So how did the famous five do at the TT?
Archibald won the TT F1 and Senior races in 2003 and repeated his Senior success in ’04, making him the only Irishman to win a superbike TT race between Joey Dunlop’s 2000 success and Michael Dunlop’s Superbike victory in 2013. Farquhar won the first of his three TT races in 2004 on Kawasakis in the Production Supersport class. He also won a Supersport race in 2005 and the Lightweight supertwins event in 2012. Both men have now retired from the sport. Richard Britton had two TT podium finishes in the 2002 and 2003 400cc races alongside winning the Production race at the 2000 North West 200. Darran Lindsay and Martin Finnegan were both Manx Grand Prix winners. Lindsay also claimed victories at the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix and Finnegan finished third behind John McGuinness and Adrian Archibald in the 2005 Senior TT.