Bathams Racing have confirmed their rider lineup for the 2025 Isle of Man TT, but Michael Rutter will only compete in one class.
Michael Rutter will return to the Isle of Man for the TT this season, but he has significantly scaled back his involvement as a racer.
The seven-time race winner will only participate in the Supertwin TT's for Bathams Racing this season after opting out of the Superbike TT.
Rutter has made 91 starts at the Isle of Man TT but recently has been running out of the Bathams Racing Team. However, after the team expanded to a two-rider team to feature Craig Neve, Rutter made the hard decision to take a step back.
At the 2024 TT, Rutter took part in the Superbike and Supertwin races, having opted out of the Superstock class.
He took two top 10 finishes in the Superbike and Senior races, while he was seventh and 13th in the Supertwin class.
For 2025, he will focus exclusively on the Supertwin class, in which he will race a Yamaha R7.
"Sitting on the grid for a Superbike race at the TT is the ultimate and there’s simply no better feeling than doing six laps around the Mountain Course," he said.
"But while I was over the moon with a couple of top-ten finishes last year, I knew it was the right time to stop riding a Superbike at the TT and look at the bigger picture.
"It’s difficult running a team at the top level and you have to give it 100% time and effort otherwise you won’t succeed. Me racing in all the classes at the TT means that an element of that has been taken away and that’s not fair on Craig.
"My BMW last year was capable of winning but I’m not getting any younger and I’m not getting any faster so it’s the right time to give my place on the grid to another rider and give Craig the full support he should be receiving."
Craig Neve's plans for the 2025 Isle of Man TT:
Craig Neve will race Honda machinery in the Superbike, Senior and Superstock classes, as well as a Triumph in the Supersport class.
The 2024 Isle of Man TT did not go to plan for Neve after he had to withdraw from the event after the opening Supersport Race.
"After the breakthrough I’d made in 2023, I was looking to really push on last year and crack the top six, but it obviously turned out to be major disappointment after the practice crash so the aim for 2025 is to get back to where we were two years ago," said 34-year-old Neve.
"I’d like to better the results and speeds from then and staying with the same team for the third consecutive year is a huge boost."
