British Superstock Championship rider Dan Hegarty says he ‘can’t wait’ to make his debut at the Isle of Man TT.
The 23-year-old is the latest talented young rider to sign up to race at the 2010 TT.
Hegarty said:
"I’m extremely excited about coming to the Isle of Man to race and it will fulfil a long ambition of mine – I can’t wait!"
The Nottingham rider began racing in 2004 and soon progressed into the Virgin Mobile R6 Cup Championship, where one of his main rivals was current TT star Conor Cummins.
In 2006 he moved into the British Superstock Championship, where he has remained since, improving his results every year. Hegarty made his breakthrough in 2008 when, in one of the most fiercely fought Championships when he finished 11th overall, scoring points in eight of the 12 rounds, finishing in the top 10 on five occasions with a best finish of fourth at Knockhill.
Equally impressive was a stunning fourth place at the annual Mallory Park ‘Race of the Year’, where he was only beaten by Superbike stars Tom Sykes, Karl Harris and Glen Richards.
Last year saw Hegarty again contest the British Superstock series and, despite being forced to miss a number of rounds for financial reasons, he ended the year with a flourish, taking a host of top 10 finishes to finish 13th overall.
This year he will again be Suzuki-mounted in the Superstock championship and also plans to make his debut at the North West 200 and Oliver’s Mount in order to help his preparations for the 2010 TT.
Hegarty, who is the workshop manager of RTR Motorcycles and a race instructor at Ron Haslam's Race school at Donington Park, said:
"I have always been a big fan of the TT and now I have everything in place I’m really looking forward to making my debut. Seeing how well many of the lads in the British Championship have done in the past few years has inspired me even more and I’ve been in touch with the organisers for some time to get everything sorted."
"They couldn’t have been more helpful in terms of advice and encouragement and I’ve begun my training and learning the track so that I’m 100% prepared."
Richard ‘Milky’ Quayle, TT winner and TT Rider Liaison officer, added:
"Dan Hegarty is another name in an already impressive list of riders looking to take part in the TT for the first time in 2010. Our rider recruitment programme is once more achieving success for us and when you look back at all the newcomers in recent times, it’s fair to say the majority of them have become brilliant additions to the TT entry list."
"Dan’s been putting in some great performances in the British Championship, improving every year, and I look forward to spending time with him and all the other newcomers to TT 2010."