Not only will Norton compete in the RST Superbike and PokerStars Senior TT Races at the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, but they will also be taking on the competitive Bennetts Lightweight class in partnership with The British Motorcycle Manufacturing Academy.  MCN's Senior Road Tester and TT racer Adam 'Chad' Child will be at the helm.

Students on the BMMA's apprenticeship programme at Norton HQ at Donington Park will primarily run the project. It is a unique opportunity for the students who will not only build the exciting new bike, but a lucky select few will travel with the Norton team to the TT to work on the lightweight bike alongside the factory team.

The project will use a proven Kawasaki ER-6 motor, in line with the majority of the field. Ohlins have already produced some bespoke suspension for the project; the BMMA race team are expected to start testing in the next few weeks.

Stuart Garner commented: "It's a great opportunity for the students who will work alongside the Norton race team. Chad will be on hand giving feedback developing the bike and the team, he's obviously got extensive bike testing experience and knowledge of Lightweight class."

Chad, who will be competing in his fourth TT, and has competed in every Lightweight race at the TT since the new class was introduced in 2012, is looking forward to the new project.

"It's going to be really interesting to work with the students, together we have steep learning curve; the TT is the ultimate test. They have bags of enthusiasm and it's going to an exciting few weeks; it will be great to see young faces in the paddock actually working on the race bike."