Lee Johnston pens British Supersport deal to ride Triumph for IN Competition Sencat Racing in 2025 but no roads plans

The Fermanagh native opted to sign for Ian and Myra Newton’s outfit after the decision in September by Ashcourt Racing to withdraw from the sport.

North West 200, Isle of Man TT and Ulster Grand Prix winner Johnston joins 17-year-old Freddie Barnes in the Supersport line-up on a Triumph 765, with Lewis Rollo leading the British Superbike charge.

However, the team has no plans to compete at the North West 200 or Isle of Man TT and Johnston will instead focus solely on the British championship.

The 35-year-old missed the 2023 season after a life-threatening crash at the North West 200 and was also ruled out of the event and the TT again this year after breaking his leg during a crash in pre-season testing as he prepared for his comeback.

Speaking on his YouTube vlog, Johnston said: “As of 2025, I am not going to be doing any road racing, so that’s no North West 200, no Isle of Man TT; this is not a big retirement speech… it’s just not possible to do that correctly next year.

“I spoke to quite a few teams in the past four or five months, trying to get as much information as I possibly could… this team does not want to go road racing and that’s their decision and that’s their call, and I completely stand by that.

“Some of the other teams I spoke to that did want to go road racing, they didn’t really have any road racing experience. I’ve been in a good team for quite a few years so to take a step back or whatever would be pointless, and with me missing the roads for a few years, the biggest thing I thought I needed was a genuine top team who knew how to do everything, [so] there was no worry or extra risk added, so I thought it was better not to do the job if I couldn’t do it properly.”

On his new deal for next year’s British Supersport Championship, Johnston said he was “excited” to have his plans in place for 2025.

The Maguiresbridge man, who returned to the roads this year at the Manx Grand Prix, said: “I’m excited to get my plans finalised for 2025. After racing for the same team for so many years, it has felt strange speaking to other teams again, but Chris [Barnes, Sencat] was one of the first people I spoke to.

“After speaking with other teams, it cemented my feeling this is where I wanted to be and that’s for several reasons. The passion and commitment he has already shown to the sport and also their plans moving forwards, with one of them me being involved in Freddie’s racing career and sharing some of my knowledge to get him to where he is a capable of being.

“So, all this really excites me and motivates me going into next season and I’d like to thank the team for this opportunity.”