Tyco Suzuki’s William Dunlop has got in some more test miles before his road racing season begins and this was under the auspices of experienced crew chief Stewart Johnstone.

Team manager Philip Neill has taken the Ballymoney man into unfamiliar territory so far this season, with Dunlop enjoying two very productive testing trips to Spain: these included three days at Almeria with Guy Martin, and was followed up by two days at Cartagena alongside new team-mates John Hopkins, Josh Waters and Taylor Mackenzie.

And just this week Neill showed his commitment to the cause by flying in Johnstone, the team’s technical expert and BSB crew chief to new BSB star John Hopkins, for a one-on-one day with Dunlop at Kirkistown.

“I think William surprised himself at Kirkistown under the guidance of Stewart Johnstone. They put in a lot of work in different areas and he said himself, he’s really enjoying both our Superbike and Supersport machines,” said Neill.

“I’m almost certain, everything William has picked up this week working with Stuart to perfect his riding style on a Superbike, will help him make huge strides forward this season with our GS-R machinery.”

“It’s an exciting development for us. Of course we have excitement in abundance with Guy Martin, but William does add an important local angle to our team, which I feel we have been missing for quite some time at the TT.”