TT race winners RC Express Racing has today announced the signing of Ivan Lintin on a two-year deal with the reigning TT Privateers Champion spearheading their attack at the Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy and the other International road races for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
The 30-year old will replace Dean Harrison in the team run by father and son Roy and Ben Constable, and having enjoyed a superb 2014, the Lincolnshire rider will get his first taste of a Superbike machine while also being well placed to challenge for podiums in the other classes.
Lintin will campaign a pair of ZX-10R Kawasaki's in the Superbike and Superstock classes and will also have an ER6 Kawasaki at his disposal for the Lightweight events, a class where he's previously excelled with wins at the Ulster GP, Southern 100 and Oliver's Mount, Scarborough as well as lapping fastest in qualifying at this year's Isle of Man TT Races.
The last two seasons, in particular, have seen Lintin come to the fore in road racing circles with some impressive performances for the Taylor Lindsey Racing and McKinstry Racing teams. As well as dominating this year's TT Privateer's Championship, he ran as high as fifth in the opening Monster Energy Supersport race before finishing seventh after lapping in excess of 124mph, and posted a new personal best lap of the Mountain Course with an impressive 125.627mph which he set on his Superstock machine in the Pokerstars Senior Race.
His best result to date around the 37.5 mile course came in 2013 when he narrowly missed out on a podium in the Lightweight Race with a hard fought fourth place.
In addition, Lintin won the prestigious International Gold Cup race at Scarborough in 2014, taking six wins from his seven starts at the meeting and he also took the Lightweight race at the Ulster GP for a second successive year.
The 2015 season will see him undertake a rigorous testing programme before making a concerted attack on the Isle of Man TT, North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix road races. In what promises to be a busy season, he'll also contest July's Southern 100 meeting and all three events at Oliver's Mount.
Ivan Lintin: "I'm delighted to be joining RC Express Racing. It's a fabulous opportunity for me, and one I'm determined to grab with both hands. I've been really pleased with my results and progression over the last two years and joining forces with RC Express will enable me to progress to the next level. As soon as talks between Ben, Roy and myself started it didn't take long for everything to fall into place and you only have to look at what they've achieved with Dean to see that they've firmly established themselves as a major force to be reckoned with."
He continued:
"I'm really looking forward to getting on a Superbike for the first time and the next two seasons promise to be really exciting for me. The team set-up will enable me just to concentrate on my riding, something that I haven't been able to do previously, and I'm confident I'll be able to repay the faith Ben and Roy have shown in me. I'll be looking to finish in the top ten at all of the International road races. I'd also like to thank everyone at Taylor Lindsey Racing for all their support over the last two seasons."
Ben Constable, Team Co-owner:
"We're delighted to welcome Ivan to the team and to sign him up for the next two years is brilliant news for all concerned. He was the ideal candidate to take over from Dean and we've seen at close quarters these last two years how good he is and how much he's improved as a rider. He's got a very sensible head on his shoulders, ideal for the road races, and he goes about his business in the right way. He knows when to push and when not to push, again crucial for the roads, whilst his results this year speak for themselves. He's getting quicker and quicker and stronger and stronger with each and every outing and we're confident of giving him the tools and platform to move to the next level. He's been extremely strong in the Supersport class and whilst we've yet to finalise our plans, we'll hopefully have him riding for us in the 600cc class too. We're all eagerly looking forward to get cracking and can't wait for the 2015 season to get underway."
Photo - Coutesy of Martin Wall.
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