Alastair Seeley will team up with veteran Dean Ellison to race the Moto2-inspired, British-built Spirit GP-Sport R in this year’s Dickies British Supersport series.

With support from Quattro Plant the machine will race in the middleweight series but not be eligible for points. It features a Triumph 675cc triple cylinder engine and weighs in at 140kg.

“I’m really happy to be back in the Supersport class on-board what is an exciting new project and venture. To be involved with what could be the future of middleweight racing is something I can’t wait to get stuck into,” said Seeley.

“It’s nice to get the call up for my development skills but also I’m keen to work with an enthusiastic bunch of guys, from my team mate to mechanics, the manager and partners. I’m looking forward to the testing schedule and also the BSB test to see where we are at. Then it’s onto round one at Donington to let the cat amongst the pigeons.”

Ellison added: “I tested the Spirit GP Sport a few times last year and set some respectable times at Thruxton when out with the Supersport class. However Tony has since been working with K-Tech suspension on some new components and geometry settings, which should give me what we need for further progression. We’ve also added the Harris Moto2 swing arm and that should give us more grip. I’m looking forward to riding the bike again and to getting a second opinion from Alastair, who is one of the fastest and most aggressive Supersport riders I’ve ever seen.”