Isle of Man comeback hero Conor Cummins has welcomed the signing of Guy Martin after the Tyco Suzuki team finalised its international road racing line-up on Friday.

Martin, who rode for Philip and Hector Neill’s TAS Racing outfit in 2011, flew into Northern Ireland to finally put pen to paper on a new deal that will see him compete at the North West 200, Isle of Man TT, Ulster Grand Prix and selected road races in 2012.

Undoubtedly the biggest celebrity in road racing, Martin’s signature is the final piece in the jigsaw for the new-look Tyco Suzuki squad, which confirmed the signing of popular Manx competitor Cummins last week.

Carrick’s Alastair Seeley plus Australian ace Josh Brookes will compete for the factory-supported Tyco Suzuki team in the British Superbike Championship this season, with Cummins and Martin flying the flag for the Neills’ on the roads.

There had been uncertainty over whether or not Martin would commit to the team for another year after he delayed signing on the dotted line, but joint team owner Hector Neill officially confirmed Martin had been snapped up in front of a packed house at the Adelaide Motorcycle Awards in Belfast.

Prior to that announcement, ‘Ramsey Rocket’ Cummins - who recovered from serious injuries sustained in a crash at the TT in 2010 to make his comeback on the roads last year - told News Letter Sport he was looking forward to riding alongside Martin in the traditional blue and white Suzuki livery this year.

John McGuinness aside, home hero Cummins and Martin - still without the TT victory he craves - are the most popular riders on the Isle of Man, where an unprecedented level of media attention will surround the team at the world famous road race in June.

“Obviously Guy is a big name and he brings a lot of media focus to the team and there’s going to be a lot of hype, especially at the TT which is my home event,” said Cummins.

“Hopefully between the two of us we can win some silverware but most of all I want to win for the team and for myself especially.”

Martin, whose celebrity status was further enhanced by his starring role in last year’s TT: Closer to the Edge film and BBC documentary The Boat That Guy Built, produced a string of rostrum finishes at the TT and challenged McGuinness in the showpiece Senior race, remains committed to achieving his dream of scaling the top step of the winners’ podium on the Island.

With the benefit of a year’s experience on the Suzuki GSX-R1000 under his belt and his return to familiar surroundings in the TAS Racing set-up, Martin will feel 2012 offers him his best chance yet of overcoming that so far elusive career objective.


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