Isle of Man TT legend John McGuinness will ride the Sports Motorcycles Ducati on which Mike Hailwood made his remarkable return to action in a parade at next year’s Classic TT.

The lap will celebrate the 40th anniversary of ‘Mike the Bike’s’ Formula 1 TT Race win - his first after an 11-year absence - and will be watched by Hailwood’s family - wife Pauline and son David - with the original machine, one of the most iconic in motorcycle racing history, being kindly supplied for the event by New York based collector Larry Auriana.

“I’ve already had some special moments on the Mountain Course in my career,- both racing and with parades - but this is undoubtedly going to be one of the real highlights. It’s truly an honour and a privilege to be asked to represent Mike even though I was only six when he came back and won the F1 Race. It’s an iconic moment in TT history and a story that everyone who follows the event knows about,” said McGuinness.

This year’s Classic TT presented by Bennetts promises to add further layers to the ever-growing history and stories that the Mountain Course generates. After a week of qualifying, the now well-established four-day festival kicks off with the Classic TT Paddock Carnival on Friday 24th August as ahead of the final full qualifying session for the four-race Classic TT programme.

The Classic TT races gets underway with the Bennetts Senior Classic TT on the morning of Saturday 25th August with the class dominated in recent years by the stunning collection of Patons assembled by Roger Winfield. Saturday afternoon, following the Hailwood Parade lap, sees the memorable sight, sound and smell of the two stroke 250’s for the Dunlop Lightweight Classic TT Race before tales of derring-do are swapped in the evening’s Classic TT Party in the VIP Hospitality Suite.

The action moves to the North of the Island on Sunday 26th for the now traditional nostalgia-fest – the ‘Festival of Jurby’, organised by the Isle of Man chapter of the VMCC – a fitting preview to the evening’s RST Legends dinner back at the TT Grandstand.

The action returns to the Mountain Course on the British Bank Holiday Monday 27th August with the Junior Classic TT Race, which has seen so many memorable British marques returning to the Mountain Course and battling the more modern Japanese manufactured bikes. Last year’s race saw Michael Rutter take the honours on the Ripley Land Racing Drixton Honda.

Monday’s Race programme is bisected by the Classic Racer Magazine Lap of Honour; the chance to see some of the most memorable and some long forgotten machines and marques once again navigating the Mountain Course before the meeting reaches its climax with the RST Classic TT Superbike Race which has seen so many thrilling races, lap records and remarkable lap and race times by machines that belie the term Classic.