PRIVATEER motorcycle racer Alan Chamley (pictured above) has the TT Races on the Isle of Man in his sights again this year, but with a difference.

Class restructuring which has seen the 400 class disappear from the TT schedule means Alan, from Kendal, has had to switch races.

"It's a big leap and a lot faster class that will see me competing against all the professional riders.

"I've been riding the TT for almost a decade in the 400 class and this rather forces my hand, but it's like having a new start.

"If I can get a teady finish lapping at around 110mph average then I'll be happy.

Come June, when more than 40,000 spectators flock to the island, he will be racing a GSX-R1000 Suzuki in the Superbike and Superstock Races at the TT meeting.

Alan had an impressive record at the world-stage event for a self-financed privateer.

He was a best-placed sixth in the TT in 1998 after having finished third, fourth and 11th in the 400 class at the Manx GP.

He has a highly respectable record in the 400 class with a 16th place finish on a fully-tuned ZXR 400 Kawasaki for the 2003 race following 17th, 24th and 27th in recent years.

Competing at the TT costs more than £2,000 and Alan, who is self-financed, is looking for backers for the 2005 season, whose company name and logo will feature on the bodywork of his bike (contact: Kendal 735380).