Isle of Man legend John McGuinness is set to wheel out the Vimto Honda TSR250 on which he won his first TT in 1999 for this year’s inaugural Lightweight Classic TT.

McGuinness won the Lightweight race that year and set a lap record that was never bettered before the 250cc class was abandoned in 2004 - and he says that although it will have a deifferent engine 17 years on, it is still good enough to win.

“I’ve got a garage-full of lovely 250s. One of them is that 1999 Vimto Honda TSR. It’s not the bike. It is the same bike, but the engine was an HRC kit engine that had to go back. I’ve got an appropriate engine that’s definitely competitive enough to win that race,” McGuinness told bikesportnews.com.

“I look at the bike, and it all comes flashing back from when we raced in '99. I’m going to dust it off and ride it. I was slowing down for the pits on the second lap when I set that lap. Joey Dunlop was in the race, Jim Moodie, Denis McCullough, Gary Dynes - they were tough races to win.”