Roads specialist Gary Johnson will joined the Briggs Equipment-backed Lee Hardy Racing for the 2017 Macau GP.

Johnson, who had been due to ride his own Suzuki, will instead campaign the same Kawasaki ZX-10R that regular team member Jake Dixon took to sixth place overall in the 2017 MCE British Superbike Championship which included a memorable double victory at Knockhill.

The team will be making their return to the event for the first time since 2015 when Peter Hickman scored a superb victory on the Briggs Equipment BMW and Johnson will be riding in the same colours for this year’s meeting.

Johnson recently completed a shakedown test at Donington Park and although it was hampered by the weather, he managed almost 25 laps where he was able to get the bike adjusted to his frame in terms of footpegs, handlebars and seat position. He also got to work with former British Champion Glen Richards who will be his crew chief at the Far East venue.

“Time constraints meant it was looking unlikely I’d be able to go to Macau with my own set-up so when Lee called, it was a no-brainer and easy to say yes. It’s a well proven bike and team in BSB and Jake ran consistently in the top ten all season, won races and made the Showdown so it’s a great opportunity for me,” said Johnson.

“I’d obviously liked to have had more laps on the bike but the test we had at Donington was more than worthwhile as we were able to get the bike set up to suit me and iron out a few issues plus it was good to start working with Glen, someone who has a wealth of knowledge to tap into.”

“The likes of Peter (Hickman), Michael (Rutter), Martin (Jessopp) and Glenn (Irwin) will certainly be the men to beat given their previous form at Macau and the fact they’ve been riding well all season in the British Championships but with everything taken care of now in terms of the bike and the team, I can focus on my fitness for the next few weeks to ensure I’m as ready as I possibly can be once practice gets underway.”