TAS Racing is pleased to confirm that three-time winner Ryan Farquhar will ride a Tyco BMW S1000RR Superbike at this year’s Isle of Man TT alongside 11-time winner Ian Hutchinson.
For TAS Racing, it allows the Northern Ireland based team to attack both the RST Superbike TT and PokerStars Senior TT Races with experienced competitors in both Hutchinson and Farquhar aboard Tyco BMW S1000RRs, which will no doubt delight the majority of TT race fans.
Speaking of the deal, Farquhar said: “Having purchased a Superstock BMW with support from TAS Racing for this season, I got chatting to Philip Neill and from there the Superbike ride on the Tyco BMW came about. It’s one of those situations that just seems like it was meant to be.”
“I never thought at this stage of my career I was going to get the chance to ride a competitive Superbike at the TT again. So to be riding for Tyco BMW with full support from BMW Motorrad and a great team of people around me, is a great opportunity,” said Farquhar, who has recorded thirteen TT podiums during his career.
Farquhar will also make the switch to Metzeler Racetec RR tyres this season on all machinery and is very much looking forward to campaigning the evolutionary German product on his Tyco BMW Superbike, which will carry the number #16 plate at this year’s Isle of Man TT.
“If the Tyco BMW package on Metzeler tyres is good enough for Hutchy it’s good enough for me, “ said Farquhar of his new team-mate in the Tyco BMW set-up, who won three races on Metzeler tyres at last year’s Isle of Man TT and has just completed ten successful days of testing in Spain on his new machinery.
“I do adapt to things pretty quickly and I have ridden on the tyres previously, so jumping on a BMW S1000RR with Metzeler tyres holds no issues at all for me,” said Farquhar.
Team Manager Philip Neill said: “Barring one or two years in the past fifteen, we’ve always represented a manufacturer in an official capacity at the TT with a two rider team. This year we were tempted to run with just Ian [Hutchinson] after Guy decided to sit it out, but there was always a desire, should a suitable rider come along, to have two riders on Tyco BMWs at the June event.”
Explaining the deal, Neill added: “Initially Ryan contacted me about the potential of some support on a deal to purchase a BMW Superstock bike for this year, which we were happy to get involved with at TAS Racing. The racing conversation and consequently a Superbike deal stemmed from there, and with his talent, experience and ability; not to mention his technical knowledge, he will be an asset to us on the Tyco BMW Superbike. Taking all of that into consideration made it an easy decision to include Ryan in our plans.”
Farquhar will get his first taste of the Tyco BMW S1000RR Superbike on Metzeler Racetec tyres during some private testing in the coming weeks, but will make his BMW debut over Easter at Donington Park on his own S1000RR Superstock machine – also Metzeler shod
