Dunlop remains in Davies Motorsport fold for Classic TT on the Isle of Man

PACEMAKER, BELFAST, 24/8/2013: William Dunlop on the Davies Motorsport Honda on his way to finish in second place in today's Bennetts 500cc Classic TT race. PICTURE BY DAVE KNEEN

Dunlop will link up with Alan Oversby for the fourth year running to contest the Bennetts Senior and Okells Junior races next month.

The Midlands team has been a mainstay of the Classic TT since the inaugural event of 2013, with Dunlop sealing a fine second place that year in the 500cc race and lapping at 109.401mph.

Oversby finished as the runner-up in the 2014 350cc race but last year both riders were out of luck, with Dunlop retiring on the opening lap of both the 500cc and 350cc races, while Oversby also went out of the 350cc race on the first lap before retiring from the 500cc race on lap three while holding seventh place.

Both will be among the fancied frontrunners this year for the two four-lap races around the Mountain Course as they aim to make amends for the disappointment of last summer’s non-finishes.

The Burton-upon-Trent team have been leading protagonists of the Classic racing scene for more than a decade and is headed up by John Davies, who sponsored numerous riders in the 1980s and 90s including Alex Bedford, Kevin Mitchell, Neil Hodgson and Steven Thompson.

Davies was a regular competitor at the Manx Grand Prix between 1978 and 2006, with his best finishes including second in the 1978 Senior Newcomers Race and a brace of fourths in the 1986 and 1987 Lightweight 250cc races.

“We have two of the very best riders you can get for classic racing machines in William Dunlop and Alan Oversby and we believe that our machines are a match for anything else out there,” Davies said.

Specialising in Honda machinery, his nephew Colin Davies handles all the technical aspects for the team and he, too, has a wealth of experience at all levels.

Davies formerly worked as technician to Kevin Schwantz in the Lucky Strike Suzuki team, including when Schwantz won the 1993 500cc World Championship. He is currently part of the Halsall Racing/Bennetts British Superbike Championship team.

Team owner John Davies said: “The Classic TT has become the highlight of the year for classic racing now and we are committed to challenging for success in both the races we are taking part in.

There are also race day tickets available for both Classic TT race days on Saturday 27th and Monday 29th as welll as Grandstand VIP and Platinum hospitality tickets.