EVESHAM’S Simon Andrews will head into his maiden Isle of Man Tourist Trophy in high spirits after finishing on the podium at MCE Insurance British Superbike round four.

The 27-year-old appeared to be heading to the island on a low note after a wrong tyre choice at Thruxton saw him struggle to ninth among the Evo class riders in race one.

But Andrews improved to third in race two before almost immediately jetting off for his first laps around the famous 37.73-mile mountain course.

While admitting he found it tough going at Thruxton, Andrews insisted climbing the podium was the perfect boost ahead of him risking life and limb on the Isle of Man.

“I got the tyre choice wrong in the first race. That made it difficult for me to get anything out of the race,” he said.

“It was a tough weekend at Thruxton because they were hard conditions and we had to get used to the spray on the course which made visibility difficult.

“But we got it right in the second race and I managed to get myself on the podium, which was a nice end to the weekend ahead of the TT.

“It’s a bit of a rock-and-roll lifestyle now for me and hopefully I will have a good ride on the Isle of Man.”

Andrews will compete for Ice Valley BMW Motorrad in the Dainese Superbike, Pokerstars Senior and Royal London 360 Superstock races at the TT from Saturday.

He took his overall points tally in the Evo class to 94 at Thruxton to sit fifth overall but Andrews knows he will encounter differences between riding on a circuit and a road.

The 2011 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, will be shown every evening at 9pm on ITV4 from May 30 until June 12.

For more information on the event and for live Radio TT commentary and timings, go to iomtt.com.