Team Traction Control have upped their ante in the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship for 2014 and will field Steve Mercer in the Evo class alongside James Rispoli in the main field.

Mercer hasn’t raced a full British championship season for seven years after dipping his toe into World Endurance and spending time on the roads.

“I am dead keen to get started this season and I am really excited to get this chance with the team to ride in the Supersport Championship. I have only raced 1000cc bikes in the past and then when we were testing in Spain I rode the 600 and it felt like a breath of fresh air and it really was great fun, so much so that I lapped quicker on it as I was enjoying it so much! The bike I rode in Spain was a standard specification but I came back into the garage and was absolutely buzzing from riding it,” said Mercer.

“Myself and Keith (Flint, team owner) spoke about it and now we want to have a go at the Evo class and with James in the main Championship and me in the Evo class hopefully we can be a force to be reckoned with in both! Me and James have been spurring each other on throughout testing and we have been working really well together and I think racing in the same championship will be great for both of us and the team. I haven’t competed a full season in a British Championship since 2007 so I am really excited.”