Former leading national road racer John Burrows will field an all-Northern Ireland team in 2013 after confirming Stephen Thompson and Nigel Moore will ride for his Cooks⭕town/BE Racing outfit.

Burrows retired from the sport last year following the death of his friend, Trevor Ferguson,ꦜ in a cr🃏ash at the Manx Grand Prix.

The 40-year-old vowed to retain his links with road racꩵing and this week unveiled Ulstermen Thompson and Moore as his riders for the season ahead.

Thompson will ride the ex-Bruce Anstey TAS Superbike at the North West 200, Isle of Man TT, Ulster Grand Prix and Macau Grand Prix for Burrows, while Moore - who won the Lightweight Supertwin race at the Manx GP in 2012 on one of Ryan Farquhar's KMR Kawasaki machines -𝔍 will compete ♒in the Supertwin class at the national road race meetings in Northern Ireland plus the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix.

Burrows - whose career highlights include an eighth place finish in the 2008 Senior TT - told the Belfast News Letter: "I didn't just want to turn my back on road racing and walk away because I feel the sport is at a point where it is strugglᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚing a bit and it will be hard this year with obviously myself, Ryan Farquhar and Adrian [Archibald] having retire🌳d.

"I feel I have two riders who are very capable but at the s👍ame time there is no pressure on them.

"I'm delighted that I 🉐managed to keep Cookstown on board because they are a good, local sponsor and without them none ﷺof this would be possible.

"H2 Engineering are on board too and my suppoꦗrters club and it's thanks to them that I can run a team this year."

Thompson, meanwhile, is relishing the chance to ride the Suzuki GSXR1000 this year, which is the bike ✅on which Anstey set the outright lap record at the Ulster Grand Prix in 2010 of almost 134mph.

"I got talking with 🌟John a few weeks ago and the more we talked the better it sounded, so I thought I'd go for it.

"We need to keep people like John in the sport because he runs a good,ꦗ professional set-up," added 🌱the former British Superstock Championship contender.

"The TT is the main thing and I'd like to try and lap at over 125mph and I'm hoping John will🐷 bring me on a bit because of his experience.

"If I can lap consi💫stentlyꦏ at 125mph then I don't think I'd be far away from the top 12," he added. "I'm quite excited by it."

Tho🌞mpson will also ride a BMW S1000RR Superstock machine with backing from The P༺eople's Bike team plus a Kawasaki Supertwin in the Lightweight race at the TT.