'I've been doing plenty of laps in the van': Manxman Marcus Simpson ready for Isle of Man TT debut

Manxman Marcus Simpson will make his debut at this year's Isle of Man TT, competing in both the Supersport and Supertwin classes.

Simpson lives in the Isle of Man, and says he has "been doing plenty of laps in the van" to prepare for his first race.

The 24-year-old took a string of top-ten finishes on his debut at the Southern 100 event and also enjoyed a successful season competing in Ireland.

He finished second overall in the Senior Support Championship, including a victory at the Skerries 100 on his Yamaha R6, along with second place finishes at the Kells and Armoy Road Races.

He said: "Growing up on the Island and as a proud Manxman, competing at the TT has always been a dream of mine and I’m really excited about the challenge and the prospect of racing around the Mountain Course.”

Speaking on what he aims to achieve this year, he said: "There aren’t any expectations from anyone in my debut year and I can be anonymous, just going out in each session doing my own thing and putting in as many laps as possible.

"My aims are simple – to qualify for all my races, to finish all of them and to enjoy myself.”

He will be riding the Atherstone Accident and Repair Centre Yamaha R6 in the two 4-lap Supersport Races, along with the LMR Racing Kawasaki in the Supertwin events.

Simpson will be travelling to Spain on two occasions ahead of the TT followed by outings at the Cookstown 100, Tandragee 100 and a debut at the North West 200 before he travels back to the island for his first race at the Isle of Man TT.

The Isle of Man TT is due to begin on Monday 29 May and run to Saturday 10 June 2023.

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