Entries for the Blackford Financial Services-supported Pre-TT Classic are as strong as ever, despite ever-rising costs.

The three-day event gets underway this Friday evening at 6.15pm with an untimed practice for newcomers, followed by timed sessions for all eight classes. Roads will close from 6-9.40pm at the latest.

Practice will continue Saturday afternoon between 12.30 and 4.30pm, reclosing at 6pm for the six-lap Singles race at 6.20, then the 1100cc event and Junior Superbike, rounded off by sidecars at 8.15 over four laps. Roads will reopen no later than 9pm.

There’s a full afternoon of racing on Sunday with roads closed between 1pm and 6pm.

The Senior Classic will be over seven laps at 1.20pm, followed by the 250/125, 350cc, 400cc post-classic, post-classic superbikes and the second sidecar race at approximately 4.40.

Regular leading names include Alan Oversby, Harley Rushton, Hefyn Owen, Andy Hornby, Mike Hose, Ewan Hamilton, Richard Ford, Will Loder, Barry Davidson and Shelley Pike, plus TT men Barry Furber, Joey Thompson and Michal Dokoupil.

Among the locals are last year's double winner Grant Thomson (originally feared to be sidelined by an ankle injury), Paul Cassidy, Dan Sayle, Chris McGahan, Wayne Avis, Billy Cummins, the returning-from-injury Tony Redmond and Manx-born Chris Moore. Unfortunately, it looks as though Jamie Williams will be a non-starter, he would have been in with a good shout in the Post-Classic 400cc and Senior Superbike races.

The sidecars are headed by 17-time TT winner Dave Molyneux and eight-time winner Dan Sayle on a 750 Suzuki triple that Moly has constructed himself.

It will be interesting to see if the ‘kettle’ has the grunt to live with the 1200cc Imps of Rob Bellas/Glenn Dawson and Greg Lambert/Andy Haynes, the large capacity BMWs or, for that matter, the 1300cc Vincent of Danny Quirk/Sharon Reeves.

The only other local listed is Alan Warner of Peel with Tom Dawkins of Biggin Hill.