Glenn Irwin says he is putting his family first by opting out of 2023 Isle of Man TT after penning PBM Ducati deal

The Carrickfergus man has moved back to Paul Bird’s team after three years as a Honda Racing rider.

He has set his sights on winning the British Superbike Championship in 2023 after finishing as the runner-up this season behind Bradley Ray, winning five times.

Irwin, though, is set to return to next year’s North West 200, where his double in May gave him a record six Superbike victories in a row. The 32-year-old may also compete at the Macau Grand Prix, where Irwin won on a PBM Ducati in 2017.

This year, he became the fastest ever newcomer at the TT with a lap at 129.849mph on the Honda Racing Fireblade. Irwin finished eighth in the Superbike race but retired from the Superstock and Senior events.

Initially due to have made his debut at the event in 2020, he was forced to wait until this year after the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in back-to-back cancellations of the festival.

However, the Ulster rider has put his TT ambitions on hold for now.

“Sorry to all TT fans that I won’t be blasting down Glencrutchery Road in 2023 but for now it’s full focus on achieving my next goal in motorcycle racing,” Irwin said.

“To all my supporters I hope you understand my decision. I’m lucky to have a relatively large fanbase, it keeps me motivated, so let’s enjoy this next chapter and get behind the PBM Team.

“I love the TT but I don’t love the event as much as I love my kids: the dangers of the TT outweigh the dangers of other events.

“The risk element at British Superbikes is a lot less than what you have in road racing,” added Irwin, who is expecting the arrival of his third child imminently.

“I’ve proved I can challenge for the [BSB] title this year, so the plan is to go one better next season.”

Irwin joins Wiltshire’s Tommy Bridewell in a new-look line-up for the PBM Ducati team and will ride a factory-supported Panigale V4R.