For the third year in a row, the Supersport 600cc class at the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, received more entries than any of the categories and with almost 110 received, not only was it oversubscribed but it also gave the organisers the biggest of headaches before they were able to confirm the grid that will assemble on Glencrutchery Road later this year.

As in previous years, the top 20 seeded riders shows a number of changes from the 1000cc grid but, having won four out of the last five races, as well as setting a lap record of almost 129mph, Michael Dunlop will, arguably, be the man to beat again. The Ballymoney rider will once again line up at number 3 but this time for his own MD Racing team with his choice of machinery yet to be confirmed.

Honda or Yamaha are most likely for the Irishman and there are a number of riders on similarly mounted who could provide a challenge, particularly the Valvoline Racing by Padgetts Honda duo of Bruce Anstey and Cameron Donald. The Antipodean pairing, who were split by just 0.77s in the opening Supersport race of 2012, will again be pushing hard and looking to post more 127mph+ starting laps from their respective start numbers of 5 and 11, Australian ace Donald returning to the class after a year's absence.

The Jackson Racing duo of John McGuinness, number 1, and Conor Cummins, from number 4, will also be Honda-mounted as will Keith Amor (12), the Scot already a four-time podium finisher in the class, and the third Valvoline rider, Dan Kneen. The Manxman's best TT result came in the class in 2010 when he finished fifth and he has a great chance of bettering that this time around.

Yamaha, and specifically, the Mar-Train Racing team, have a fantastic opportunity of getting on to the top step of the podium with the formidable looking partnership of Dean Harrison and Gary Johnson. Harrison took a brace of fourth's last year and is deservedly promoted up the order to number two while Johnson, a late addition to the team, took a superb victory in the opening 600cc encounter twelve months ago.

William Dunlop, another regular podium finisher in the class, remains at number 6 but switches to the CD Racing Yamaha machine and is yet another potential race winner as is his Tyco Racing Superbike team-mate Guy Martin. The Lincolnshire rider has replaced Johnson at the British Championship winning Smiths Racing Triumph team and his best chance of victory at the 2015 TT could well come in the two Supersport races.

Another Smiths Racing Triumph rider David Johnson will again go off at number 16 while Lee Johnston is another rider to switch to the British manufacturer. The East Coast Construction rider retains the number 13 plate. Two more manufacturers are represented in the top ten start order with Ian Hutchinson (9) set to ride the Tsingtao Racing MV Agusta, an intriguing ride for the eight time winner, and James Hillier (10) on the Quattro Plant Kawasaki.

Michael Rutter drops down to number 14 with Dan Stewart starting at 18 again. The three remaining seeds are all riders who enjoyed excellent results in the class last year, none more so than Ivan Lintin who is promoted up the order to 17 on the RC Express Racing Kawasaki. Russ Mountford (Silicone Engineering) and Jamie Hamilton (BE Racing) complete the seeded riders at numbers 19 and 20 respectively.

There's plenty of quality outside the top 20 as well with Peter Hickman (21), James Cowton (22), Dan Cooper (23), Sam Wilson (25), Steve Mercer (26) and Robert Wilson (27) just some of the riders more than capable of at least a top 15,.

Other riders to look out for include Czech Republic rider Michal Dokoupil (28), Jamie Coward (30), Ryan Kneen (34), Connor Behan (35) and a whole host of rapid Manx Grand Prix riders who move up to the TT, none more so than last year's Junior and Senior race winners Andy Lawson (49) and Andrew Soar (57). The race also sees three newcomers in the shape of Danish rider Robbin Harms, Ireland's Derek McGee and Gareth Keys with McGee especially, on the Wilson Craig Racing Honda, a definite one to watch.

Some 97 entries have been accepted for the two four-lap races, which will again be incredibly close and hard fought, but with just 78 places up for grabs on the grid, a starting position will definitely have to be earned.

Tsingtao Racing /Hampshire MV Agusta has confirmed that eight time TT Race winner Ian Hutchinson will race their factory backed MV Agusta in the Monster Energy Supersport TT Races in 2015.  The Bingley Bullet returned to the TT last year after missing the 2013 meeting through injury.

The team will campaign the iconic Italian marque's F3 675 machine. It has a unique three cylinder engine with a counter rotating crankshaft - a ground breaking solution previously only seen on MotoGP bikes.

MV Agusta is one of most widely revered manufacturers at the TT. MV Agustas have won 34 TT races and taken 61 podiums between 1952 and 1972.The first race win came in the 1952 Ultra-Lightweight race, won by Cecil Sandford, while the last was the 1972 Senior won by Giacomo Agostini.   

While Agostini is the most successful MV Agusta rider at the TT with 10 wins to his name, some of the greatest names in the event's history have also raced on MVs including John Surtees (6 wins), Carlo Ubbiali (5 wins), Mike Hailwood (4 wins) and Tarquinio Provini (3 wins). Other race winners have included Gary Hocking (2 wins) while John Hartle, Bill Lomas, Cecil Sandford and Les Graham have also stood on the top step.

MV Agusta President Giovanni Castiglioni commented:

"MV Agustas are indelibly associated with the Isle of Man TT Races and we are looking forward to adding the next chapter in our long and successful history of racing on the Isle of Man.  Ian Hutchinson is a legend around the Mountain Course and it is fitting that he is following in some of the great names that have raced MV's at the TT."

Dave Tyson, Team Manager, Hampshire MV Agusta Tsingtao Racing commented:

"I'm really pleased with the signing of Hutchy for this year's IOM TT as well as the North-West 200.  It gives us a great opportunity to challenge at the front and as we all know he is a TT winner."

He continued: "MV Agusta has a winning tradition at the TT and we are going to do everything we can to do that. I know that Giovanni and all the staff at the Italian factory are supporting us and it means we can have a real shot at it."

He concluded: "The 2015 F3 is better than every and results in WSS have proven the bikes competitive so we now need to make that happen on the 36 ¾ mile circuit. It is the third time we have been at the TT, in 2013 the team was the first to bring a Chinese bike and this year we hope to bring a trophy back to Hampshire MV Agusta."

LEON HASLAM AND JORDI TORRES ARE DETERMINED TO CONTINUE THE WINNING STREAK BEGUN AT PHILLIP ISLAND.

Buriram (Thailand), 18 March 2015 – Aprilia is ready to tackle the second World Superbike Championship round that will be held from 20 to 22 March at the Chang International Circuit of Buriram in Thailand.

This will be the first time a world racing championship round has been held on the new Thai track which is 4554 metres long, designed by German Hemann Tilke.

The Chang International Circuit is located near the city of Buriram, more than 400 from the capital of Bangkok.

After a win and a second place finish at Phillip Island astride the world champion RSV4 and leader of the Manufacturer standings, Leon Haslam is keen to confirm his competitive edge on the new Thai track as well. In Australia the English rider showed that he has an excellent feeling with the Aprilia Racing – Red Devils team 2015 version RSV4 and that he is more than capable of taking advantage of its great potential. At Buriram Leon is also anxious to confirm his position at the top and maintain his leadership in the championship standings.

Leon Haslam: “I'm curious to see this new track that I'm told is characterised by two straight stretches a few slow turns. I'm expecting very high temperatures and a humid climate similar to Sepang, so I've been training and I'm ready to take on even difficult climates.  In Australia my feeling on the RSV4 was excellent and I hope it will be the same in Thailand as well. We'll be working from Friday to find a setup suitable for this track and I hope to continue the positive trend we started at Phillip Island.”

Jordi Torres' début in the Superbike championship can certainly be considered positive. The young Spanish rider showed that he can keep up with the front runners, a situation that was confirmed by his performance in the first race. In Thailand Torres, who is coming from the Moto2 class, will have to work to adapt his riding style to the powerful RSV4, but he will be able to count on all the experience and skill of the Aprilia Racing – Red Devils team.

Jordi Torres: “I'm usually a quick learner on new tracks and I hope that will be the case for the Chang International Circuit as well. From what we're told it doesn't seem to be a track with any particular characteristics, so more than learning the new track I'll have to focus on my riding style, which I'm trying to adapt to the Aprilia RSV4. My maiden race in Superbike was positive, so I hope I'll be able to do well here in Thailand as well.” 

With 70 entries accepted - the highest total for almost ten years - for the two Sure Sidecar TT Races, it's not just the solos that will be grabbing the attention or providing a spectacle of the highest order at the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy.

There are no less than seven five former race winners in the entry, with 23 victories between them, and an impressive eleven drivers who have lapped the Mountain Course in excess of 110mph - and like their solo counterparts, the quality and strength in depth of the F2 class is obvious and further proof that The TT Races represent the best three-wheel races in the world.

Heading the field once more, and at number 1 in the start list, is Dave Molyneux who took his 17th win last year, the third highest total in the history of the event. With an equally remarkable 28 podiums to his name, the Manxman has a new challenge this year as long time passenger Patrick Farrance has been replaced by Benjamin Binns, creating an all-Manx team at DMR. Molyneux has also switched engine supplier from Kawasaki to Suzuki but DMR will undoubtedly be the team to beat.

Setting off ten seconds behind the Manx duo will be last year's Sure Sidecar Race One and overall winner Conrad Harrison who will again be partnered by Mike Aylott. With seven podiums in the last eight races, no one was more deserving of a race win and now firmly knocking on the door of 115mph+ laps, they have every chance of serving up a repeat of their 2014 exploits.

They'll have two World Champions chasing them down in the shape of Ben and Tom Birchall and Tim Reeves and Patrick Farrance. They both took their maiden wins two years ago but while Reeves took another podium 12 months ago, with Gregory Cluze, the Birchall brothers will be looking to put 2014 behind them after they crashed spectacularly at the Black Dub. Reeves will be reunited with Farrance at the TT for the first time since 2009 and he will be hoping that this will see them back on the top step.

A fifth race winner will be found at number five in the shape of the evergreen John Holden and Andy Winkle who showed they were still very much at the top of their game last year with two more hard fought podiums. Everyone knows there'll be in the mix again in 2015 and another race win cannot be ruled out.

Ten seconds behind them is the consistent partnership of Gary Bryan and Jamie Winn and although 2014 saw the Lincolnshire driver post his first DNF since 2009, anyone who's lapped in excess of 112mph is sure to be a contender with and having taken no less then three fourth place finishes in previous years, a much coveted podium would be more than deserved.

Karl Bennett and Lee Cain make it two Manx crews in the top ten at number seven and with their experience of the Mountain Course getting stronger year on year, the youngsters have every chance of bettering their fifth place finish and near 112mph lap of last year.

There'll have to be at the top of their game though as the crew directly behind them is the father and son combination of Ian and Carl Bell. Ian made his return to the TT last year after an 11-year absence whilst Carl made his debut but a fourth place finish in Race One means that they will go into the event as yet another pairing capable of making it onto the podium.

Rounding out the seeded drivers at numbers nine and ten are Wayne Lockey/Mark Sayers and Sean Hegarty/James Neave. Gloucestershire's Lockey took a career best sixth last year along with a maiden 110mph lap so can be expected to produce more of the same in this year's 3-lap races while the appearance of British F1 Champion Hegarty on the entry is a terrific fillip for all concerned. The Kent driver has just one TT appearance to his name, back in 1996, but he performed well then and with the experienced Neave in the chair, expect an extremely strong showing on his comeback to the roads on the Triumph powered Nick Crowe Racing machine.

The next batch of ten sees yet more quality with former European Champion Gary Knight, another of the 110mph brigade, back after a year's absence along with Darren Hope/Paul Bumfrey (12), Rob Handcock/Aki Alto (14), Gordon Shand/Phil Hyde (15), Roy Hanks/Kevin Perry (16), Greg Lambert/Kenny Cole (17) last year's best newcomers Alan Founds/Tom Peters (18), the father and daughter pairing of Tony Baker/Fiona Baker-Milligan (19) and John Saunders/Robert Lunt (20), the last named the final driver on the entry to lap at more than 108mph.

As expected, many of the class regulars are back in the running including Mike Cookson/Alun Thomas (21), Dean Banks/Ken Edwards (22), Howard Baker/Mike Killingsworth (23), Nicholas Dukes/William Moralee (24) and Mick Donovan/Aaron Galligan (25), the last named back after missing the 2014 event. Meanwhile, the field is again full of overseas talent with impressive Australian newcomer of 2014 Dwight Beare (26) back for more along with Michael Grabmuller/Manfred Wechselberger (28), Francois Leblond/Anne Garnish (32), Estelle Leblond/Sebastien Lavorel (35) and World Championship podium man Mike Roscher (34).

Rapid newcomers from 2014 John and Jake Lowther return as does 1987 overall winner Kenny Howles whilst there are an impressive 12 newcomers set to make their Mountain Course debuts include the American pairing of Chris Wells/Jeff Gillard, French hillclimb champions Pascal Gassmann/Olivier Chabloz, Irish front runners Terry O'Reilly/Aidan Browne and Norwegian driver Geir Johnsen.

All in all, 2015 should provide two hard fought and exciting three lap affairs in the fight for the victories and in the battle for places all the way through the field.

This year @ THE BIKER GUIDE we planned to giveaway ten BIKERS WELCOME banners for various events across the UK...

We have awarded these banners to some organisers of events who asked for one via the events form and also on facebook competitons.

It has been a hard decision to find just ten so we are currently at 14! The lucky ones are...

Kempton Park Motorcycle Jumble
Haggs March Moto Madness UK
Yorkhill Easter Egg Run
1066 MCC for the Worlds Largest Unofficial St Georges Day Parade
The Great Tees Valley Bridge Run & BBQ Estonians
Iron Horse Ranch House
Rattlesden Five Bells Bike Show
4th Cumbria Custom Show
Llandudno Goldwing Light Parade
The Nightjar - RBLR Bike & Trike Show
Crown and Anchor Bike Night
North West Harley Club Easter Rally
Rainy Daze 12
and finally Shazz Armstrong for her wedding!