Veteran road racer Ian Lougher will race an AIM Yamaha R1 at all of this year's major international road races while continuing to run the Blackhorse Yamaha squad.

Last year saw the ever popular Welshman at the forefront of proceedings as he claimed the Southern 100 Solo Championship for the second year in a row and the fifth time in total eclipsing the legendary Joey Dunlop's race win tally in the process to became the most successful rider at the event.

Further wins at Oliver's Mount saw Ian consolidate the honour of the most successful rider ever at the North Yorkshire venue as he raised the bar to 115 wins. Sixteen race wins at Aberdare Park were the prelude to a 125cc win at the rain-hit Ulster Grand Prix meeting in August where he also blitzed the opposition in Supersport qualifying.

This year's Isle of Man TT in 2009 will mark another milestone in the career of Ian Lougher as the opening Superbike race on June 6th will see him come to the line on the AIM Yamaha to start his 100th Isle of Man TT,
surely something nearing another record.

"I am delighted that I have signed a deal with Alistair Flanagan to ride the AIM Yamaha Superbike at the major international road races in 2009," said Lougher. "AIM Yamaha remain one of the most knowledgeable race teams in the paddock and in recent years their strong racing development programme has seen them
consistently produce some of the fastest Yamaha machinery on track, be that on the "roads" or on the short circuits in the BSB series, and in both disciplines the team have an enviable record of race results.

"The AIM Yamaha team know what they are about and will arrive at the North West 200 with a very strong superbike package, one which will certainly be capable of winning the premier Superbike class and I can't wait to get going."

Both teams will run on Dunlops this season.