Ulsterman Lee Johnston will ride for the brand new Ashcourt Racing team based in Hull at this years Isle Of Man TT aswell as the Northwest 200 and Ulster GP.
Johnston will have a BMW S1000RR for both Superbike and Superstock classes and a Yamaha YZF R6 which Johnston will also contest the British Supersport Championship on. The Hull based team have linked up with East Coast Construction and Burdens both of which are long time sponsors of Johnston.
Having split with the Factory Honda team at the end of last season Johnston finds himself as a privateer in which previously he has excelled in.
“Im really looking forward to this year and im excited about the team we’ve put together” said Johnston “I’ve done more riding already this year than what I’d done by the time I arrived at the TT last year, and I’m particularly excited about being on the R6 for the two Supersport Races.
“It’s the class that should suit me the best but, for whatever reason, things have never really clicked at the TT on the 600, so I’m hoping this year will be different.”
When asked about riding the R6 for the first time Johnston had this to say “The R6 is a great bike and I’ll be doing the British Supersport Championship as well, so I’ll be sharper than ever before when practice gets underway and I’d really like to get two good results.
“I’ve won races and had podiums at the other International Road Races and whilst I’m not going to say I’m going to win, I’m riding against the same people at the TT so, with the new team that we now have, I’m confident we’ll be able to give a good account of ourselves in all of the races in June.”
2019 will be a busy year for Johnston as he makes his annual visits to the three big international road races and the British Supersport Championship for the first time since 2011.
Johnston also added that “I’m really excited about 2019 and it feels great to have the fire in my belly again. I’ve got some fantastic sponsors behind me this year and although the last couple of years have been a bit up and down, I’m in the best position I’ve been in for a long time.
“I think this is the environment and set-up that suits me best and having been successful in the past, I’m aiming to be consistently on the podium in 2019.”
