Davey Todd and Conor Cummins lead charge for Padgett’s Honda at North West 200

Todd has earned a full-time place in the Batley-based outfit alongside Cummins, who is recovering from a broken collarbone following a motocross training crash in Spain.

Yorkshireman Todd has already tasted victory around the 8.9-mile ‘Triangle’ course after mastering the tricky conditions to win a wet Saturday Supersport race in 2019, when team-mate Cummins completed the rostrum in third behind runner-up Derek McGee.

The 26-year-old is regarded as road racing’s brightest talent after he impressed with a 131mph lap as he finished sixth in the Senior TT in 2019 in his second appearance at the event.

Todd rode a BMW S1000RR for the Penz13.com team three years ago alongside the Padgett’s Honda 600, but this year he will switch to the new Honda Fireblade CBR1000RR-R, which he rode at the official British Superbike test at Snetterton at the weekend.

He made selected appearances last season for Northern Ireland’s Wilson Craig Racing team, but the English rider will return to a full schedule in 2022 as he competes in the British Superstock 1000 Championship, in addition to contesting the major road races.

“The set-up for 2022 with Padgett’s is exactly what I wanted to be doing with a full season in British Superstock and on the roads,” said Todd.

“I never felt comfortable on the BMW – it didn’t suit me and I struggled with the bike. I felt comfortable straight away on the new bike (at Snetterton).

“After the first couple of sessions I rode myself into the bike and was going a lot faster.”

New Zealand’s Bruce Anstey has a longstanding affiliation with Clive Padgett’s team but unfortunately the ‘Flying Kiwi’ – a 10-time winner at the North West – will miss the event this year. Anstey (52) was ruled out of the 2018 season as he