a garage with Michael at the 2023 Macau GP and were keen to get him onboard for 2024 and whilst it took a little bit longer than we would have liked, we got there in the end. He’s impressed us with his attitude and professionalism and his results to date speak volumes for his talent.
“HRC have also been a great help since we switched to Honda and we’ve the right input from the right people so the whole team is re-invigorated for the season ahead.”
