Isle of Man TT winner Ryan Farquhar has paid tribute to his supporters after creating road race history.
The Dungannon man took three wins at Killalane at the weekend to set a new record for most Irish national road race wins. His tally of 121 took him ahead of the previous long-standing benchmark set by Joey Dunlop.
The Killalane hat trick also means Farquhar has now won 60 races this year, putting him in pole position to claim a record-breaking fourth Duke Road Race Rankings title with one round to go.
Speaking after his record-shattering weekend, Farquhar paid tribute to everyone who has supported him throughout his career.
He said:
‘It's been a really good weekend and to be standing here now with the all-time record of 121 wins is something special - if anyone had told me that when I started racing I would have laughed at them!’
‘My hand injuries were still causing me a few problems and I had to have an injection each day, but once the adrenalin kicked in, the pain eased a bit and I was able to get my head down and to claim another hat-trick is simply superb - it really has been a brilliant year. I did have a reminder today though how fine a line it is when the rear hugger jammed into the rear wheel and locked it up, snapping it sideways, when in fourth gear. It would have been a major incident, but fortunately I managed to bring the bike under control and thanks to the help of a couple of marshals, I was able to get going again.’
He added:
‘The BBC had a camera crew with me all weekend and the Killalane club presented me with a really nice piece of crystal when I broke the record, whilst the number of well wishers dropping by to wish me good luck was pretty overwhelming.’
‘I haven’t reached 121 wins on my own though and I’ve got to give special mention to my grandad, who bought me first ever bike, Ernie Kee and Stephen Ewing. Winston McAdoo gave me my first opportunity on four-stroke machinery and then Kenny Harker and Nick Morgan came on board whilst Kawasaki UK, Shark Helmets, Beta Tools and the 77 Supporters Club have been a huge help also.’
‘Everyone who has helped me in my career, whether personally, financially or professionally, all deserve credit as without them none of it would have happened and I'm extremely grateful for everyone who's been with me along the way.’
Phil Wain