Much to the delight of fans Ryan Farquhar and Keith Amor have announced their return to racing, as both top riders have confirmed their entries into the 2014 Isle of Man TT under Farquhar’s KMR Kawasaki banner. This means the rivals will now race as teammates on their 650cc Kawasaki ER6 Lightweight class race bikes, as the tackle the three-lap BikeSocial.co.uk Lightweight TT Race.
Amor had previously hung up his leathers after the 2011 Ulster Grand Prix, though the Scottish rider had been nursing a shoulder injury he sustained during a crash at that year’s TT. Racing for the Honda TT Legends team at the time, Amor crashed at Quarter Bridge during a practice session. He would go on to place in the top five in all five races he contested, including a podium in the Supersport race, but at the end of the season decided to call it quits.
As for Farquhar, he announced his retirement at the 2012 Manx Grand Prix, after just winning the 500cc Classic race — his tenth Max GP victory. Farquhar and his KMR Kawasaki have to-date dominated the Lightweight class, with the common wisdom in the TT paddock being that you cannot win that race without being on one of Farquhar’s machines.
“My heart is still very much in the TT and I want to be part of what happens on the track again,” said Farquhar. “I also want to develop the KMR ER6 Kawasaki package further and the best way to do that is to ride the bike myself so I can fully evaluate the changes I’m making. But the deciding factor for me was to have the opportunity to team up with Keith Amor. Keith was the hardest rider I have ever ridden against and I have always had the upmost respect for him as a rider and a person. I am delighted to be welcoming him to KMR Kawasaki.”
“When Ryan called me with this opportunity it didn’t take long to say yes,” added Amor. “Ryan and I have always had a lot of mutual respect from our days racing together in Ireland and I know better than most how good a bike he can build. I’ve never ridden a Supertwin machine but I guess if you are ever going to ride one, they don’t come much better than a KMR machine. I’m looking forward to getting back out on the TT Course with no pressure and just concentrating on having lots of fun.”
Source: IOMTT
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