New British Superbike Championship accolade in memory of Keith Farmer to be presented at Irish Motorbike Awards in Belfast

The popular Northern Ireland man died unexpectedly in November 2022 aged only 35.

In conjunction with the British Superbike Championship, the BSB Breakthrough award will stand as a lasting tribute to Keith and will go to an Irish rider every year, cementing the relationship between the British series and the large number of competitors from these shores who compete across the various classes with great success each season.

A gifted racer, Keith was posthumously awarded the Special Recognition Award at the Irish Motorbike Awards in January 2023 in acknowledgement of his impressive career.

An emotional ceremony two years ago was attended by Keith’s sisters, Kathy Valentine and Wendy Forsythe, and brother David Farmer.

Prior to the event, a statement issued his siblings said they were “honoured” that their “amazing brother” was being recognised with the accolade.

“We are so proud of Keith’s motorcycling achievements and are honoured that the motorcycling community wanted to recognise him in this way,” they said.

“It has been, and continues to be, a very difficult time for the family and we want to thank everybody for their support, and for this award for our amazing brother.”

Known as the ‘Clogher Bullet’, Keith left an indelible mark in the sport after winning four British titles across three different classes.

His breakthrough championship success came in 2011, when he won the National Junior Superstock crown.

As a result of his performances, he earned a call-up to Paul Bird’s Kawasaki team for 2012 and grasped the chance with both hands, clinching the National Superstock 1000 title to make it back-to-back championship triumphs.

He progressed to the British Superbike Championship and was team-mate to six-time champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne in Bird’s squad.

However, he struggled to hit the same heights in BSB but served a reminder of his talent by claiming the British Supersport title in 2017 for the Appleyard Macadam team on a Yamaha R6.

The following year, Keith signed for Northern Ireland’s Tyco BMW outfit and rewarded the Moneymore-based TAS Racing team with a National Superstock 1000 crown, securing the championship for a second time after his success six years earlier.

The affable Co Tyrone man returned to the BSB class in 2019 on the Tyco BMW but his season was cut short, with Keith sustaining two broken legs in a crash at Knockhill in Scotland.

Plagued by further injuries on his racing comeback, he announced his retirement from the sport in September 2021.

The annual awards bash will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belfast on Friday, January 17 when a plethora of star guests will be in attendance.