Northern Ireland’s Keith Farmer will be honoured through the presentation of a new BSB Breakthrough accolade at the Adelaide Irish Motorbike Awards in Belfast next Friday.
Four-time British champion Farmer, from Clogher in Co Tyrone, tragically died suddenly in November 2022 at the age of 35.
The new award has been organised in conjunction with the British Superbike Championship and will go to the Irish rider who has made the biggest impact over the season.
In 2023, Farmer was posthumously awarded the Special Recognition Award at the annual gala ceremony, which will again be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on January 17.
The event was attended by his two sisters and brother, who said in a statement issued at the time: “We are so proud of Keith’s motorcycling achievements and are honoured that the motorcycling community wanted to recognise him in this way.
“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.”
One of Ireland’s top riders, Farmer won his first British title in 2011 in the National Junior Superstock Championship.
He joined Paul Bird’s Kawasaki team the following year and delivered the Superstock 1000 title to cap a dream two years for the Northern Ireland man.
Farmer made the step up to BSB with Shane Byrne as his team-mate but struggled to have the same impact, although he bounced back in style to secure his third British crown in the Supersport Championship in 2017.
A final title followed in 2018 when he rode for Northern Ireland’s TAS Racing team, winning the Superstock 1000 Championship for the second time.
He was hampered by injuries during his final years in the sport before announcing his retirement in September 2021.
Next week’s awards ceremony, the biggest night on the motorcycling calendar, will see the 2024 Irish Motorcyclist of the Year presented with the prestigious Joey Dunlop trophy.
Glenn Irwin has picked up the silverware over the past two years and will be eyeing three in a row, but the Carrick man’s opposition includes 29-time Isle of Man TT winner Michael Dunlop, who overtook his uncle Joey as the most successful rider ever at the event last June.