History will be made at the Southern 100 later this month when the first Mexican national competes at the meeting.

Thirty-nine-year-old Gonzalo Castro, who is from Guadalajara, is bidding to become the first rider from the country to compete not just in the Billown meeting but also in an Isle of Man road race.

Competing under the guidance and direction of CAIN road race principal Jorge Quiñones and fellow countryman Hector Quintanilla, Gonzalo will be riding an Alisdair Cowan-prepared ZXR 636 Kawasaki in the Southern 100’s Supersport races.

The 74km course, nicknamed ‘the Devil’s Backbone’ winds its way through the beautiful Sinaloa countryside, from the start at the mountain village of El Palmito down to the finish at the market town of Concordia.

Many established TT stars have ridden in the event, including Gary Johnson, Matthew Rees, Joe Yeardsley, Victor Lopez, Dave Madsen-Mygdal and Maurizio Bottalico, but none have managed to get the better of home hero Castro, who has been crowned overall CAIN Champion in each of the last two years.

Indeed, Castro is the only rider in the entire history of the event to win all four different races classes, dual purpose, 600, 750, and 1,000cc Superbike.

In an effort co-ordinated by Billown and Mountain Course travelling marshal, Jim Hunter, Gonzalo’s island race debut is creating a huge amount of interest among the Mexican racing community.

Gonzalo is also no stranger to competition on four wheels and is an accomplished kart racer.

He finished on the podium at the Hermanos Rodriguez Autodromo, Mexico City in a race won by Karting world champion Paolo De Conto.

He was also part of the winning Mexico team that raced Formula Fords/Caterham 7s at Silverstone and Nissan GTRs at Pendine Sands, South Wales.

Gonzalo is under no illusion when it comes to considering the level of competition he’s likely to face next week with his personal goals to be safe, to do his best to enjoy the overall experience and hopefully take a small step towards one day, competing on the Mountain Course.

Action resumes on Tuesday evening with final qualifying and two races starting from 8pm.

Wednesday features four races, setting the stage for Championship Day on Thursday which includes nine races split between the morning (9.30am–12.45pm) and afternoon (1.30pm–4.45pm) sessions – culminating in the prestigious Solo and Sidecar Championship races.

The week concludes with the ever-popular open-air prize presentation in Castletown Square from 8.30pm.

This year’s event is also being streamed live for the first time.

Tromode-based Greenlight TV is to broadcast the event’s races on Wednesday evening and the main championship day on Thursday on website kingoftheroads.tv

The coverage will include multi-camera, high-definition race coverage, live commentary and expert analysis, plus rider interviews and behind-the-scenes access.

Access is priced at £9.99.