Ryan Farquhar retiring after uncle's death

ROAD racing legend Ryan Farquhar has made the decision to retire from the sport following the tragic death of his uncle in the Manx Grand Prix.

Trevor Ferguson, 48 from Castlecaulfield, County Tyrone, lost his life after crashing in the Supertwins race at the Isle of Man.

Farquhar is one of Ireland's most successful road racers, but after this tragedy and losing a lot of friends over his career he is not willing to take the risk attached with road racing.

He told the Belfast Newsletter: “I’m finished with racing. I’ve been racing a long time and I’ve lost a lot of friends in that time, but it’s different when it comes to your own doorstep.

“What I have witnessed in the past 24 hours I’ve never seen before. It’s the people who are left behind who suffer the most. Trevor probably didn’t know anything about the crash, but the people left behind are hit the hardest.

“His wife and girls are in pieces. I don’t ever want Karen and my two girls to ever have to go through something like that.

“This is a sport I love but I can’t risk putting my family through something like that any more – I have to think of them.

“I don’t even know if I’ll be able to even run a team in the future, I need to sit down with Karen and talk it over and see where we go from here.”

The fact that Ferguson was riding one of Farquhar's KMR Kawasakis made the tragic accident even more heartbreaking for the Irishman. He added: “I’m lost for words – I wish I hadn’t offered Trevor the bike.

“I’m just absolutely gutted, I went up today to where the accident happened at The Nook and laid some flowers.

“I keep thinking if I hadn’t offered him the bike and he’d been on his own bike then maybe it wouldn’t have happened, but life is all ifs and buts.

“This is going to be a very tough time for Trevor’s family but I’m going to be there for them.

“He wasn’t just my uncle, he was a really good friend, I don’t think it has even really sunk in yet to be honest.”