Conor Cummins has re-signed for the Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles team for this year’s TT.
The Ramsey Rocket has agreed a deal to ride with the Batley-based team for an eighth successive year after it looked like he would be leaving the Yorkshire outfit earlier in the winter.
The Manxman will line up alongside Ian Hutchinson for the team, with the pair riding Honda machinery in the Superbike, Superstock, Senior and Supersport races.
Cummins will be looking to increase his tally 12 TT podiums, six of which have come with Clive Padgett’s team, with the ultimate aim of taking a maiden victory.
The 37 year old first joined the Padgett’s outfit in 2017 and enjoyed a string of podium results in the big bike races from 2018 to 2022, only missing out on the rostrum on one occasion.
The latter year also saw him take second in the Superstock race, setting a personal best lap in the process at an average speed of 133.116mph. That lap speed sees Cummins as the fourth fastest rider in TT history, behind only Peter Hickman, Michael Dunlop, and Dean Harrison.
Cummins’s TT campaign in 2023 was severely hampered by illness which saw him miss half of practice week and the opening Superbike and Supersport races, but he showed both his resilience with a pair of fourths in the Senior and second Superstock races where he chalked up more 132mph-plus laps.
Cummins said: ‘I’ve taken my time over the off-season to understand what I wanted to achieve in the year ahead and now that all the pieces of the jigsaw are in place, I’m delighted to be staying with the Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles team.
‘I’ve had a bit of a reset, analysing everything both on and off track, and I want to go racing properly and be committed to try and win races with the TT being at the top of the list.
‘I’m keen to get back racing and push for wins in 2024. The desire and passion are still very much there, and after discussing everything with Clive, he’s brought everything to the table so together we’ll be throwing the kitchen sink at the TT.
‘I know what I want to do and that’s win. I made a good step forward in 2022 with the 133mph lap and was looking forward to doing more of the same last year only for a virus to scupper that.
‘I missed a lot of track time and in the races I did, I could only really push hard on the first lap; after that the head and body were exhausted. Obviously, that was out of my control, but I’ll be doing everything possible to put in my best ever TT performances.’
Having been alongside Davey Todd since 2019, Cummins is relishing having a new team-mate in the shape of Hutchinson: ‘I’m delighted to be team-mate to Ian and, first and foremost, I’m delighted for him to be back racing as he’s been through a lot.
‘It’s great to see him back and with Hutchy, Clive and the whole team, we’re in an extremely strong position. I’m not here to make the numbers up and I’m determined to have my best season in racing, not just at the TT but at every circuit.’
Team principal Clive Padgett said: ‘Conor’s part of the Padgett family so it’s great to continue our relationship for an eighth year.
‘The four Superbike and Senior podiums across 2018 and 2019 were incredible and the Senior and Superstock performances in 2022 were amazing, especially his 133mph-plus lap in the latter.’
‘Last year was obviously affected by illness and I’m not sure people realised just how poorly Conor was, so for him to finish fourth in the Senior was nothing short of a miracle. That just goes to show how talented he is and with him and Hutchy on board for 2024, we’re very excited about the season ahead.’
Cummins and the team have several pre-season tests planned before contesting a number of British Championship rounds and the North West 200 prior to the TT.