James Ellison: The trees, houses and lampposts at the North West 200 don't faze me

The 39-year-old will ride a Suzuki GSX-R1000R under the Powerslide Motorcycles banner with support from BSB team OMG Racing as he tackles a road race for the first time.

A vastly experienced racer, Ellison – who has competed in the World Supersport Championship and the elite MotoGP class – says he previously harboured an interest in competing at the North West, but feels his reduced racing commitments in 2020 have left the way clear to take on a new challenge.

The Cumbrian, who joined a host of NW200 newcomers on the North Coast on Wednesday – including Burrows Engineering/RK Racing’s Mike Browne – told the News Letter: “I didn’t commit to any short circuit stuff this year apart from World Endurance and our season actually started in December, so we’ve already done the first round at Sepang in Malaysia.

“We’ve got Le Mans 24 Hours in April, then Oschersleben 8 Hours and then Suzuka – so just three more rounds. I was looking to fill in the gap and I was talking to some BSB teams about being a stand-in rider, or a test rider and mentor to some of the other riders.

“I left my options open to pick and choose what I was going to do and the North West is something I’ve wanted to do for years. Mervyn (Whyte) contacted me a few years ago to do it but I was always committed to a championship. I wanted to be fully committed if I was going to do the North West and now I’m in a position to do that,” added Ellison.

“Brad Clarke (director, Powerslide Motorcycles) is a good friend of mine and we got chatting about the North West after he said he was going to do it. He’s also been a sponsor of mine and I said I would come over and spanner for him at the North West because I’m actually a fully qualified motorcycle mechanic. So Brad suggested that I should come and race myself and that’s how it came about.”

Ellison reached out to Event Director Mervyn Whyte and now the multiple BSB race winner will be taking his place on the grid in Portrush in just a few months’ time.

He said: “I contacted Mervyn and said I was interested and asked if it was a possibility, so it all kind of went from there. OMG Racing and Paul Curran are going to build the bike for us and we’ll be riding under Brad’s Powerslide Motorcycles dealership. Day by day it’s got more and more exciting and now here we are.

“I was over here before with Marty Nutt when he was my team-mate in European Superstock in 2001 but it got cancelled because of Foot and Mouth disease. We had to put a bit of a display on and me and Marty plus the Dunlops and a few other riders did some burnouts and wheelies and got the chance to spin a few laps of the course.

“Ever since then it’s been something I’ve thought about and I remember exactly where to go just from riding the course 19 years ago. The whole layout of the course looks fun but it’s a lot bumpier than I remember!

“There’s certainly going to be a lot to learn and I’m not going to expect to step onto the podium first time out – I just want to come and enjoy it, experience it and try to promote Powerslide Motorcycles.”

A number of British championship riders have made the successful transition from the circuits to the roads, most notably Alastair Seeley – the most successful NW200 rider in history – plus Michael Rutter and more recently race winners Glenn Irwin, Peter Hickman and Davey Todd.

British Superstock 1000 champion Richard Cooper also excelled on his maiden appearance at the event last year, finishing an excellent second in the Superstock class, but Ellison says he will temper his expectations ahead of his shock road racing bow.

“Richard Cooper got on the podium first time here and that was a bit of a phenomenon I think. He’s another of the Powerslide riders and Brad has been sponsoring him for a number of years and they’re really good friends. We’ve been chatting with Cooper a few times this week and I think he’s quite excited about it too,” said Ellison.

“At the end of the day it’s a race circuit, I’m a motorcycle racer and I enjoy racing bikes, so to me it appeals a hell of a lot and I’m getting more excited about doing it day by day.

“I’m quite a smooth rider and I think it will suit my style quite a bit but I’ve always been a sensible rider and I don’t think I’ll approach it too much differently than I would have done 10 years ago. I’m quite a sensible person anyway and that’s why it doesn’t really faze me that there’s trees and houses and lampposts: to me it’s a race circuit with apexes and braking markers and that’s it,” he added.

“I’m not going out there to set the world on fire and I’ll give it my best shot, but I’m not coming here with any expectations. There’s ambition and I want to do well and run at the front obviously, but I won’t know if that’s possible until I get out on the track and see where I slot in.

I know how fast these guys are – Glenn Irwin, (Alastair) Seeley, ‘Hicky’ – there’s a lot of competition and I understand that. I’m not coming here and sticking my chest out and I know that the pace is going to be quick.”

Ellison is one of 10 newcomers this year along with Republic of Ireland rider Mike Browne, Lisburn's David Graham, American Chris Sarbora, Austrian Julian Trummer, Wayne Bourgeais of France and Polish rider Krystian Paluch.