Respected Austrian racer Horst Saiger will make his Mountain course debut in June when he competes in the 2013 Isle of Man TT fuelled by Monster Energy.
The hugely experienced Saiger, Swiss National Champion for the past two seasons, will contest the Superbike, Royal London 360º Superstock and Senior TT races on a 1000cc ZX-10R Kawasaki.
Saiger, who will run his own team with support from Kawasaki Switzerland, already has considerable road racing experience having been a regular at the Macau Grand Prix over the last few seasons, including a 5th last year.
In addition, he made a sensational debut at the 2012 North West 200 road races, where he competed in the two Superstock races. Having taken a solid 16th in the first, damp race, he really proved his road racing credentials in the second race on Saturday with a stunning 10th and 117mph+ lap, finishing ahead of star names like Gary Johnson, Adrian Archibald, Ian Lougher and Stefano Bonetti.
From the town of Knittelfeld, Saiger also has vast experience in the Endurance World Championship, having competed in the series for more than a decade for high profile teams including YART and former TT competitors Bolliger Kawasaki.
Almost ever-present in the top eight of the championship, Saiger’s results include second overall in 2010, third in 2009 and fourth in 2004 and 2006, with podiums and numerous top five finishes at the Le Mans 24 Hour, Bol d’Or, 8 Hours of Oschersleben, 8 Hours of Qatar and 8 Hours of Albacete.
Saiger has also competed in the Superbike World Championship and at the Daytona 200.
Saiger said:
“The TT has a very large profile in Austria and Germany and I have already had lots of interest from media and fans in my debut.”
“The Mountain course is one of the world's most famous race circuits and I am looking forward to testing myself on the track.”
Isle of Man TT and Motorsport Manager Paul Phillips added:
“I'm delighted that we have secured the signature of Horst Saiger for the 2013 TT races.”
“He is a proven international competitor with widespread experience and a great track record. He’s already shown his road racing credentials and will be an exciting addition to the 2013 line up who will, I'm sure attract a lot of interest not only in his homeland but also from TT fans around the world.”