Yahoo Sports Johnston to miss North West 200 and Isle of Man TT
Northern Ireland rider Lee Johnston will sit out the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT road races in 2025.
Johnston will focus on the British Supersport Championship with his new team Swan Sencat Triumph Racing.
The 35-year-old has not competed in road racing since he sustained life-threatening injuries in an accident at the North West 200 in 2023.
However, he says that is not the reason behind not competing at the international road races in 2025.
"The team didn't want to do any road racing," Johnston told BBC Sport NI.
"Some people will probably say it's because of the crash but it's not really that.
"I would have to go and part-time ride for another team [to do the roads], which I don't feel ever works out well.
"If I do get the chance to come back it will be with the same team doing everything to do the job properly."
Johnston is a five-time winner at the North West 200 and won the Supersport TT at the Isle of Man in 2019.
He crashed heavily during practice for the North West 200 in 2023, when he sustained life-threatening injuries.
Johnston's plans for a comeback in 2024 were derailed by a testing crash in Spain that left him with a broken leg.
"In my head I don't think it makes a difference if you miss one year or three," Johnston said on road racing.
"When you do go back you have to have everything correct, which is the reason we're not doing that.
"I know how hard it is to win with a good team. I've no interest in going for the sake of going.
"I think it would upset me more going and riding but not being competitive, than not riding at all."
Johnston was part of BBC Sport NI's coverage of the North West 200 in 2024 and the Fermanagh rider is set be to involved again in May.
He adds that doing punditry prepares him for "a life after racing" and it was a "hard" decision to focus on short-circuit racing.
"It's something I have loved for a long time," added Johnston on riding on the roads.
"I was hard. I have two or three people quite close to me and I regard their thoughts as important.
"We weighed up the pros and cons, but you have to be going for the right reason."
After announcing he will sit out road racing, Johnston says his immediate aim is to win races in the British Supersport Championship.
"I want to get back to winning races. Before the crash I was doing that and that's what I want to do.
"The main aim is to win races and then see where we are in the championship towards the end of the year."
