Michael Rutter has confirmed he'll contest a full programme of events at this year's Classic TT presented by Bennetts with the four-time TT winner now lining up in the Motorsport Merchandise Formula One race as well as the Bennetts 500cc Classic and Okells Brewery 350cc TT Races.

The Midlands ace will ride a F1 Ducati, identical to the machine his father Tony took to third place in both the 1984 Formula One TT Race and TT Formula One World Championship and comes in addition to his outings on the Ripley Land machines in the 350cc and 500cc Races. Rutter, who took third in this year's Bennetts Lightweight TT Race, will run the bike in the same livery that his Dad rode, complete with matching helmet and leathers.

Tony Rutter had a strong association with Ducati in the 1980s, taking four successive World Formula Two Championships from 1981-1985, but he also had success on the larger capacity version, particularly in 1984 when he was only beaten by the works Hondas of Joey Dunlop and Roger Marshall in the six lap TT Formula One Race. He lapped at an impressive 111.35mph that year and went on to take fourth at the Ulster GP and Vila Real, Portugal, fifth at Zolder, Belgium and seventh at the Dutch TT to claim third overall in the World Championship.

Michael will now ride a replica of his Dad's machine built by Belgium company Redfox Grinta who are renowned Ducati specialists. Owned by Jan de Vos, Redfox Grinta have been competing and winning in Supersport, Superbike, Battle of the Twins, Supertwins and Endurance racing for almost 20 years with all of their bikes built and developed in their workshop.

With years of experience, they have recently branched out into Classic racing and will now make their debut at the Classic TT where rider, machine and team are sure to generate huge interest in the paddock.

Michael Rutter commented:

"I really enjoyed the Classic TT last year and to come back this year with bikes for every class is brilliant, especially getting the opportunity to ride a F1 Ducati identical to my Dad's. It's something that's been in the pipeline for a while and although we originally planned to contest the F2 Race, we've now decided to go in the F1 race instead. Dad got round at some impressive lap times almost 30 years ago so it's going to be a thrill and honour to ride a bike identical to that and having the matching paint scheme and leathers makes it even more special."

Having been forced to miss last year's Classic TT presented by Bennetts through injuries sustained at the preceding Ulster Grand Prix, Scots ace Keith Amor will finally get to make his debut at the event later this year.

The Falkirk rider was due to ride 350cc and 500cc Manx Norton's for Dunnell Racing and it's that same team that the now 43-year will ride for in August, contesting both the Bennetts 500cc and Okells 350cc Classic TT Races.

It will be Amor's first time on Classic machinery around the Mountain Course but the Dunnell machines are well prepared with Dunnell being one of the most respected classic bike builders in the UK.

Conor Cummins rode for Team Dunnell at the inaugural event in 2013, finishing seventh in the 350cc Race whilst Amor's late replacement twelve months ago, Mick Godfrey had an excellent ride in the 500cc Race and went one better coming home in sixth, also lapping in excess of 102mph.

Although he has a lack of Classic race experience, Amor's diminutive stature and knowledge of the Mountain Course should mean he'll be challenging for podiums in both race and he's relishing the opportunity to finally compete, particularly as he had to miss last year's races due to the aforementioned Ulster GP crash.

Adding his name to the entry list for the 500cc and 350cc Classic TT Races, the five-times TT podium finisher, now back to full fitness after his Supersport TT spill in June, adds further spice to an already mouthwatering line up that promises to be even better than the two previous years.

Dunnell himself has a long association with the Isle of Man, first as a competitor in the Manx Grand Prix and, in later years, as a sponsor and entrant. After a four year layoff, Tony returned to the Isle of Man in 2013 and has clearly embraced the Classic TT movement as he will be providing Keith with the latest specification 500cc and 350cc Manx Norton's along with spare bikes for each class.

Speaking about making his Classic TT debut, Keith Amor commented: "Obviously I was gutted to pick up the injury at the Ulster Grand Prix last year, but mainly because it meant I couldn't ride at the Classic TT. Tony has put together a great team for me for the event and the bikes should be as quick as any other single cylinder bike out there. Podium's in both races has to be our target and if we can do that, given the nature of Classic racing, anything is possible after that. Michael Rutter, Bruce Anstey and Dan Cooper showed that you can run at the front on a single last year and I intend to be right on that kind of pace."

HEAT, RAIN AND A TRACK TO LEARN DID NOT STOP THE SIX-TIME WORLD CHAMPION

Sepang (Malaysia), 24 March 2015 – Max Biaggi's return to the track and Aprilia at Misano Adriatico raised the enthusiasm of the fans and staff, especially considering the absolutely stellar performance. The second chance to see the six-time World Champion in action is scheduled for the weekend of 2 August when the number 3 RSV4 RF will take on the second wild card of the season on the Malaysian track of Sepang in the tenth WSBK round.

Precisely to prepare for this task, Max Biaggi and the Aprilia Racing test team conducted 4 days of tests at Sepang. This is a good opportunity for the Roman champion to get his bearings on a track where he has not raced for ten years and even then, never astride a Superbike. Unfortunately the unfavourable weather and a few technical problems kept Max from carrying out all of the scheduled work, postponing further tests for the race weekend.

Max Biaggi: “Unfortunately they were some unlucky tests. For 3 out of the 4 days we had available it rained. Of course I had to take a spill and we also had a couple technical problems that slowed down my work, but those are things that are just a part of racing. We hope to be more lucky next week. Sepang is still an exciting track, but the only black spot is that I found the asphalt to be rather more bumpy that I remembered it.”

Romano Albesiano (Aprilia Racing Manager): “Max hadn't been on this track for a long time, so that's why it was important to conduct these tests at Sepang. The nice result from Misano mustn't make us forget that Max has been out of racing for almost three years and certain mechanisms need to be recovered. Now our attention is entirely on next week. Since we can never quite take full advantage of the practice sessions, it will be important to continue our work from these past few days during the race weekend as well.”

Endurance racing specialists Prime Factors Racing has signed Steve Plater as Team Manager as they prepare for the Isle of Man TT, Roads and Endurance World Championship. Plater will start this new role from the World renowned Bol d'or event in September at the EWC finale, ready for a full assault in 2016!

Having secured the 2014 British Endurance Championship, Prime Factors Racing stepped up to the Superstock class in the FIM Endurance World Championship for 2015, enjoying a point scoring finish in their opening race at the iconic Le Mans 24hr. Looking to take another massive step forward in 2016, the Surrey based team will be entering the blue riband Superbike class (including the Suzuka 8HR) as well as campaigning on the 'roads' - making their debut at the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT.

Overseeing Prime Factors Racing's progression into these categories will be Steve Plater, who has signed as Team Manager. Plater is known for his wide experience having won races at British Superbike, Endurance, NW200 and Isle of Man TT events. The Lincolnshireman will be bringing his unrivalled knowledge to the team over the winter to ensure they arrive at the opening event in the best possible position.

The team are now currently in discussions with various manufacturers, partners and riders for the 2016 season which will be unveiled in due course.

Speaking after joining Prime Factors Racing, Team Manager Steve Plater said, "This is a really exciting opportunity. I'm looking forward to coming on-board with Prime Factors Racing and bringing my experience to this new chapter for the team. I've been involved in a managerial position with some various teams before, including the AIM team and Honda Racing, so I'm looking forward to working alongside Bruce - who will no doubt be busy enough on the retail side of Prime Factors!

Despite being a relatively new team, Prime Factors Racing has already shown their credentials by winning the British Endurance Championship and getting a strong start to their 2015 World Endurance Championship at Le Mans.

My first tasks will be to arrange our choice of machine, riders, tyres and the like for next year. We've got an idea of where we want to go so I'm looking forward to progressing this over the next few months. Then it will be my job to ensure we're shipshape for every race and keeping the staff happy, which is a vital part of ensuring that we achieve our goals for 2016."

Team Principal of Prime Factors Racing, Bruce Charman is equally as excited to be welcoming Steve to the team "2015 has seen the team move up from National to International level racing, which has been a real learning curve and successful so far.

Bringing Steve on to help prepare us for 2016 is another exciting step forward for the team and I'm positive it's going to see us achieve further success. It's a very big move as we'll not only be stepping up into the Superbike class of the World Endurance Championship but also taking on the challenges of the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT - something I'm particularly looking forward to having never been to either, despite working within motorcycling for many, many years!

I'm really looking forward to working alongside someone with the skills, pedigree and success that Steve has. The step up is certainly going to be a challenge for the team but it's a very exciting time and one I'm sure we'll excel at."

To complete the busy plans for the group, Prime Factors Motorcycles has recently opened to prepare and service bikes for track and road, all based out of their unit in Redhill, Surrey. The company is also a major distributor for BMW race equipment suppliers Alpha Racing.

Two of the Isle of Man TT Races fastest ever riders will be in action in the Classic TT presented by Bennetts with James Hillier and Conor Cummins contesting the event for Somerset-based CSC Racing, firmly signalling the team's intentions for this year's event.

Hillier, who took three podiums at this year's TT and lapped at 132.414mph to become the third fastest rider in the history of the event, has been a regular at the Classic TT on board the CSC Racing machines.

The 30-year old took sixth in the 2013 Bennetts 500cc Classic TT Race with a 101mph+ lap and will line up this year on a new 500-4 cylinder for the team, which should see him high up on the leaderboard and he will also ride for the team in the Okells 350cc Classic TT on another Honda machine.

Cummins, meanwhile, makes a welcome return to the Classic TT after missing last year's meeting and, like Hillier, the Honda Racing rider will contest the Bennetts 500cc Classic TT on a new 500-4 cylinder Honda machine. The Manxman failed to finish the race in 2013 when he was riding a Manx Norton for Dunnell Racing but he did take a good seventh in that year's Okells 350cc Classic TT.

In addition to Hillier and Cummins, CSC Racing has further strength in depth with Alex Sinclair riding a 350cc Drixton Honda for the team in the Okells 350cc Classic TT. Sinclair was out of luck at the event twelve months ago but had an excellent ride into eighth in 2013 when he also lapped at an impressive 97.480mph

CSC Racing team owner Steve Caffyn commented:

"We have not only two of the fastest TT riders riding for our team, but also two of the nicest guys in the paddock to work with and we are really looking forward to the Classic TT, with two riders capable of finishing on the podium."

"We are also delighted to be able to continue supporting Alex Sinclair who is one of the fastest young riders around racing Classic bikes and who we are sure will surprise a few people with his results this year."