Scottish ace Keith Amor is delighted to be making a return to racing at next year's Isle of Man TT Races, but said his main goal, is to settle an old score with new KMR team boss Ryan Farquhar.

In his prime, Farquhar did his best to play head games with Amor during many of their ferocious battles on the national scene. The Dungannon man referred to Amor as 'a Digestive biscuit' during one post race interview, basically insinuated that Amor cracked under pressure.

It previously drew the red mist with the Scottish ace, but is something he now laughs heartily about. Speaking from Cyprus, where he runs Enduro Paphos, the former North West 200 winner joked: "I've a stone and a half to lose before we go racing, as my summer diet consisted of about 10 beers per night, but I'll still be coming to the TT lighter than Ryan."

He added: "There's bragging rights down the pub to be had, so of course I want to beat Ryan and prove once and for all that the digestive comment was misplaced, but it's all good fun. It makes me laugh now as Ryan and I are good mates."

A disconsolate Amor walked away from racing in 2011, after damage to both shoulders put a premature end to his career, ironically, before he had to chance to fulfill his ultimate dream of a TT victory. Despite coming to tarmac racing fairly late in life, the Falkirk lad did post five career podiums at the TT, and one win at the North West 200.

Now a proud dad to 18-month-old son Cooper, Amor said his return to racing is purely for fun and to help promote his new Enduro business based in Cyprus. But I've witnessed that competitive glint in his eye many times before now, and challenged him about his honest aspirations for the season ahead.

"Of course there's a lot of pride at stake here," he said of his return with Farquhar's SGS International KMR Racing Team. "It's great that I'm getting to go and play on the TT Course again and have a bit of fun with no stress."

"There's no way I'd be interested in coming back to racing full time. I just want to go and enjoy myself. Ryan is a perfectionist and yes of course we will be looking to put both bikes on the podium at the TT."

On the injuries that ended his career, he said: "The shoulders are great. I teach Motocross and Supercross and I'm on the Enduro bikes three or four times a week out here in Cyprus.

"They don't tend to give me any bother at all now thankfully.

"Ryan is actually coming out in January or February with the boys for a few days, so that will be great."

With little of no time on a racing bike since 2011, Amor plans to fly into Northern Ireland and test at Kirkistown in Spring, but like Farquhar, he said that the North West 200 will only happen should the organisers make it financially viable.

"I like the North West but they only seem interested in people that do BSB.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd like to go and team up with Ryan and Jeremy McWilliams and I'm sure the fans would love to see us all on the grid.

"Let's wait and we'll see what happens."



Paul Lindsay
.