FORTY years after an MV Agusta won a race at the Isle of Man TT, the Italian bike will be back racing again at next year’s meeting.

It’s the first time since 2007 that an MV will have appeared on the start line at the TT with the late Martin Finnegan finishing 4th in the 2007 Superstock TT race, with a fastest lap at 125.685mph.

For the 2012 TT, MV Agusta F3 and F4 bikes will be campaigned by the World Performance Racing team, a family-run business based in Chesterfield, in association with Chorley-based Moto GB.

MV Agustas have won 34 TT races and taken 61 podiums between 1952 and 1972. The first race win came in the 1952 Ultra-Lightweight race, won by Cecil Sandford, whilst the last was the 1972 Senior won by Giacomo Agostini.

While Agostini is the most successful MV Agusta rider at the TT with 10 wins to his name, some of the greatest names in the event’s history have also raced on MVs including John Surtees (6 wins), Carlo Ubbiali (5 wins), Mike Hailwood (4 wins) and Tarquinio Provini (3 wins).

Other race winners on MVs have included Gary Hocking (2 wins) while John Hartle, Bill Lomas, Cecil Sandford and Les Graham have also stood on the top step.

Neil Haslam, team boss for World Performance Racing, said, “World Performance Racing represents a passion for motorcycle racing and the desire to bring MV Agusta, the iconic motorcycle brand with a unique heritage, to the celebrated Isle of Man TT races in 2012.

“We aim to restore MV Agusta back to winning ways and ensure that the 2012 TT will be another chapter in this great Italian brand’s history.”

Paul Phillips, TT and Motorsport Development manager, added, “MV Agusta is one of the truly iconic names in the TT’s history and I’m sure many fans will be eager to see the much anticipated return of a factory supported outfit.”