North West 200 legend Ryan Farquhar leads his KMR Kawasaki team into this year’s event boosted by the news that he has earned a place in the renowned Guinness World Records.

The 43-year-old’s incredible total of 357 road race wins over a hugely successful 20-year career has now been officially recognised as a world record.

The honour comes three years to the week that the Dungannon man’s racing days were ended by serious injuries in a high-speed North West crash in May 2016.

In fact, it was during his recuperation in Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital that he began collating the number of wins he had clocked up in an online trawl, with the help of wife Karen.

With all of the necessary documentation submitted, the total has now been officially verified, giving Farquhar a coveted place in the bible of world records.

Preparing for this year’s North West, he said delightedly:

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d win the amount of races that I did and win more than people like Joey Dunlop so it’s pretty special for me to have entered the Guinness Book of Records.

“It’s been a long, hard road and an awful lot of effort has gone in over the years, but when I started racing it was purely for fun and only over the course of time did it take precedent.

“Work was getting in the way of racing and racing was getting in the way of work so I made the decision to go racing full-time and give it my all.”

Farquhar added:

“I needed to win races to make ends meet but it’s something I’ve always loved doing, and at places where there was no financial gain, like at the Manx Grand Prix, I put in the same amount of time and effort as I did at any other race.

“I’ve always considered myself a true road racer which, in my eyes, is someone who races in all of the classes and at all of the meetings, and whilst that was very tiring to do, it was also very rewarding.

“There have been some amazing road racers over the last 50 to 60 years and we’ve all got our own stories to tell, so I’m proud to have played my own little part in our sport.

“To end up with the number of wins that I have is something that makes me very proud, especially as a lot of the wins came on my own bikes which I’d prepared myself.

“At the same time, I was also very grateful to have some excellent sponsors including the likes of Winston McAdoo, Kenny Harker, Nick Morgan and Roger Winfield, so I hope they all enjoyed the journey as much as I did.”

Farquhar’s race wins came at circuits around the British Isles including international race victories at the North West 200, Isle of Man TT and Ulster Grand Prix.

Riding in all classes from 125cc to Superbikes and from Supersport to Classic machines, Farquhar was victorious at all of the Irish National road races, which earned him countless Irish Road Racing Championships, as well as at circuits elsewhere in the UK including the Manx Grand Prix, Southern 100, Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough and Aberdare Park.

He has a busy North West 200 ahead of him with no fewer than six bikes contesting the two Lightweight races with riders Jeremy McWilliams, Derek McGee, Michael Rutter, Darren James, Matthew Rees and newcomer Ryan Gibson.



Meanwhile, the Northern Counties Classic Motorcycle Club are holding a display of over 40 classic motorcycles, including a tribute to the late Tom Herron, in Ballymoney Methodist Church on Seymour Street situated between Joey’s Bar and the traffic lights.

Four machines ridden by Tom, including the Mochek Honda, plus memorabilia will be on display, as will a Davies Motorsport 2014 350cc Honda-4 ridden by William Dunlop in the Classic TT, which will be in an outside GP paddock of machines from yesteryear.

This display runs from 10am to 8pm tomorrow and Thursday, and 10am to 4pm on Friday, with all proceeds to charity.  

Jim Gracey