Belfast Telegraph wrote:
The Country Crest Killalane Road Races on Sunday brings the curtain down on the 2009 Irish national road race season with what should be a thrilling day of high-speed action around the 3.6mile circuit close to Skerries.
The champions have already been crowned in the main classes with ‘road racer of the year’ Ryan Farquhar collecting three championships in the Open, supersport 600 and supertwins classes, Michael Dunlop collected the 125GP and Junior 250 classes and Benny Smith the senior support, while Wayne Hamilton only needs a finish to clinch the junior support series.
Farquhar in particular has been picking up double, treble and quadruple victories at will this season and could well overtake the record 119 Irish road race victories of Joey Dunlop this weekend despite suffering a broken bone in his hand as the result of a practice crash at the Manx Grand Prix where he went on to complete a Post Classic and Senior Classic double, the senior at record breaking pace.
Farquhar said: “I’m going to give it a go this weekend although I’m struggling with this hand injury. I’ve 57 race wins to my name this year and, if the two supertwins races at Dundrod were classed as national races, I have equalled Joey’s record and one win at Killalane would actually break it. It has been an unbelieveable year for me and I know some say the opposition is not what it was, but all they have to do is look at the lap times we are doing, even the classic races I have won I have had to ride at record breaking pace. There are no easy races, as anybody who competes knows. After Killalane it is the Scarborough Gold Cup and then the King of Waneroo event in Australia to finish what has been a remarkable season for me.”
Farquhar’s main opposition this weekend should come from the Dunlop brothers William and Michael who have also had seasons to remember and will be looking to end the road race calendar on a high.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtwoA4tuhFM