Three-times Isle of Man TT winner Ryan Farquhar will attend the 2013 Isle of Man TT fuelled by Monster Energy, bringing his KMR team to compete on the Mountain course.
Farquhar, who quit racing last year, has secured Jamie Hamilton, one of the star newcomers at last year’s TT, again and new recruit Connor Behan for the 2013 road racing season.
Fastest newcomer at the 2012 TT Hamilton, who continues with Farquhar's team for a second year, will contest the TT and other main International road races, plus a full season of Irish Nationals, the Southern 100 and three meetings at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough.
He will again have a Superstock-spec ZX-10R Kawasaki and 650cc ER6 Kawasaki at his disposal for the Superbike and Supertwins classes. In addition, the 22-year-old will also contest the Supersport races for the team on a ZX-6R Kawasaki, which has been supplied by John Duggan.
Cheshire rider Behan joins the team for his first full season of road racing. The former Southern 100 competitor will make his debut at the Manx Grand Prix later in the year.
Farquhar said:
“Retaining Jamie was always a main priority so I'm delighted to have done just that and thanks to the input of John (Duggan), we've been able to add a 600cc Supersport machine to the stable.”
“He did a great job for the team in his debut year in 2012 and I have every confidence he'll progress even further up the results in 2013 and continue to make a huge impression on the road racing scene.”
“Having previously excelled in the British Championship, Connor made it known to the team that he was keen to make the switch to the roads and we've been able to give him the platform to do just that. He has links with Kawasaki from his time in the Superstock 600cc Championship and with Kawasaki looking to give their 636cc machine good exposure, it's the perfect partnership for all concerned.”
Farquhar added:
“My personal involvement as a rider may have come to an end, but I'm busier than ever and am really relishing my new role, eagerly looking forward to the first meetings in April. This announcement is just the first part of the jigsaw for KMR Kawasaki in 2013 and we've still got some big plans for the season to be announced so watch this space!”