Adam McLean will approach 2022 Isle of Man TT 'as a newcomer' following back-to-back cancellations

McLean only made his debut around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course in 2017 and has competed at the TT twice, with the Tobermore rider forced to miss road racing’s premier spectacle through injury in 2019.

The 25-year-old is recovering from injury after breaking his right humerus in a crash during qualifying at the final round of the British Superstock 600 Championship at Brands Hatch last October.

It was the same arm he broke at the Tandragee 100 in 2019, among other injuries, which ruled him out for the rest of the year.

McLean told the News Letter: “I had been looking forward to the possibility of getting back to the Isle of Man this year at the Classic TT because I haven’t been sine 2018, but then it was cancelled as well because of Covid.

“By the time next year comes around I’ll have missed three years at the TT, but nobody else has been able to race there and it’s the same situation for everyone.

“I’ve only done two TT events and one year at the Classic, so I’m still a relative newcomer,” added McLean, who was the top TT newcomer in his maiden year in 2017.

“So to have missed it for three years, I’ll be going back next year and treating the event as a newcomer – that’s probably the best way to approach it again and I’ll just try and build on things again from there.”

More than 16 months after his Tandragee crash, McLean made a successful return to the roads in 2020 at the Cookstown 100, where he won the Supersport and Supertwin races to give the locally-based McAdoo Racing Kawasaki team cause for a double celebration in September.

The Co Tyrone meeting was the only Irish road race that went ahead last year due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Once again, the Irish road racing calendar has been heavily hit by the ongoing effects of Covid-19 this year, with Armoy at the end of July and the Cookstown 100 – postponed from its traditional April weekend until September – the only races currently set to go ahead.

McLean and new team-mate Darryl Tweed from Ballymoney are likely to be familiar names on the entry list at any Ulster short circuit races that take place over the summer, with both riders eager to take advantage of whatever track time is available given the scarcity of domestic racing over the past year.

One short circuit event was held in 2020 at Kirkistown and the Co Down venue is preparing to host the first race this season on June 5, when motorcycle racing is clear to resume.

McLean said: “I had some nerve damage in the arm which left my wrist very weak, but it has been healing better than I expected and I’m confident I’ll be ready to race come June.

“We most likely would do the short circuit races here because it’s mileage and track time, which we’re not getting a lot of at the moment, so if there’s racing on we’ll be there.

“There are four events planned for Scarborough but unfortunately the last two clash with Armoy and Cookstown, which is disappointing because I’d like to have raced at the Cock ’o the North meeting and the Gold Cup. I was there in 2017 and haven’t been back since, but I would like to get back over there and race again at some stage.

“I’d also have liked to have gone and done some of the IRRC rounds in Europe this year, simply because we wouldn’t have the opportunity during a normal season to go and do events like that because we’re so busy with the schedule we have.

“But it just depends on how the situation goes with travel in Europe, although I’d like to go if it was possible and do one or two of them if the situation allows.

“Hopefully road racing can bounce back from this next year because it’s been tough and there’s no real guarantee of a schedule at this stage.”

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