Lee Johnston has formally confirmed he will return to the Isle of Man TT this year in all four solo classes on new machinery as he plots his full return to racing after missing much of the 2023 racing season.

The Ashcourt Racing rider began 2023 in fine fettle after dominating the early rounds of the British Supersort Championship, only to suffer a plethora of injuries in a high-speed crash while practising for the North West 200.

Going on to spend the remainder of the year recovering from both the physical injuries and mental ailments that occurred in the aftermath of the crash, Johnston has confirmed he will return to the NW200 and the TT, as well as mount another attempt at the British Supersport crown.

“It’s never good to miss a year at the TT, but even more so when the weather was as good as it was last year,” he said. “The amount of track time and the sheer number of laps completed saw the game move on considerably. You’ve got to do 130mph+ now to win a Supersport race which is unreal.”

“I’m being realistic about it. This will be somewhat of a rebuilding year but I can’t wait to get back on my bike at the TT. Obviously I want to do as well as possible, particularly in the Supersport and Supertwin Races, but I want to enjoy it as well.”

Having campaigned a BMW in recent years, Johnston will ride the Honda CBR1000RR-R SP in the Superbike, Senior TT and Superstock classes at the NW200 and TT, plus the Aprilia RS660 in the Supertwins class. He is yet to decide which Supersport bike to race but has sold the Yamaha R6 he previously rode.

“I’ve got to let the two weeks come to me and not get frustrated. Everyone else will be quicker than me at the beginning of the fortnight as I’ve obviously missed a lot of track time, not just at the TT but everywhere else too, and we haven’t got any data to go on with the Hondas or the Supersport bike.”