STOCKTON motorcycle racer Daley Mathison has been selected by haulage giants Eddie Stobart to represent the brand at the major international road races, starting with the Isle of Man TT later this month.

Part of the support from the company will be the provision of fuel for Team Daley Mathison Racing throughout the 2016 season.

Mathison, 24, has a number of international successes under his belt, including the 2015 MotoE European Championship for electric motorcycles. His 2016 campaign got off to a brilliant start with victory in the first race of the season, the Bob Smith Spring Cup at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough.

Mathison, who won the Ulster Grand Prix a couple of years ago, would usually be racing at the Vauxhall International North West 200 in Northern Ireland this weekend. But he is missing the meeting, where he broke his collarbone last year, as the team has instead decided to test for three days in the sunshine of Portimao, on the Algarve.

Alex Laffey, Eddie Stobart CEO, said: “Eddie Stobart has formed high-profile partnerships in motorsport over the years, and we are very proudly involved in Formula 1 logistics. This partnership is different in that we have been really impressed by Daley’s determination and racing style, and want to support him in his endeavours at the grass roots of motorsport.

"He is up and coming and has a really tenacious approach to his racing and the business around racing. We are sure he will go a long way and that he will make an excellent ambassador for Eddie Stobart on the international Superbike scene.”

Mathison said: “I am absolutely delighted to be working with Eddie Stobart. It is a massive boost to the team, both in terms of the direct support from the company, and to me as a racing brand through the promotional expertise and power of the Eddie Stobart name. Now I need to deliver on the track, and we are off to a really excellent start."

To celebrate the new partnership, one of the famous Eddie Stobart trucks has been named Daisy Blu after Mathison's and his wife Natalie’s first child, due to be born later this month.

MULTIPLE British champion Mike "Spike" Edwards, from Harrogate, embarked on a total restoration project over the winter, taking a 1986 Yamaha FZ600, completely stripping it down to component form and repairing, replacing and re-doing items to prepare the machine for its race debut this month.

Edwards used the system of "crowd funding" to finance the rebuild project, which also covered the cost of a few race events to obtain some results and give the bike some provenance.

In order to cover the budget, the project requires 100 contributions of £65 each and, at the Donington Classic Motorcycle Festival on August 7, one of the project contributors will be drawn at random. They will then own the bike, which has been affectionately nicknamed Nancy.

Motorcycle industry specialists have thrown their support behind the project, offering sponsorship and backing, but Edwards is especially grateful to the many local companies which have become involved and assisted in the restoration and rebuild.

BISHOP Auckland rally driver Tristan Pye battled mixed weather conditions to finish in a fine third place on last weekend’s Manx National Rally.

Driving the JPM-prepared Subaru Impreza, with co-driver Andrew Falconer alongside, Pye took a class victory after two days of competition around the closed lanes of the Isle of Man.

Also in action was Stanley’s Jack Morton, who was co-driving for Lancastrian John Stone. The pair brought their Ford Fiesta S2500 home in fifth overall and fourth in class.

Middlesbrough pairing Geoff Glover and Keith Barker also did well to negotiate the tricky conditions to finish 48th overall and ninth in class in their RWD Vauxhall Astra.

Meanwhile, over at the Three Sisters circuit, near Wigan, Catterick Village driver Martyn Tinker romped to overall victory on the Cetus Stages Rally last Sunday. Driving the Lotus Exige he was sharing with co-driver Ian Peterson, he ended up nearly half a minute to the good after a hard day’s battle.

CROFT Circuit, near Darlington, has some special offers available on its Supercar Driving and Thrill experiences.

Anyone who fancies the opportunity to follow in the wheel tracks of Lewis Hamilton, who raced at Croft in his early career, can take advantage of a 25 per cent reduction in prices on Wednesday or Thursday.

The experience offers the chance to drive a 200mph Lamborghini Huracán V10, one of the newest additions to Croft’s supercar stable, or the rare Lamborghini Aventador Roadster.

A Ferrari F430 and Jaguar F-Type S are also available and, with prices starting at less than £100, the limited places are filling up fast. All experiences begin with a briefing and expert tuition from fully-qualified racing instructors.

For more information, visit croftcircuit.co.uk or book by calling 01325 721815.