By Kyle White Belfast Newsletter
Adam McLean will run his own machines for the rest of this season following his split from the McAdoo Kawasaki Racing team last month after five years together.
McLean will ride a Yamaha R6 in the Supersport class and a Kawasaki Supertwin when he makes his Irish road racing return at Armoy from July 29-30.
He won the Supersport race at the Cookstown 100 in April but suffered a concussion in a crash in the Superbike class, which ruled him out of Tandragee.
The 26-year-old missed the Isle of Man TT after deciding against competing at the event and a few weeks later he left the Cookstown-based McAdoo team by mutual consent.
Now, McLean is eager to make a fresh start after purchasing an ex-Mar-Train Yamaha 600, which he is set to test for the first time on Sunday at Kirkistown in County Down.
The Tobermore man was among the special guests at Wednesday’s launch of the Bayview Hotel Armoy Road Races, where he was joined by event newcomer Jamie Coward plus fellow Ulster riders Darry Tweed and Neil Kernohan.
McLean said: “For a few different reasons I had lost confidence over the past while and after a lot of thought, I made the decision to go my own way.
“I would like to thank McAdoo Racing for their support since 2018 and wish them all the best for the future.
“I’m looking to move on now and I’ve bought a Yamaha R6, which I’m funding myself, although I’m hoping we can get a sponsor on board for the rest of the season.
“A couple of family members are helping me out a bit but basically I’m running off my own back,” he added.
“I’m going to test the bike at Kirkistown on Sunday and after that the plan is do the Ulster Superbike round at Bishopscourt before Armoy.”
McLean competed in the Pre-TT Classic Races at Billown last month and finished fourth in the Junior 350 class, but he has largely spent his time finalising his plans for the rest of the year.
“I’ve spent a lot of money over these past few weeks to get sorted so we can go racing again,” he said.
“My time has been taken up working on that and what happens after Armoy will depend on what budget we have left.
“I just want to get back to enjoying racing again and I’ve no big targets other than to have a steady run at Armoy. I don’t know how I’ll gel with the Yamaha, so I don’t have any big expectations.
“I’d like to look at doing the British Supersport round at Snetterton in September because it’s handy to travel on from there to Frohburg in Germany for the IRRC.
“I’ve wanted to do an IRRC round for a while so now is probably the time to do that when I’m running myself because that opportunity might not be there next year.”
Meanwhile, the Skerries 100 takes place this weekend as the Irish road racing season resumes following the ill-fated Kells Road Races in County Meath two weeks ago, where young Limavady rider Jack Oliver died in a crash in the Supersport race.
The Skerries meeting is running for the first time since 2019 after successive cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Southern Irish riders Derek Sheils, Michael Sweeney and Mike Browne top the entry, while Ballymoney man Darryl Tweed will ride a Honda 600 for the Wilson Craig Racing team.
Roads close on Saturday from 12noon until 8.30pm for practice. On Sunday, roads close from 8am until 6.30pm.
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