Star-studded line-up for GO Classic Bike Festival Ireland at Bishopscourt headed by racing legend Giacomo Agostini

The 15-time world champion will ride an MV Agusta 500 supplied by John Chapman in the Ulster Grand Prix winners parade laps on Saturday and Sunday, August 3-4.

Agostini, who famously won seven times at the Ulster GP at Dundrod in the 500cc and 350cc classes in the late 1960s, is one of the sport’s most revered stars.

Looking ahead to this weekend, ‘Ago’ said: “I hope to see a lot of my fans at the exhibition when I’m running with my MV Agusta.”

Special guests also include former 350cc Grand Prix world champion Jon Ekerold – also a winner at Dundrod in 1978 – who participate in the special parade laps alongside old rival Agostini.

Jamie Whitham is also set to attend the two-day meeting, which is helmed by former road racing great Phillip McCallen, while ‘Dromara Destroyer’ Ray McCullough will make an appearance with his 350cc Yamsel.

Ballymoney’s Adrian Archibald will be reunited with his 2004 Senior TT-winning TAS Suzuki as he takes part in the parade laps and New Zealand’s Bruce Anstey returns on some very special machines including Suzuki RG500s and Honda RC30 and RC45 machinery.

A glittering cast in the UGP parade laps includes McCallen himself, Kevin Mitchell, Denis McCullough, Michael Rutter, Ian Simpson, Ryan Farquhar, Derek Sheils and Jeremy McWilliams.

The parade laps are scheduled to take place from 12:20pm on Saturday and 12:15pm on Sunday.

Hundreds of bikes will feature in the parade laps and packed paddock displays, from TZ250 and 350 machines to exotic 2-stroke Grand Prix Yamaha, Suzuki and Cagiva 500s.

There will also be live music, while a new attraction this year is the Classic Arena Trial, with competitors including ex-racer Farquhar.

The Open Invitation and Supersport races for modern machinery are set to be hotly contested, with England’s Richard Cooper and his BPE by Russell Racing team-mate Mike Browne among the entries.

British Supersport rider Eunan McGlinchey will also be targeting the top step and leading Ulster Superbike Championship rider Jonny Campbell will ride his new Magic Bullet Ducati Panigale V2 for the first time this weekend.

In the Sidecar races, Isle of Man TT winners Ryan and Callum Crowe set the benchmark.

There will be a special tribute to Coleraine rider Owen McNally, who tragically lost his life in a crash at the Ulster Grand Prix in 1999.

Some of Owen’s former machines will be on display and the winner of the 250cc races will receive the new Owen McNally trophy, presented by the McNally family.

The line-up for the class includes last year’s winner Bobby Varey on his TZ250 Yamaha plus Germany’s Chris Meyer and Austrian rider Lachlan Hill on RS250 Hondas.

Road racing stalwart Barry Davidson, Gary McCoy and Christian Elkin will also be targeting a share of the £1000 prize money on offer to the top three across the two weekend races.

Admission on the gate is £40 for a weekend pass or £20 for Saturday or Sunday.

The on-track action is set to commence from 9am on both days, with Ulster Championship rounds for Classic Superbikes, Classic GP250/350 and 125GP/250GP and Lightweight Supersport, Classic Pre ’73 and Sidecars.