James McBride will make his return to pure road racing at this weekend's NorthWest 200 almost a year after his horrific crash at the Isle of Man which almost saw the Northants man give up racing altogether.

McBride will run under the Pazzo Racing banner and has taken part in some club racing to get bike fit and up to speed again. The NorthWest 200 has seen bikes reach 200mph on the long, down hill straight into Metropole corner and this is something McBride needs to get back into when he ventures out in first practice, which starts this evening (Tuesday, may 12).

“I’m really pleased to be running under the Pazzo Racing banner again on my two 2008 Yamahas. I’ve got a really good crew behind me and I’m hoping I can pick up where I left off," said McBride.

"I’d like to thank my sponsors for standing by me since my crash and I want to reward them with some solid results this year. I love the North West and I can’t wait to get back out there.”