The Dungannon racer was widely expected to achieve another podium finish in the 2011 race after finishing just one second behind history-maker Ian Hutchinson in 2010. However, a crash at Keppel Gate during the final practice session of this year’s event ended his TT prematurely.

Farquhar, a race winner in 2004 and 2005 with a number of other podium finishes, was speaking at the Motorcycle Live show in Birmingham and commented: “I still have unfinished business in the Superstock class, particularly after last year’s disappointment. I’m looking forward to next year’s races and will be looking to build on my 2010 performance.”

Royal London 360° has signed a new three-year commitment which will see it sponsoring the Royal London 360° Superstock TT race until 2014. The Isle of Man based offshore life company, which offers a broad range of award-winning investment, savings and tax-planning products to investors around the world, is the TT’s longest existing sponsor, having supported the event since 2002.

Farquhar continued: “I am delighted to see a Manx company making such a valued contribution to the success of the TT and I am looking forward to working with Royal London 360° again over the next three years, and hopefully reaching the top step of the podium once more in 2012!”

Royal London 360°’s investment in the Isle of Man TT extends beyond race sponsorship. The company is committed to promoting the event in the international jurisdictions in which it operates; every year it flies a large number of guests to the Island from places including China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Switzerland and even Jamaica to experience the thrill of TT racing first hand for the first time.

In addition, Finance and Commercial Director, Mike Crellin, and Technical Marketing Manager, Neil Chadwick, are experienced TT competitors. Although Mike has reluctantly hung up his leathers, Neil continues to race and will compete in the Pre-TT Classic at Billown next May.
Mike Crellin commented: “Our sponsorship of the Royal London 360° Superstock TT race is a partnership which has worked both commercially and locally for us since 2002, and we are really excited to be continuing our sponsorship of the event for another three years.

“It is vital for us that we continue to invest in our Manx roots yet promote the Island internationally, and our sponsorship of the Royal London 360° Superstock TT race allows us to do this. It makes such a difference to our relationships with our key stakeholders that we are able to bring them to the Isle of Man, spend time with them and enjoy the TT, and we look forward to this continuing!”

The Royal London 360° Superstock TT race takes place on Monday 4 June 2012.

Motorcycle Live opened its doors on day three to another huge crowd of bike fans, their family and friends – all hoping to catch a glimpse of their racing heroes, see all the latest machinery on show and take the chance to get on two wheels in one of the show’s interactive features.
 
For newcomers to biking, the industry-backed Get On campaign is offering free 20-minute taster sessions for anyone over the age of 16. Over the past three days, hundreds of people have taken advantage of the feature, learning the basics of riding in a one-on-one briefing with fully qualified instructors. 
 
For those already fully fledged on two wheels, a range of the latest models from the leading manufacturers are available to try out in the Test Ride Zone supported by Shoei, Sidi and Spada. Wannabe off-road riders can sample life on the dirt in the Yamaha Off-Road Experience, while kids are catered for with My First Honda Licence and the Suzuki Off-Road Experience. 
 
After all that exertion, today’s visitors took the chance to rest their feet and enjoy the entertainment on the Blackhorse Stage, which included a bumper edition of Fast Bikes Question of Bikes with double World Superbike champion Troy Corser, British Superbike champion Tommy Hill, BSB contender Josh Brookes, BBC commentator Matt Roberts, SBK star Sylvain Guintoli, World Supersport riders Sam Lowes and Gino Rea and eight-times world champion Phil Read.
 
The action at Motorcycle Live continues until 27 November and the ticket price is completely all-inclusive, meaning visitors can enjoy everything the show has to offer at no extra cost. Tickets are £19 for adults, £12 for seniors, £8 for children aged 6-16 and  kids under five accompanied by a paying adult go free. Visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk or call 0844 5812345. For the latest news and updates, visit www.facebook.com/motorcyclelive or follow @motorcyclelive on Twitter.

Motorcycle Live 2011 roared into action today with the awesome sound of Cal Crutchlow’s MotoGP machine filling the halls of The NEC, Birmingham as part of a grand opening ceremony. The Yamaha rider – who is the only Brit to compete in MotoGP – was joined on stage by a whole host of stars in a celebration of the best of British racing talent to open the UK’s biggest motorcycle show.
 
The Brits were out in force with 125GP contenders Danny Webb, Danny Kent, Taylor MacKenzie and Harry Stafford, Moto2 stars Bradley Smith and Scott Redding, World Superbike challengers Leon Haslam, Leon Camier, James Toseland and Tom Sykes, current World Supersport Champion Chaz Davies and current British Superbike Champion Tommy Hill all taking their turn on stage. 
 
The highlight was the grand finale with Crutchlow appearing fully clad in his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 leathers to start up his M1 machine live on stage – much to the joy of the waiting crowd. The resulting roar kicked off nine days of the very best that motorcycling has to offer.
 
Adults and kids alike can enjoy a whole host of interactive activities – including two-wheel taster sessions in the Get On Arena, off-road experiences, on-road test rides, trials riding and of course, the experts will be doing their thing in the Ramp’d Up Freestyle Motocross Arena. This is all accompanied by non-stop entertainment and appearances from racing stars and biking celebrities.
  
The ticket price for Motorcycle Live 2011 is completely all-inclusive, meaning visitors can enjoy everything the show has to offer at no extra cost. Tickets are £19 for adults, £12 for seniors, £8 for children aged 6-16 and  kids under five accompanied by a paying adult go free. Visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk or call 0844 5812345. For the latest news and updates, visit www.facebook.com/motorcyclelive or follow @motorcyclelive on Twitter.

Day two at Motorcycle Live was one for the race fans as stars of track and road racing flocked to The NEC to entertain the expectant crowds. British MotoGP contender Cal Crutchow and World Superbike rider Leon Haslam returned to the show for a second day, joined by Castrol Honda SBK star Jonathan Rea and Isle of Man TT racer Guy Martin.

BBC star and fan favourite Martin whipped the crowds into a frenzy on the Suzuki stand as he appeared for an autograph signing and meet and greet, while Rea made dreams come true by helping youngsters get to grips with two wheels at My First Honda Licence. 
 
At 12.30, the crowds gathered at the Blackhorse Stage for the chance to get hold of some of the one-of-a-kind racing memorabilia on offer in the Riders for Health Auction supported by Arai. This year’s lots included a VIP trip to the Day of Champions at the 2012 Silverstone MotoGP and a set of Alvaro Bautista’s REV’IT leathers. The auction raised over £4,000 for the Riders for Health charity. 

With autographs and memorabilia in the bag, visitors headed to the manufacturer stands around The NEC to see all the world’s leading race machines on display. The brave could then climb aboard the Silverstone simulator and attempt to beat the lap times set by various racing stars around the famous circuit. 

Motorcycle Live runs until 27 November and the ticket price is completely all-inclusive, meaning visitors can enjoy everything the show has to offer at no extra cost. Tickets are £19 for adults, £12 for seniors, £8 for children aged 6-16 and  kids under five accompanied by a paying adult go free. Visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk  or call 0844 5812345. For the latest news and updates, visit www.facebook.com/motorcyclelive or follow @motorcyclelive on Twitter

Castrol Honda riders Jonathan Rea and Hiroshi Aoyama took some time off during their test at the Losail circuit in Qatar last week to visit the local Honda distributor and assist in launch of the 2012 version of the CBR1000RR Fireblade.

It’s the 20th anniversary model of this iconic sports bike which will act as the base for the machine on which the Castrol Honda duo will contest next season’s World Superbike championship.
 
The riders were joined by fellow racer Glen Richards, who had competed in the 8 Hours of Doha World Endurance race with the Honda TT Legends team the previous weekend. All three riders answered questions from local fans and media, signed autographs and posed for photographs.

Jonathan Rea said: “The guys tell me that the local market is growing for Honda and, having met some fans here and listened to their knowledge and passion, I can see why!”