Classic Racing specialists Laylaw Racing will again field two riders in this year’s Dunlop Lightweight Classic TT race at the 2018 Classic TT Races presented by Bennetts.

10-time TT winner Ian Lougher will line up for the team for the fourth consecutive year, but the Southern Ireland based team has made a major statement of intent by adding one of the stars of this year’s TT Races, Dean Harrison to their line-up.

The Bradford rider is a three-time winner at the Classic TT with victories in the 2013 Formula Classic, 2015 Bennetts Senior and 2017 RST Superbike Races with the latter seeing him lap in excess of 127mph. However, 2018 will see him contest the Lightweight race for the first time and he will make his first competitive outing in the class on a 250cc TZ Yamaha.

Winner of the second Supersport Race at this year’s TT which he followed up by finishing runner up in the PokerStars Senior TT, the 29-year old is sure to be among the race favourites, particularly riding the immaculate machines fielded by Southern Ireland’s Eddie Laycock and Gerry Lawlor for Laylaw Racing.

Laycock, himself a double TT winner with victory in the 1987 Junior and 1989 Supersport 400cc Races, and Lawlor will also field a second, identically-prepared TZ 250cc Yamaha for Lougher. The Welsh veteran won the corresponding Lightweight Classic TT race in 2014.

The ten-time TT winner has had to give second best to Bruce Anstey in each of the last two years, finishing runner-up twice but with the Kiwi sadly absent in 2018 due to illness, Lougher will have high hopes of another Classic TT victory, especially having lapped at 117.742mph twelve months ago.

Ian Lougher on the Laylaw Racing 250.
Jonathan Cole Photography Ltd / Isle of Man TT

Dean Harrison, winner of the Monster Energy Supersport TT Race at TT 2018.

Photo Stephen Davison / Pacemaker Press Intl / Isle of Man TT