Guy Martin has signed a sensational deal to join John McGuinness in the official Honda Racing team for this year’s Isle of Man TT.

The Lincolnshire rider missed out on last year’s event after electing to take part in the Tour Divide mountain bike ride in America but is back for 2017.

“Neil Tuxworth has been talking to me for a while about joining the team, but I had a lot of thinking to do before I committed and said yes. I spent a lot of time on my push bike to and from work, thinking about what to do. I didn’t want to grow old regretting not giving the Honda a go, and the more time passes since making the decision, the more time I’ve thought it is the right decision,” said Martin.

“Honda is a great team and the Fireblade has always been a weapon on the roads, so with the new bike, I‘m keen to give it a go. We’ve got a busy testing schedule coming up and I’ve put some other stuff off to make time. John is the man, I’ve got massive respect for him and I’m looking forward to racing on the Fireblade against him.”

Martin will use the brand new Fireblade SP2 on the Island, plus the North West 200, Ulster Grand Prix, Southern 100 and at Armoy.

He will test for four days in Spain with the team before going on to the traditional Castle Combe two-day evaluation.