Tyco BMW’s Ryan FarquharAt 40-years old, Ryan Farquhar is ready to contest the 2016 Isle of Man TT with Tyco BMW S1000RR that has full backing from BMW Motorrad.The Northern Ireland native, who is filling the vacant seat left by Guy Martin, has competed at 11 TTs, earning 12 podiums and three wins; his latest win was the 2012 Lightweight TT aboard a Kawasaki ER6.
Farquhar will compete aboard the S1000RR in both the RST Superbike TT and the PokerStars Senior TT races alongside 11-time TT winner Ian “Hutchy” Huthinson.Farquhar had a miserable time at the 2015 Isle of Man TT. For this first time of his career, he didn’t finish any TTs. Riding the SGS International/KMR Kawasaki, Farquhar was forced to retire from the Superbike, Superstock, Lightweight and Senior races due to technical issues.But with factory backing, things are looking much better ahead of the 2016 TT.“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,” Farquhar says.“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 TT career, which began in 2002.Philip Neill, Tyco BMW Team Manager, says: “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.“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.”Tyco BMW reports that Farquhar will get his first taste of the S1000RR Superbike 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.
Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory + Steve ’Stavros’ Parrish
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly podcast—Motos and Friends. My name is Arthur Coldwells.
Our first segment features the new Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory. Senior Editor Nic de Sena brings us his report on the flagship version of Aprilia’s upright middleweight machine. He gives us insight into whether it’s worth spending the extra money on the Factory version, and also of course, whether this sporting Aprilia is really the motorcycle for you.
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The next guest segment of Motos and Friends is brought to you by the faster and most technologically advanced, 2023 Suzuki Hayabusa—one of the most iconic sportbikes ever. Check it out in person at your local Suzuki dealer now, or visit suzukicycles.com to learn more.
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In this segment, Associate Editor Teejay Adams chats with (arguably) one of the most interesting Suzuki race riders of all time. the iconic RG500 alongside teammate double World Champion Barry Sheene. The two were almost as famous for their exploits off-track, as for their success on it. Those were the days! Steve also raced the Isle of Man TT for about ten years where he won 13 Silver Replicas, and got a podium finish. His insight into that particular brand of mayhem are fascinating.
But there’s waaay more to Steve Parrish than his motorcycle racing. He is also the most successful Semi-Truck racer ever, and, little known piece of useless trivia—he’s my birthday twin: 24th February. He is a natural entertainer and you can’t miss his recounting of the world’s most entertaining—and arguably terrifying—double-decker bus ride ever. If any of you were actually on that hell-ride then we’d love to hear from you!
