Image: Russell Colvin.

CycleOnline.com.au can confirm that Irishman/Aussie rider Paul Byrne will line up on the grid at next year’s 23rd running of the International Island Classic in the Mitchelton Wines International Challenge.

Byrne, who recently locked up the Race Tech Formula Oz Championship in the Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship at Winton Motor Raceway aboard the LTR Honda machine, will pilot a 1981 McIntosh Suzuki in the Period 5 class as part of the Irish team.

“To say I’m excited is an understatement,” said the 30-year-old Sydneysider, who originally hailed from Kilkenny, southeast of Ireland. Irish team captain Mike Miskell spoke to Byrne about putting an Irish team together about a week after this year’s Island Classic and from there the former 2009 Southern Irish 201/1010cc National Open Champion knew he had to be a part of the team.

“To represent my country in such a massive event with some of the best riders on the best track in the world is a dream come true,” explained Byrne. “Mike has worked really hard over the past months to turn this dream into a reality and I hope as a team we can put on a good show next year in January.”

While Byrne has been racing in Australia for the past five years on a modern day superbike, he has never ridden a classic bike before in his career. Byrne will race a McIntosh Suzuki prepared by Brisbane-based outfit DMR Motorsport.

“It’s a daunting prospect, as I have zero experience at riding these bikes,” he added. “However I am so excited to see what I can do on a classic bike. The opportunity to ride a McIntosh Suzuki is just the cherry on top and I can’t thank Tom Dermody from DMR Motorsport enough. We are definitely the underdogs but one thing is for sure we will come out fighting and you never know, we might surprise a few people.”

Byrne will also have to try and relearn the 4.445km seaside circuit in a hurry, as he has only raced at Phillip Island once, which was back in 2011 at the Phillip Island 8 Hour event aboard a Superstock 1000 bike.

The 2016 International Island Classic will run from 22-24 January, with the Aussies set to take on the Kiwis, Yanks, Irish and this year’s winners, the Poms in the International Challenge.