World Endurance Champion Matthieu Lagrive will make his Isle of Man TT debut in 2023 as part of Optimark’s Road Racing line up. The experienced Frenchman has four FIM Endurance World titles to his name encompassing victory in the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans and six successes at the legendary Bol d’Or.
The 43-year-old has also completed over 100 race starts across WorldSBK, WorldSSP and the 250cc World Championships, plus a finish in the iconic Dakar Rally.
Lagrive’s latest challenge provides a whole new experience as he looks to tackle the legendary TT course for the first time, with preparation taking in May’s NW200 alongside his EWC Superstock commitments. “Wow, what a place,” Lagrive said on his maiden visit to the Isle of Man. “So many things to remember with the corners and the markers like the houses and the posts and the bumps. “I won the [IRRC] Supersport Championship in 2018 and 2019, and that’s where I started thinking about coming to the TT,” he continued. “I have no targets and it will take me some years to see how quick I can go.”