King Carl Fogarty signs up for Northern Ireland Motorcycling Festival

The motorcycling extravaganza, organised by promoters Billy and Marty Nutt for the 22nd year, will take place over three days at the multi-million pound Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn from Friday, February 3 to Sunday, February 5.

Fogarty sealed his place in World Superbike history after winning the title four times and remains a hugely popular figure in Northern Ireland, where he is renowned for his pure road racing exploits at the North West 200, Isle of Man TT and Ulster Grand Prix in addition to his incredible success on the World Superbike stage.

The ‘Blackburn Bullet’ became a household name in 2014 when he was crowned ‘King of the Jungle’ after winning the hugely popular TV series ‘I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here’.

Fogarty will attend the festival on the Saturday and Sunday and organiser Billy Nutt said he was delighted to welcome the English star back.

“We’re absolutely delighted that Carl will be coming back to the festival again this year and Northern Ireland holds special memories for him,” he said.

“We all remember Carl winning both Superbike races at the North West 200 in 1993 on the Moto Cinelli Ducati and we could see what it meant to him in his celebrations afterwards. He was an extremely popular winner and fans here have a lot of respect for what he achieved in the sport.

“Carl needs no introduction to the fans here and I have no doubt he will receive a very warm welcome.”

Fogarty will join 14-time TT winner Ian Hutchinson at the event, who was the first big name confirmed on the guest list. Carrick’s Alastair Seeley, who became the most successful rider ever in the history of the North West 200 last year, will also be in attendance, with more top riders due to be announced in the coming weeks.