Darryl Tweed will make his Isle of Man TT debut this year.

Ballymoney’s Darryl Tweed will make his Isle of Man TT debut this June after receiving confirmation that his entry had been accepted last night.

A double winner at the 2018 Manx Grand Prix in the Ultra-Lightweight class, Tweed plans to ride his own Honda CBR600RR in the Supersport races at the TT and also hopes to compete in the renamed Supertwin TT.

Tweed, who rode for the McAdoo Racing Team at the Cookstown 100 in 2020 and 2021 and also at Armoy last summer, will kick-start the 2022 season at Cookstown next month, with the Co Tyrone event marking its centenary year.

He may also make some appearances at the Irish national meetings on the M&D Kawasaki 400 and has done a deal to ride a Supersport 300 Kawasaki for Trison McMullan Racing in the Ulster championship, joining Ballymena’s Barry Davidson.

“I’ve just been out doing some motocross so far but I’ll probably do one of the Easter short circuit meetings in April before the Cookstown 100,” said Tweed.

“We’ll do the Tandragee 100 as well and then go on to the North West 200.

“I got my entry for the TT accepted tonight (Tuesday) so I’m looking forward to that.

“The plan for the TT is to do the Supersport races and I’ve got a Supertwin as well, which I probably won’t ride until we go to the Isle of Man because it’s going well and we don’t want to put silly mileage on it.

“We’ll do most of the national road races although I don’t know if we’ll venture as far as Cork or Faugheen this year, but we’ll definitely do the others,” he added.

“It’s good to see all the races back after the past couple of years.”

On his tie-up with Trison McMullan for the Supersport 300 class, Tweed added:

“I’m super-excited to get back racing with my old mates at Trison McMullan Racing.

“The craic we had the first couple of years when Trison was starting out was mighty. I’m also really looking forward to working with Barry and Darryl (Anderson), two great lads.”

Davidson, an Irish roads stalwart with 91 victories, will ride a similar Supersport 300 machine while young hopeful Darryl Anderson from Garvagh will race a Supertwin and Superbike for ex-kart racer McMullan’s outfit. Anderson will also contest selected rounds of the Ulster Superbike Championship.

Team owner McMullan said:

“We are just a small close-knit team who go racing for the love of the sport.

“There’s no pressure on any of the riders and if they come back in with a big grin on their face that’s good enough for me.

“The bikes are all ready and now we just need the racing season to start.”

Davidson feels the Supersport 300 class provides an excellent opportunity for newcomers to cut their teeth on the roads and is relishing the chance to put some more wins on the board this year.

“The 300 Supersport class on the roads in my eyes is a fantastic class,” he said.

“It’s ideal for newcomers or old dodgers like me at the opposite end of my career.

“We had a good year winning both the road races that ran but as a team, we especially enjoyed Armoy as it was Trison’s local race and the team’s first ever road race win.”

The Team TMR bikes will be on display at this weekend’s Ballymoney Motorcycle Show at Ballybrakes Indoor Bowling Club.

The show opens on Friday, March 11 from 5pm-10pm and on Saturday, March 12 from 10am-5pm, featuring race bikes, classic machines and custom-built motorcycles.