Age is no barrier to experienced road racing star Ian Lougher, who has committed to another season in the sport after joining forces with WA Corless/Jackson Racing to ride Honda machinery at the Isle of Man TT.

Lougher is embarking on a remarkable 31st season as he continues a glittering career that stretches back to 1982.

The 50-year-old, who runs Kawasaki Motors UK’s official National Superstock team under the ILR banner with riders Victor Cox and Filip Backlund, showed he can still ruffle the feathers of his younger rivals with a brilliant result in last year’s Superstock race at the Ulster Grand Prix, finishing as the runner-up at Dundrod behind Michael Dunlop.

Lougher has entered the Spring National meeting at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough and will also return to the big three international meetings - the North West 200, Isle of Man TT and Ulster GP - along with the Southern 100 at Billown in July.

Reflecting on his popular runner-up finish at the 2012 Ulster GP, Lougher said: “I had a nice result at the Ulster Grand Prix and it was good to be up at the sharp end.

“I’ll keep going this year again and I’ve gone back to Honda for the roads after linking up with WA Corless/Jackson Racing.

“The big Kawasaki was getting a bit hard to set up in recent years and the 600 was just lacking that little bit of pace.”

Lougher was among the leading riders who attended last week’s TT launch in Douglas, when he described the race as ‘a bit like the Grand National’.

“Marketing has brought the Isle of Man TT into the 21st century and it has been put on the main stage,” he said.

“It used to be something dangerous and unsavoury but it has captured the attention of the right media and now has its own identity - a bit like the Grand National.”



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