Australian David Johnson has joined the list of newcomers to this year’s North West 200 after agreeing a deal with Paul Shoesmith’s Ice Valley BMW squad.

Despite being a regular at the Isle of Man TT, Adelaide-born Johnson, who is in the Motodex BMW MCE British Superbike squad, hasn’t raced at the Portrush-Portstewart-Coleraine golden triangle before.

“I have always wanted to do the North West but the deal has always gone wrong at the last minute. It will be really important to get plenty of practice time at the North West and for conditions to be dry because I don’t like riding in the wet on the roads.” he said.

“If I get enough time on the bike and I feel comfortable then I will definitely give it a crack. I don’t have any real expectations but maybe a top ten is possible.”