British Championship winner Lee Johnston to make TT debut in 2012
Thursday 01 March 2012
TT
British Championship winner Lee Johnston will make his Mountain circuit debut at the 2012 Isle of Man TT fuelled by Monster Energy, it has been confirmed.
The exciting young Northern Ireland rider, who won the National Superstock 600cc Championship in 2008, will contest the Dainese Superbike, Royal London 360 Superstock and PokerStars Senior TT races on a 1000cc Honda Fireblade for East Coast Racing.
Affectionately known as ‘The General’, the Maguiresbridge racer shot to stardom with his domination of the 2008 Superstock series, where finished on the podium in 10 of the 12 rounds, won the race at Knockhill, scored points in every round, never finishing lower than 7th and eventually took the title by a commanding 41 points.
He also made his real road racing debut in 2008, contesting both Supersport races at the North West 200. Despite only being 19 at the time, Johnston made a major impression, taking 11th and 18th and defeating a number of more experienced riders including Adrian Archibald, Chris Palmer and Mats Nilsson.
In 2009, Johnston moved to the British Supersport Championship, where he has ridden for the last three seasons. He finished 12th in his first season, with three 5th place finishes for Raceways Yamaha, and in 2010 was 13th, aided by four top 10 finishes for Gearlink Kawasaki and Oxford TAG Triumph.
Last year saw him join East Coast Racing where he was teammate to TT winner Gary Johnson on Honda machinery. The season got off to a brilliant start with 4th and 6th at the opening round and he was a consistent top 8 finisher for the first two thirds of the season, taking four top 6 places before the team withdrew from the championship.
Johnston also made his return to the public roads where, despite the inclement weather, he took 9th in the solitary Supersport race held at the North West 200, just one tenth of a second behind Guy Martin.
The 23-year-old said:
“I’ve already been over to the Isle of Man and done a good recce of the course with the rider liaison officers, which has really whetted my appetite, but I can’t wait to get on the track for real at the end of May.”
“Coming from Northern Ireland, TT has always been on my radar and I’m delighted to be getting the chance to race on this iconic course.”
Isle of Man Government TT and Motorsport Manager Paul Phillips added:
“Lee already has a proven road racing and circuits CV and he looks like he’s going to be a star on the Isle of Man for many years to come.”
“It’s great to see another leading circuit rider committing to road racing and he typifies the breed of talented young riders that are now opting for the roads.”