FOUR RIDER LINE-UP FOR TEAM ILR IN 2023

10-time TT winner, Ian Lougher, has announced a four-strong line-up for his Team ILR outfit at this year’s Isle of Man TT Races, championing international competitors from Ireland, Italy and Japan.

Francesco Curinga graduates to the TT having won the 2022 Junior Manx Grand Prix with Team ILR. The Italian will pilot the same Paton S1-R in this year’s two Supertwin Races; a bike he used to great effect last year, setting a new lap record for the August event at an average speed of 115.212mph. He’ll be looking to transfer that speed across to the TT, and challenge for top 10 finishes on his debut.

Francesco Curinga graduates to the TT having won the 2022 Junior Manx Grand Prix with ILR.

Compatriot Stefano Bonetti will also contest the Supertwin encounters with a Team ILR Paton. 2023 will mark his nineteenth year as a TT racer, and with a best result of 4th place in 2018 on similar machinery, expect Bonetti to take the fight to the podium.

Stefano Bonetti will pilot one of three Team ILR Patons in the Supertwin Races.

Michael Sweeney is the third man onboard Team ILR’s fleet of Patons. The 2022 Irish Road Race Superbike Champion is better known for his performances on larger-capacity bikes, but a personal best Supertwin lap speed of over 117mph only adds more quality to the ultra-competitive class.

Returning for a third year under the guidance of Lougher, Japan’s Masayuki Yamanaka completes the line-up for Team ILR. Riding a Kawasaki ER-6 and Honda CBR600RR, Yamanaka-san will contest the Supertwin and Monster Energy Supersport Races respectively.