Newly-crowned Isle of Man Ambassador of the Year Cal Crutchlow gets his 2017 MotoGP season underway in Qatar this weekend.

The Ramsey resident was unable to attend the Isle of Man Bank-sponsored awards ceremony at the Villa Marina on Wednesday evening as he is undergoing final preparations ahead of the opening round at Losail International Circuit on Sunday.

Crutchlow ended Britain’s 35-year wait for a Premier class win when he stormed to victory in last year’s Czech GP in Brno, before following it up with another win in Australia.

Isle of Man Sportsman of the Year nominee Daniel McCanney and his brother Jamie also begin their new campaigns this weekend when the 2017 Maxxis FIM Enduro World Championship starts in earnest at the GP AMV in Finland.

The duo are competing in the newly re-formed Enduro 2 category this season.