Lee Johnston finished on the podium four times on the Ashcourt Racing Yamaha in this year's British Supersport Championship.

Lee Johnston will adapt a similar approach to 2021 with the Ashcourt Racing team as the Isle of Man TT winner plans a full season in the British Supersport Championship once again.

Johnston was in terrific form this year as the former British Superstock 600 champion returned to the podium at the short circuits, running regularly at the front on his Yamaha R6 and finishing the truncated campaign in fifth position overall with four rostrums along the way.

With the 2021 Isle of Man TT cancelled and continuing uncertainty over the major road racing calendar, Johnston will be aiming to build on an impressive campaign and is targeting the top step next year.

Now based in Huddersfield, the 31-year-old from Maguiresbridge in Fermanagh achieved a long-held dream of winning a TT when he triumphed in the opening Supersport race in 2019, but he says missing the chance to return to the Isle of Man this year was ‘not that big a deal’ as he was kept busy with his other racing commitments.

“I obviously did miss going to the TT and stuff, but with all the other racing I did this year it hasn’t been that big a deal,” Johnston told the News Letter.

“The Isle of Man is a wealthy place and they’re not going to put their general public at risk over a road race.

“Obviously it has cost me a lot financially, but as far as getting some racing I was happy with how things went and that’s as much as I’ve enjoyed riding in the British championship since I was probably 18 or 20 years-old.

“As for the North West 200, it looks like it will probably go a bit later in the year so we’ll have to see what happens with that.”

In the past Johnston may have been somewhat hesitant in committing fully to the British championship, but his performances this year have given him fresh impetus.

“I think before I wasn’t really sure whether to crack on with the British championship or not but I’m going to do the same thing again next year,” he confirmed.

“I’ll get stuck in and have a bit of a ‘do’ because I only fell off once at Donington in the wet this year, where nearly everyone fell off, so I was in no more danger or risk than when I did have the roads to think about.

“I probably worried too much before but this year I’ve had my eyes opened and now I know I can safely ride at that speed, so I’ll just get stuck in again.

“Everyone is talking about how special Rory Skinner (2020 British Supersport champion) is, but to be fair if I’m there or thereabouts then you can’t be that special!

“He’s obviously good rider but if I’m up there with you, then it takes a bit of the shine off you.”

With this year’s North West 200, TT and Ulster Grand Prix all cancelled, Oliver’s Mount in Scarborough was the only road racing venue where Johnston was in action and he was certainly made to work hard for his second consecutive victory in the prestigious Steve Henshaw Gold Cup race.

He narrowly prevailed following a titanic battle with good friend and 2019 Senior TT winner Dean Harrison, who was only 0.2s behind at the finish as he shattered the lap record on the Dafabet Devitt Kawasaki at the 2.43-mile woodland course.

Johnston said:

“I earned my prize-money against Dean at Scarborough! To be honest I made it harder for myself because I had a gap of about a second with two laps to go, so I thought I’d try and put the hammer down and break him but then I ran on at one of the hairpins.

“He was right on my back-end again and I had to really push on the last lap and that’s when Dean broke the lap record again. It worked out well because I was riding really well but my bike was probably better than Dean’s, but Dean is really good around Scarborough so it made for good racing.”

The Ashcourt Racing team will run a second rider next year in the British Superstock 1000 Championship with New Zealand’s Damon Rees riding a BMW S1000RR.