Ian Hutchinson: Sixteen-time TT winner to ride Supersport Yamaha for new NI-based team
- Published
Ian Hutchinson (front middle) has won a record eight Isle of Man TT Supersport races
Ian Hutchinson is to ride a Yamaha R6 Supersport machine for a new Northern Ireland-based team at the international road races in 2022.
The Yorkshire rider will compete in the colours of Bosch Precision Engineering by Russell Racing at the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT.
The team would also take in the Ulster Grand Prix were it to take place.
The 16-time time TT winner hopes to ride the bike at selected British championship rounds later this year.
The team will be managed by William Dunlop's former crew chief Alister Russell, who currently works as a mechanic for Tarran Mackenzie as part of the McAMs Racing Yamaha British Superbike team.
Hutchinson has also won nine races at the Ulster Grand Prix and three at the North West 200, including Supersport successes over the Triangle circuit in 2006 and 2010.
Eight of his 16 TT wins have come in the middleweight Supersport class.
'Alister knows what I want out of a bike'
"The 600 class is in a strange position at the minute with not many manufacturers continuing to build them but Yamaha has been one of the strongest bikes for the past few years," said Hutchinson.
"I've always enjoyed riding it and we should have a good package. All the riders and all the fans are desperate to get back to road racing so fingers crossed it gets back to where it was.
"This bike has been built for two years and it hasn't really turned a wheel.
"Alister has always been part of the Raceways team when I rode for them in the past and we have had success in the Supersport class. He knows what I want out of a bike and he knows how to build a bike."
Hutchinson sustained a broken leg in the 2017 Senior TT and has been slowly regaining fitness ever since.
"I'm just building strength in the ankle as much as I can," he said.
'The most determined rider on the grid'
Alister is excited by the "big challenge" that awaits the newly-formed team and its backers next year after all the international road races were called off in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid-19.
"Our main aim is the TT, North West 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix if it gets up and running again," he explained.
"We plan to do some British short circuits at the end of this year to get Ian as comfortable as possible on the bike and ready to go.
"We knew the rider we wanted and we are happy to have him. I believe he is the most determined rider on the grid," he added.
Hutchinson will compete in this year's British Superstock 1000cc series for the newly-formed Edwards 1902 Yamaha team, which is a sister team of the McAMS Yamaha BSB squad, benefitting from full support from Raceway Motorcycles and Yamaha UK.