James Hillier will contest the 1000cc races at this year’s TT, after securing a last-minute deal.

An 11th-hour partnership will see Hillier now ride under the Muc-Off Racing banner.

WTF and OMG Racing boss Alan Gardner - for whom Hillier was due to ride for - is still supplying him with two 2024 model Honda Fireblades for the Superbike and Superstock classes, with the 40-year-old subsequently enlisting the services of three of his original team members for the TT fortnight.

At the start of last month, Warwickshire-based WTF Racing made the shock announcement that it would not be competing this year, meaning Hillier and team-mate Dominic Herbertson were left without rides only weeks before the TT.

Herbertson has since set-up his own team, while Hiller agreed a deal in mid-April to race for his former team Bournemouth Kawasaki in the Supersport races.

The latter man has now secured machines for the big bike races in the forthcoming meeting which gets under way with practice next Monday (May 26).

Last year’s was Hillier’s first time on Honda machinery when he again achieved top-class results with fourth taken in the Senior race, while a brace of fifths was taken in the Superbike and Superstock races.

This latest move sees Hillier - one of the most consistent and respected riders in road racing - sporting the iconic Muc-Off pink and black across his helmet, leathers and bikes.

‘Given the situation I found myself in a few weeks ago, it’s worked pretty well’, said Hillier.

‘I struggled to believe it when I received the news from Alan, and it took a while for it all to sink in.

‘Missing the TT was not an option so I soon got to work assessing all options just to see what competitive options I had.

‘Alan and Paul (Curran) from WTF have been very supportive and, once I knew the Hondas would be made available, I started filling in the gaps, such as funding, logistics, team members and the like.

‘The bike and the mechanics are the key components so having my crew chief Alan and mechanics Dale and Jon on board is a huge asset.

It’s been difficult trying to piece it all together but Muc-Off stepping in has saved the day to be honest, it’s really taken the pressure off, I can now focus on the riding. The bike and set-up is going to look awesome and I can’t wait to get riding.’

Alex Trimnell, the chief executive of cleaning products firm Muc-Off, believes this year’s TT will mark a major moment for the brand.

‘When we heard James was left without a team for this year’s TT, we knew we had to step in. We’ve supported him for over a decade and he’s part of the Muc-Off family.

‘So, on top of keeping his rig running at full tilt with our full motorcycle range, we’ve gone all in with title sponsorship for his team – helmet, suit, bike, the lot.

‘It’s our first time running a fully branded Muc-Off race entry at the TT, and we couldn’t be more stoked to be doing it with James as pilot.’