TT STAR DAVID JOHNSON TO MAKE CLASSIC TT DEBUT WITH TEAM YORK SUZUKI Spacer

Australian ace David Johnson will make his debut at the Classic TT presented by Bennetts later this year, contesting the Motorsport Merchandise Formula One race for Team York Suzuki/Big Dog Classic Racing.

The Adelaide resident will ride an F1 1100cc Suzuki for Kevin Pearson's York-based team and although it will be his first time at the meeting, Johnson is no stranger to the Classic racing scene as he is a regular at January's Phillip Island Classic Festival where he has scored numerous wins and podiums on a wide variety of machines.

The 31-year old has excelled around the Mountain Course after making his debut at the TT in 2010 where he won the coveted Newcomers Trophy. Since then, he has gone on to accumulate 9 silver and 6 bronze replicas with three top ten finishes.

His best result came in last year's RL360º Superstock Race when he placed a brilliant fourth while tenth in the PokerStars Senior TT Race saw him record a new personal best lap of the 37 and ¾ mile circuit at 129.128mph, to make him the 18th fastest rider ever.

A former racer in the 1980's Pearson set up his own team, named Big Dog Classic Racing, with support from the York Suzuki Centre, and has been a staunch supporter of both the Classic TT and the Post Classic races that took place at the Manx Grand Prix between 2010 and 2012.

2014 saw Russ Mountford ride for the team, claimin a brilliant third place in the Motorsport Merchandise Formula One Classic TT race helped by a lap of almost 121mph.

Speaking about the news he will make his Classic TT debut, David Johnson commented:

"I've been following the progress of the Classic TT the past two years and really wanted to be involved. I've done a lot of Classic racing in my career and I can't wait to get out on the Mountain Circuit for the first time on something other than a modern Superbike. I'm really grateful to Kevin at Team York Suzuki for giving me the chance to ride what is obviously a very fast motorcycle having finished on the podium last time out. Hopefully I can get it back into the winners enclosure in 2015."

Volunteer roles at the Vauxhall International 2015 North West 200

As many people know the International North West 200 is supported by an 800 plus team of experienced volunteers. Some work on an annual basis, others during race week itself, with many volunteers coming from other bodies such as St. John’s Ambulance, British Red Cross and MCUI Marshals Association. The role of the volunteer at the NW200 has also widened and the opportunities for anyone wishing to lend their skills as well as learn new ones has increased.

NW200 work closely with Volunteer Now, the Causeway Volunteer Centre and local groups to develop its volunteer structure and are seeking new volunteers to come on board and get involved with the event.

We have created a wide range of roles that you can get involved in, there is something for everyone. Outlined below are the roles. A brief explanation is given for each role, including:

•Purpose of the team and what it offers
•Tasks involved
•Preferred skills and experience
•Possible challenges

The volunteer roles available are defined as:

•Course Set Up/Build Team
•Marshals / Flag Marshals
•Branding Team
•Event Survey & Marketing Team
•Administration Team/ Media Team
•Health & Safety Team
•Event Coordination/ Hospitality Team

Read more here

NABD GRANTS:
At the November 2014 National Committee meeting of the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD), grants totalling £9,510.00 were awarded to help thirteen more disabled riders to adapt bikes and/or trikes to suit their needs.

At the December 2014 National Committee meeting of the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD), grants totalling £9,611.00 were awarded to help ten more disabled riders to adapt bikes and/or trikes to suit their needs.

At the January 2015 National Committee meeting of the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD), grants totalling £2,855.00 were awarded to help four more disabled riders to adapt bikes and/or trikes to suit their needs.

At the February 2015 National Committee meeting of the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD), grants totalling £3,845.00 were awarded to help six more disabled riders to adapt bikes and/or trikes to suit their needs.

That’s a grand total of £55,599.93 awarded in grants so far, since the start of this financial year in April 2014.

World Supersport debutant Kyle Smith has completed his first test on the Pata Honda World Supersport CBR600RR machine and is now looking forward to this weekend’s opening round at Phillip Island in Australia.

The 23-year-old British rider stepped up to world championship competition after competing in last season’s European Superstock 1000 series and has never ridden at the iconic 4.445km Phillip Island circuit.

However, Smith is satisfied with his first outings with his new team and relishing the opportunity of riding the CBR600RR that won last season’s World Supersport championship in the hands of Dutch rider Michael van der Mark.

Kyle Smith - best time 1m34.482s

Yeah, I’m happy with this test. We progressed a lot yesterday and today and the lap time dropped, which is good. Obviously, you always want more and towards the end of today’s session we tried a bunch of stuff with the bike but didn’t manage to make the little step forward that we wanted. I’d like to be a couple of tenths faster to be a little higher but I’m happy with the progression we’ve made. I think we can be there on Friday but we’ve learned an awful lot these last two days. It’s a new bike and a new track for me, but I think I can be faster again on Friday. There’ll definitely be a lot more of an attack mentality for the race weekend!

Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator

It’s been our first outing with our new rider, Kyle, and it’s also his first time here at Phillip Island and on our CBR machine. There is an awful lot to learn of course, and he made good progress yesterday. This morning he improved his time by more than a second over yesterday. We tried a few things but kept the bike quite close to the base with which we won last year and it seems to be the correct base to work from. That’s positive because we can use all the data for the rest of this season. Kyle is a good guy to work with – he’s really relaxed and we’re looking forward to our first race weekend with him.

Today Dunlop announces its renewed status as Official Tyre Partner of the TT Races and has extended the agreement to include Sponsorship of the Classic TT. The decision follows the tyre manufacturer's massive success at the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races and underlines their commitment to motorsport on two and four wheels.

Dunlop has had unprecedented success at the Isle of Man TT and at the 2014 TT Races took 13 out of a possible 15 podium places in the Superbike, Superstock and Supersport classes. At the Classic TT, Bruce Anstey claimed first place in the esteemed race on a Dunlop-shod Grand Prix YZR500 Yamaha.

The Classic TT Races take place between 29th and 31st August as part of the the Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling, with three races over the famous 37 ¾ mile TT Mountain circuit, the VMCC Festival of Jurby, a stunning Parade Lap and additional activity including exhibitions of racing motorcycles, legendary rider autograph sessions and a paddock carnival.

Tony Ward, Dunlop's Brand Manager, said: "Dunlop is a company that was born to win. Ever since John Boyd Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre to give his son competitive advantage in a tricycle race more than 125 years ago, Dunlop has been racing to win at event such as the Isle of Man TT.

"We are delighted to extend our association with the Isle of Man by becoming sponsor of the Classic TT, an event that continues to build momentum in the industry year on year."