Lee Johnston is hoping to add to his solitary Isle of Man TT victory when racing returns to the island this week.

After a break of three years the world’s most famous road race is back, and Johnston is looking to get straight back to the top of the podium and follow up on his Supersport success in 2019.

“It’s an amazing feeling being back,” admitted Johnston after his opening practice session. “Things are going good. I feel good on the bike, and I feel like I still know where I am going. It’s all positive.”

Lee comes into the event high on confidence after a promising start to his season both on the track and on the roads.

In the track based British Supersport series he is higher than ever in the Championship standings, holding second overall after six races. Despite his success on the track, Lee has always professed his preference for road racing, and that was once again in evidence on the North West 200 where he took a win in the Supersport race on the Saturday to add to two second spots and a third. It is that form that he will be hoping to carry into the TT, and he has been in good form in qualifying, quickly re-acclimatising himself with the high speed 37.75 mile mountain course to post top three lap times in the Supersport class.

Sunday’s opening Supersport session on board the Ashcourt Racing Yamaha saw Lee ease himself in with a time that put him sixth quickest of the early runners, but by Monday’s run he was up to third behind Peter Hickman and Paul Jordan. Hickman is expected to be Johnston’s biggest threat in the class, and the multiple winner was fastest on Monday, before Michael Dunlop took the quickest lap time on Tuesday, with Johnston again taking third spot.

Hickman also set the early pace on the Superbikes, with Lee back in ninth onboard a BMW S1000RR. In the Superstock event, Lee’s time on board the BMW was good enough for the fifth fastest time after Tuesday’s dry session, averaging over 126 miles per hour around the legendary course.

Lee is also set to contest the Supertwin race, but he had a frustrating opening to his testing when the clutch expired early on his first lap. The following day he was able to get it repaired, and he was quickly among the front runners, posting the fourth fastest lap.

After a week of qualifying, the first race of the 2022 TT is the Superbike race this Saturday.

The Supersport and Superstock races follow on Monday, with the Supertwin and Supersport races set for Wednesday. The racing concludes with the Senior TT next Friday.