Isle of Man pair Joe Yeardley and Mikey Evans have signed with Bedfordshire-based Flitwick Motorcycles to contest the TT’s two Sportbike races.

The islanders will line up for the three-lap contests on near-identical Yamaha R7s.

Evans joins the team as a late replacement for regular rider Adam McLean who misses TT because of recent surgery, while Yeardsley has ridden for the team previously at the Classic TT.

Evans, who made his TT debut in 2018 after winning the Newcomers Manx Grand Prix a decade ago, said: ‘I’m really happy to be riding the Flitwick Motorcycles/SMV R7.

‘I can’t thank the team enough for the opportunity and I’m excited to see what we can do together.’

Yeardsley, who made his Mountain Course in 2023 at that year’s MGP before stepping up the TT in 2024 added:

‘I am delighted to have the opportunity to ride the Flitwick Motorcycles/SMV R7 in this year’s TT.

‘I believe this is a massive step forward from what I have ridden previously, after a tough three years in this class, with only two race finishes out of five starts on the Mountain Course.

‘A big thank you to Steve, David and the team for the opportunity.’

Team principal Steve Linsdell commented that both riders bring strong credentials to the team’s Sportbike campaign and believes their combined experience and potential will allow Flitwick Motorcycles to be highly competitive.

He added: ‘I’m delighted to have a rider of Mikey’s calibre join the team as a late replacement for regular rider Adam McLean, who has been forced to sit out this year’s event at short notice due to the need for a medical procedure. The team wish Adam a full and swift recovery.’