Road racing legend John McGuinness will take part in the FonaCab North West 200 Superbike races this year after Norton opted to run their 1000c V4 Aprilia engine instead of the new 1200cc motor.

Rules for the big-bike class state that the maximum capacity for a four-cylinder bike must be 1000cc so Stuart Garner’s team will revert to the engine they ran at the TT last year. It will be the first time a Norton has raced the North West for 30 years.

“It has taken a lot of sorting out but it has all come together at the 11th hour,” said McGuinness as he returns to the venue where he broke his leg in a 2017 practice crash.

“I was at Rockingham last week and I have been banging in the miles at Bruntingthorpe, Anglesey, Cadwell, Croft, Castle Combe and Oulton.

I’ve had to be patient and it has been a long wait but now I can’t wait to get stuck in at the North West. I matched the times I did on the Honda when we tested at Castle Combe so the bike isn’t a million miles away. The engine is more powerful and the bike has lots of speed and stability.

“The team is good, the tyres are good and we have been doing the work. I haven’t raced at the North West since I snapped my leg in half two years ago but I am going into the event with an open mind and I am optimistic we can do OK.

“I am excited but I will be nervous as well, especially going into Primrose where it nearly all ended two years ago. I wouldn’t be human if I wasn’t.”