John McGuinness has confirmed he will contest the Lightweight race at the 2013 Isle of Man TT fuelled by Monster Energy.
The 19-times TT winner will campaign Honda’s new CBR500R in the race, scheduled to take place ahead of this year's PokerStars Senior TT, on June 7. He will be riding for Phil Morris's RLR racing team, which has already begun preparing the CBR500R.
McGuinness last rode for the team almost a decade ago when he took back-to-back victories at the Lightweight TT on a Honda VFR400.
Team owner Phil Morris said:
“We got the new bike delivered last week and we’ve already spent time with it on the dyno. We know we have a lot to do, but it’s an exciting opportunity and John is really up for it.”
“We have a great bike and the best rider so the aim is to be on the top step of the podium this year.”
Last year’s Lightweight race was dominated by riders on Kawasaki’s ER6. Ryan Farquhar took a convincing win with a time of 59:29.27 (114.155mph) from James Hillier, with Michael Rutter completing the podium. Rutter clocked the fastest lap of the inaugural race and his time of 19:35.45 (115.554mph) will be the benchmark to beat in 2013.
The top 8 positions in 2012, the first TT run for SuperTwin machines, were all secured by Kawasaki riders, but the dynamic of the race is set to change in 2013 with McGuinness's entry.
Farquhar has retired from racing, but will continue to field a team, while Suzuki are bolstering their efforts with a bigger presence of riders using their SV650.
McGuinness said:
“It was strange sitting on the sidelines last year while the race was on, particularly as the Senior was cancelled as well.”
“It's an interesting class and will present different challenges to the other races, but I'm looking forward to having a crack. The team undoubtedly has a lot to do in a short space of time to be ready but I've got every faith in them.”
Isle of Man Government TT and Motorsport Manager Paul Phillips added:
“The class continues to go from strength to strength and it will undoubtedly attract more interest this year with broader manufacturer involvement.”
“John's entry will also further add to the race and I'm sure he'll be going all out to add to his TT titles.”