After missing this year’s TT because of injury, David Johnson will lead the field away in the RST Classic Superbike Race on Bank Holiday Monday, August 28.

The Australian, who won the final Classic TT edition of the race in 2019, will ride Alasdair Cowan’s Kawasaki ZXR750 in the four-lap race, followed away by Paul Jordan (Mistral Racing Kawasaki), Jamie Coward (KTS Racing Kawasaki), Michael Rutter (Bathams Racing 1100cc Suzuki XR69), Derek Sheils (Greenall Racing Kawasaki) and Michael Dunlop (Team Classic Suzuki GSX-R750).

The highest seeded locals are Ryan Kneen (Herheim Racing Kawasaki 750), who was fifth in 2019, and Nathan Harrison (Greenall Racing Kawasaki ZXR750).

Revisions to the regulations permitting exotic new machinery such as the Suzuki 750 SRAD and the iconic Honda RC45 may well prove interesting and Lee Johnston will be astride an Ashcourt Racing Honda RC45 at his customary No.13.

Fellow countryman Dunlop will pilot an immaculate Suzuki 750 SRAD in anger for the very first time in the Classic, the new regulations now permitting machines up to 1997 to compete – the previous cut-off having been 1993.

Gary Johnson’s bike at No.7 is yet to be confirmed, while other leading names in the top 15 include Phillip Crowe (Team Classic Suzuki XR69) No.8, Rob Hodson (Greenall Racing Kawasaki) no.9, Michael Sweeney (Mistral Racing Kawasaki) No.11, Dominic Herbertson (Kawasaki ZXR750) No.12, Sam West (Team York Suzuki XR69) No.14; Craig Neve (Kawasaki ZXR750) No.16 and Mike Browne (Kawasaki) No.17.

There’s variety aplenty at the bottom end of the top-20 with Richard Wilson and the WizNorton Racing team evoking memories of TT 1992, with their Rotary-engined Norton starting at number 19. Veteran Welshman Ian Lougher follows Wilson towards Bray Hill, piloting the Team CK Racing Ducati 851 from number 20.