Dan Stewart’s former sponsor Graham Wilcock, who runs the Wilcock Consulting Racing Team based here in Barrow, has made a big re-signing for this year’s TT races.

Wilcock has brought 2017 Senior Manx Grand Prix winner and Isle of Man native Michael Evans back into the for the races on the island in 2019.

Evans enjoyed some impressive results at the TT last year, finishing strongly in the Senior TT, plus the Supersport and Superstock categories.

He followed those displays up a sixth-place finish in the Superbike race at the Classic TT in August, lapping the course at an average speed of 116.919mph.

The Barrow squad will be providing Michael with a 1000cc BMW for the Superstock classes and a CBR1000cc Honda for the Superbike events.

They also intend on contesting the pre-TT races at Castletown again, hoping to repeat the win they had there last year with a ZXR750 Kawasaki.

Graham has recently added an ex-Paul Bird 1000cc Kawasaki bike to the stable and the team are due to carry out testing at Croft Autodrome in a couple of weeks.

They are contesting the first couple of British Superbike rounds too, so ‘Mickey’ can get a feel for the bikes and perfect their set-up.

The first of those is around the National circuit at Silverstone on the weekend of April 19 to 21, followed by the meeting at Oulton Park on May 4 to 6, which falls just a couple of weeks before this year’s TT.

Engine guru Mike Bibby, from MBR racing in Barrow, will again be preparing the machines with full support from Liquid Moly Oils.

Bibby will no doubt be hoping his efforts lead to a repeat the successes they had last year with the Silicone Kawasaki team and Dean Harrison.

Yorkshireman Dean had four rostrum finishes at last year’s TT meetings, with a first in the second Supersport race which saw him lap the Mountain Course with an average speed of 126.703mph.

He followed that up with a second-place in the Senior TT, averaging 131.656mpn and a third place in the Superstock class with an average speed of 131.121mph.

Added to that, Harrison won the Superbike race at the Classic TT later in the year, going around with an average of 123.357mph.

If your are going over to spectate this year, I’ll give you Michael’s race numbers as soon as they are allocated so you can look out for him.

Let’s hope for some great results for him and Wilcock.

* The Barrow& District Motorcycle Club held their Founder Members trial in perfect weather conditions near High Newton on Sunday .

I've always said it takes a special kind of skill to ride a trials machine as I found out to my cost at the same venue many years ago when I rode one for the first time.

I'd just returned from a rostrum place at Daytona without a scratch but returned home after the trial with a broken ankle!

Fortunately, Sunday's competitors were far more skilful and provided some close finishes on the Hard and the Clubman Courses.

'Team Brice' from Seascale again featured, with dad Darren dropping just one mark to win on the Hard course with son Simon taking third on the Green course.

Pete Blowers, from Walney, and Ulverston's Brian Joyce finished second in their respective classes.

The full High Newton trial results are as follows

Hard course: 1. Darren Brice (Beta, Seascale) 1; 2. James Johnson (Scorpa, Torver) 4; 3. Tom Middleton (Beta, Leeds) 5.

Green course: Anthony Brown (Beta, Yorkshire) 17; 2 Alan Joyce (Scorpa, Ulverston) 23; 3. Simon Brice (Beta, Seascale) 32.

Clubman’s course: Anthony Hayhurst (Scorpa, Kendal); 2. Pete Blowers (Scorpa, Walney); 3. Andrew Bingley (Beta, Flookburgh) 3.

As always, the club thanked all the observers, officials, and landowners who gave up their time to make the event possible.

* Great news for local race fans – racing is likely to continue at Oliver’s Mount near Scarborough after all.

Following two serious incidents in 2017, the course licence was withdrawn from the Auto 66 club until urgent safety work was undertaken.

But a consortium headed by racing enthusiast DJ Andy Kershaw, former TT stars Nick Jefferies and Mick Grant, and Mallory Park owner Eddie Roberts are now licence holders and have just about reached agreement with the council to run two events this year.

I’ll update you as things progress, so watch this space.

* Still looking for that elusive part or organising a club run this weekend?

The first of the summer autojumbles at Penrith Auction Mart, just off Junction 40 on the M6, takes place this Sunday.

There are no muddy grass fields to trudge around as all stalls and parking are on hard standing ,and an indoor café and washrooms are available.

Gates open at 9am, admission is £3-50 and under-14s get in free. The postcode for your sat-nav is CA11 0DN.

I might pop along to that one myself!