So who is Ian?
Ian Hutchinson is an English pro motorcycle road racer who focuses on events held on closed public roads, like the Isle of Man TT, the North West 200, and the Ulster Grand Prix. He has contested in 14 TT weeks and has 16 TT victories.
Hutchinson’s best racing year came in 2010, when he set a record for the most wins in a single Isle of Man TT festival in June, taking five solo victories after already winning the Supersport class at the North West 200 in Northern Ireland. In September, during a British Supersport round, he crashed in wet conditions shortly after the start, breaking his left leg badly after being struck by another rider’s machine. The injury required numerous surgeries and a long recovery. In 2012, he fractured the same leg again while riding an off-road bike during exhibition practice for a motorcycle show at the Excel Arena in London.
He returned to racing in 2013 with his bikes modified by moving the gear lever to the right side and replacing the footbrake lever with a thumb-operated rear brake, going on to win the Macau Grand Prix.
In 2015, he made a dramatic return to top form with three wins, plus second and third-place finishes at the Isle of Man TT races, riding PBM Kawasaki (1000 cc) and Team Traction Control Yamaha (600 cc) bikes. These results boosted his overall points tally and earned him the Joey Dunlop TT Championship Trophy for the year. He also took part in select rounds of the 2015 British Superbike Championship riding a Kawasaki ZX-10R.
Hutchinson finished sixth in his last race on the PBM Kawasaki at the Macau Grand Prix in November 2015. In 2016, he signed on to ride Tyco BMWs in the Superbike and Superstock classes, while also returning to Keith Flint’s Team Traction Control Yamahas for the Supersport class at the North West 200, Isle of Man TT, and Ulster Grand Prix.
On Tuesday, 12 January 2016, Ian Hutchinson received the Royal Automobile Club’s prestigious Torrens Trophy, joining an exclusive group of only eleven recipients in the award’s history. Presented at the RAC’s Pall Mall clubhouse, the honour recognized his remarkable determination, courage, and ability to overcome adversity to claim multiple TT victories.
In 2017, Hutchinson had a crash during a race on the Isle of Man, breaking his thighbone. The following year’s races there didn’t go well, with three DNFs and finishes in 11th and 16th place, and 2019 brought three more DNFs.
Hutchinson had a stroke in early 2023, keeping him out for the entire racing season.
Before becoming a professional road racer, Hutchinson worked as a motorcycle mechanic for the late Colin Appleyard, MBE.
Article written by Nige.
Last update: December 2025
Nige has toured most of the UK and Europe, he aspires to a round the world motorbike trip but for now is settling for any trip he can get, you can be assured that what ever family holiday is being planned, Nige is looking at it from a bike ride aspect.
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