THE TT GOLDEN ERA
How five men brought the TT back from an all-time low
In many ways 2004 signalled a perfect storm in the road racing scene. The sport had suffered a series of terrible blows in recent times. The deaths of Donny Robinson, Owen McNally, Andrew McLean, Gary Dynes, Gary Jess and Joey Dunlop between 1999 and 2002 had seen Irish racing lose some of its most exciting new talent as well as its legendary figures. In 2001 almost a whole season had been wiped out by the foot and mouth epidemic. A 2003 TT practice crash saw the death of David Jefferies, robbing the sport of its biggest star at that time. In those dark days very few people could have imagined we were about to witness a new golden era, and the emergence of five brilliant riders.
Ryan Farquhar Theprofessional
Out of such chaos opportunity often appears and for Ryan Farquhar the 2004 season marked a turning point in his life. The Dungannon man, who would go on to win more Irish road races than any of the great names who had gone before him, had just got married and was expecting his first child with new wife, Karen. The 28-year-old had also decided to give up his day job as a plant fitter and committed to earning a living as a professional road racer. Although he was to become the central figure of the new season, things didn’t start well for the young star. “I broke my wrist in a training accident on a quad in early April,” Farquhar recalls. “That threw a massive spanner in the works when everything was just starting to fall into place.” Local businessman Winston McAdoo was Ryan’s main sponsor, providing him with a fleet of Kawasakis, including a ZX-10R superbike. A deeply religious man, McAdoo would not allow his bikes to be raced on a Sunday, which was the day many of the Irish National races were run in the Republic of Ireland. Ryan had sorted the problem by buying his own 600 and another sponsor, Kenny Harker, had purchased a superstock spec Kawasaki ZX-10R. With a full fleet of competitive machinery Farquhar was ready to make his mark but the broken wrist ruled him out of the opening Irish meetings at Cookstown and Tandragee. In his absence the four other men who were to be his principal rivals in the new season made hay while the sun shone. A lot of hay!
Adrian Archibald DJ’s team-mate
Adrian Archibald was the leading figure in Irish road racing in the early 2000s. The quietly spoken Ballymoney man had stepped into the breach in 2003 following the death of his TAS Suzuki team-mate, David Jefferies, winning both the Formula One and Senior TT races. Riding in the international road races for the impressive TAS team, Archie also raced in selected Irish National events like Cookstown and Skerries during 2004 in the build up to the big one. “If he was on form you normally didn’t beat him,” is Farquhar’s simple summation of Archie’s skills.
‘If Archie was on form, you usually didn’t beat him’ RYAN FARQUHAR
Richard Britton The new fans’ favourite
After 10 years of racing, Richard Britton attracted a ride with the Rizla Suzuki squad at the 2004 North West 200. “I could tell from his body language the days when Richard was going to be really hard work to race against and the days when he wasn’t,” Farquhar recalls of his Fermanagh rival whose happy-go-lucky approach made him a favourite with the fans.
Martin Finnegan The jumper
Still a relatively unknown quantity, Martin Finnegan stood out from the pack in those early 2004 races. Sporting a smart blue and white livery on his Round Tower Racing Yamaha R1, the 24-year-old’s schoolboy motocross training had nurtured a spectacular style that wowed the Irish crowds. “Martin was hard to get past because of his riding style,” Farquhar recalls. “He was always really good over the jumps and if he got in front in the wee races he was hard to pass at the road ends because he was sliding it in.” Finnegan was also from the Republic of Ireland and was the first rider from the southern part of the country since Eddie Laycock in the 80s and 90s who seemed capable of taking on and beating the northern stars who had dominated the Irish scene for so long. This guaranteed the friendly and charismatic young racer a huge and passionate following, especially at the growing number of Irish races south of the border. In 2004 the global financial crisis was still several years away and the Celtic Tiger Irish economy was rampant. So while 2016 will see only eight national road events in Ireland in 2004 there were 11 and the sport was awash money to fund new venues and big prize funds.
Darran Lindsay The two-stroke specialist
Thirty-three-year-old Darran Lindsay, the final member of this principal quintet, was the cheeky chap of the paddock. Lindsay lived on the Dundrod circuit and had earned his racing stripes in the smaller 125cc and 250cc two-stroke classes but was beginning to shine in the bigger four-stroke categories, too. The Ulsterman was joined in the Robinson Suzuki team by another up
and coming star, one Guy Martin esquire. The Lincolnshire man had come to Ireland to race in 2003 after falling foul of BSB officialdom. Guy had won the beginner’s Support championship on a 750cc Suzuki and graduated into the premier classes for 2004. “I remember a young cub with big sideburns and I couldn’t understand a word he said,” Farquhar smiles as he remembers his first encounter with his English rival. Ryan’s recollection that Guy was “hairy and I didn’t like being anywhere near him on the track because he was so wild” might also help explain why the young star became such an immediate favourite with the Irish fans. On any weekend any one of these riders could have taken home the purse as the winner of the Grand Final feature race. “You could win the race or finish fifth,” Farquhar agrees. “It was the same for all of us, you just couldn’t afford to make a mistake. If you did, somebody would be up the inside!” “It was a battle for a week’s wages,” he explains. “I had to make a living and that put more pressure on because you had Adrian Archibald, Richard Britton, Darran Lindsay and Martin Finnegan to beat. They were all potential TT winners and you had to fight at every race throughout that year.” It was the closeness of the racing week in, week out, that made 2004 such a memorable year. “The bikes were evenly matched and nobody could say they had a performance advantage,” Farquhar says. Just how fierce the battles were was highlighted by the feature Superbike event at the Mid Antrim 150 in August. “Richard gave it 110%, Darran gave it 200% and I gave it my all as well,” Farquhar recalls. “We were out to win and there was nothing left. We were on the limit for the whole race.” Just how on-the-limit the trio was is captured in an incredible clip of their run to the chequered flag that can be viewed on You Tube. Side by side at 150mph on the narrow road, Lindsay’s Suzuki hits a bump and starts bouncing wildly. Sparks fly into the air in a des- perate struggle to stay on board (www. youtube.com/watch?v=tZiRfLccNvo). All five men rode in the Supersport and Superbike classes every weekend but they also made regular appearances in the smaller-capacity classes. At Dundalk Farquhar, Finnegan, Britton and Guy Martin all lined up on 250s and one of Farquhar’s favourite races of the year was the 250cc event at Kells where he beat Ian Lougher with a last lap, last corner trademark pass. Established stars like Lougher and Bruce Anstey made cameo appearances throughout the year but the list of regular race winners and podium finishers included many other talented names. Robert Dunlop, Ray Porter, John Donnan, Victor Gilmore, John Burrows and Adrian McFarland were all in the mix but the main battle centred on the North v South rivalry between Farquhar and Finnegan and culminated in a fierce end-of-season finale. “The crowds were huge and at times it was like a football match with all the fans behind Martin or me,” Ryan smiles. More consistent but also more outspoken than his rivals, the Dungannon man had become the sport’s black sheep amongst some race-goers. “If there was something I didn’t think was right I spoke out about it,” Farquhar says.
‘The crowds were like you get at a football match’ RYAN FARQUHAR ‘You could win or finish fifth. It was a battle for wages’ RYAN FARQUHAR
“I didn’t always feel that the organisers were doing a professional job but if I opened my mouth I got slagged off.” This gave him extra motivation. “All I had to do was look at social media and see who was slagging me off,” he says. “If I didn’t feel like going out into the garage to work on the bikes or I didn’t fancy going to the gym all I had to do was turn the computer on and see somebody having a pop at me from the week before and that got me going. It lit the fire in my belly! “The others did the same sometimes too. It was a psychological battle but often it was the fans rather than the riders who started to take it personally.” Killalane in Co Dublin was the final meeting of the year and Farquhar and Finnegan were neck and neck in the battle for the Irish Superbike championship. Farquhar may have missed the early rounds but he was determined to inflict defeat on his great rival at Finnegan’s home track. The points deficit meant Finnegan could only triumph if he won the last race of the season and another rider finished between him and Farquhar. On the day it was to be another of Ryan’s fierce rivals, Richard Britton, who claimed second behind Finnegan and just in front of Farquhar. It was a fitting end to a truly memorable season. Finnegan went on to surprise everyone by winning the racing public’s vote to become the Irish Motorcyclist of the Year. The memory of those defeats may still sting Farquhar, but he harbours no bitterness towards his old foes as he looks back on a year that launched his career. “It was a very special summer,” he reflects. “It was special for me personally but it was even more so because of all of those great riders who were racing with me.”
‘If I opened my mouth I got slagged off’ RYAN FARQUHAR