John McGuinness will make his first competitive appearance for two years when he lines up for the Bennetts Senior Classic TT next month.

Injured at the North West 200 in May 2017, he has not turned a wheel in anger on the Mountain Course since.

The Morecambe ace did, however, complete a couple of so-called parade laps during this year’s TT meeting on a factory Norton and looked to have lost little of his old panache.

The Senior 500cc race will be the curtain-raiser to the 2018 Classic TT on Saturday, August 25.

With an 80-strong grid, it is expected be another fiercely-contested spectacular.

McGuinness - whose comeback is eagerly anticipated - is the current Senior Classic TT lap record holder. He heads the entry at number one on the Team Winfield Paton.

The twin-cylinder Italian-machines have won no fewer than four of the five previous Senior Classic TTs, but various other riders on rival machinery are capable of stopping the domination.

Notable among them is 10-time TT winner Ian Lougher on the Chapman Racing MV Agusta. Lougher won the race in 2014 and will certainly be aiming for the top step again.

Perhaps the biggest threat will come from the threepronged Davies Motorsport Honda team attack.

This is headed by factory Honda TT star Lee Johnston, arguably, who will set off at No.13, supported by Alan Oversby (2) and Dominic Herbertson (8).

Maria Costello MBE, third in 2016 and fourth last year, will again be mounted on the Team Beugger Racing Paton.

The British machine challenge will be led by last year’s runner-up Jamie Coward (3) on the Ted Woof/Craven Manx Norton.

The Yorkshire rider has the distinction of setting the fastest lap on a British single-cylinder machine in Mountain Course history during last year’s meeting.

Six-time TT winner Michael Rutter (4) will again ride the Ripley Land Racing Matchless with former world championship 125cc and Moto3 competitor Danny Webb (17) on board the Dunnell Racing Norton with Michael Russell (19) riding a similar machine for Izzard Racing.

Olie Linsdell, winner of the inaugural Senior Classic TT in 2013, will again be on the Flitwick Motorcycles/Steve Bond Royal Enfield, this time with the number nine plate.

The CSC Racing Honda pairing of Daniel Cooper (11) and James Hillier (14), plus the father and son duo of Bill and Chris Swallow, also feature in the top-20.

Bill goes at No.15 on a Ducati while Chris is one behind on the grid on another Royal Enfield.

Austrian Horst Saiger rounds out the top-20 on the Egli Motorradtechnik Vincent machine.

Others worthy of mention include Mark Parrett (Norton), Mark Herbertson (Matchless), Peter Boast (Honda), Phil McGurk (BSA), Dave Matravers (Paton), Steve Ferguson (Honda) and John Barton (Matchless).

The ever-present Owen family of North Wales - Hefyn, Bob and Mereydd - are back for another attempt as are David Madsen-Mygdal, Lancelot Unissart, John-Leigh Pemberton, Alex Sinclair and Chris McGahan.

Josh Daley, Matt Mylchreest, Barry Lee Evans and Dean Osborne are amongst the debutants in the four-lap race which is scheduled to get underway at 11am.

l Classic TT Grandstand tickets are readily available, starting from as little at £5 with race day tickets priced at £30.

VIP experiences, tickets for the Classic TT Party on Saturday, August 25 and the RST Classic TT Heroes Dinner on Sunday, August 26 are all available to buy now at iomtt.com