Johnston: We wanted to make our mark

Lee Johnston has soaked in the emotions of winning his first-ever Isle of Man TT as he powered to victory in the shortened opening Supersport race.

The Ashcourt Racing Yamaha rider charged into the lead on the opening lap by the Bungalow ahead of Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s James Hillier on the corrected times before defending his lead at the end of Lap 2 when the race was called early as rain arrived on the west side of the Mountain course.

Having first competed at the Isle of Man TT back in 2012, Johnston came into 2019 on a fresh start with the Ashcourt Racing Yamaha squad after splitting from Honda Racing and results have been almost instant with a win at the North West 200 last month followed by a maiden TT triumph.

“I’m feeling so emotional and it means so much to me to win a TT race. This place can be as equally as frustrating as it can be rewarding but I’ve got some really good people around me this year and when you do it all like we have this year, it makes it all the more rewarding,” Johnston said.

“I knew if I could keep Peter [Hickman] in my sights, I’d be somewhere close to the front but James [Hillier] was riding really well and it was difficult to know how hard to push when the rain came.

“When you’re in with a chance of the win though, you just go for it and although it was a strange end to the race, it feels amazing to be a TT winner.

“I think we’ll be able to have a couple of drinks and I really can’t thank the team enough for everything they've given me. We wanted to make our mark on the Supersport class at this year’s TT and we’ve done just that.”