Norton are set to make a return to the Isle of Man TT this year using an Aprilia RSV4 motor bolted to a Spondon frame on which Ian Mackman will race in the blue riband Senior event on June 8.

The Midlands outfit originally made a low-key comeback to the TT in 2009, just months after Stuart Garner acquired the rights to the brand. Although the team secured Michael Dunlop to ride their NRV588 they didn’t qualify for the Senior.

Many of the parts - from wheel spindles through to throttle bodies - built within the CNC machine facility in the Norton factory while company has also partnered with Active Technologies Limited for the fuelling system and electronic package. All the styling and bodywork has also been completed at the factory and the team will operate with their traditional polished aluminium tank

It is anticipated that the new V4 bike, which has Ohlins suspension and Brembo stoppers, will be more suitable to the rigours of the Mountain Course and give the team a chance of having a British rider contest the prestigious Senior on a Norton for the first time since Steve Hislop in 1992.

“After our experience in 2009 I vowed that we would only return to the Isle of Man when we were ready. This is a long-term project and I am confident that we can have a strong first year and add to Norton’s history around the Mountain Course as well as building a strong team to take the brand back to its rightful place at the front of the field," said Garner.

“Everyone in the factory is committed to achieving a competitive bike. The TT stood out as the very obvious choice for Norton. The hard edge style of racing, which gets much closer to fans and supporters in a true and real world way, is a very genuine and a passionate way to go racing and appeals to Norton far more than the energy drink and lycra clad world of homologated road bike racing.”