Keith Farmer, four-time national champion, has died

Four-time British national champion Keith Farmer has died at the age of 35, it has been confirmed. 

Keith Farmer had been in the British Superbike paddock throughout the 2010s and into the 2020s, finding significant success with his championship-winning career spanning eight seasons. 

In 2011, Farmer won the first of his four national titles, the National Superstock 600 championship, with Yamaha, before joining PBM Kawasaki, as it was, for the 2012 Superstock 1000 championship. He also won that title, and moved up to the Superbike class with the same PBM team in 2013. 

Later on, Farmer found success again, this time with the Appleyard Yamaha team in British Supersport. His 2017 title began a period of British Supersport dominance for the Appleyard team, who went on to win two more titles with Jack Kennedy in 2018 and 2019, and then with Rory Skinner in 2020.

When Kennedy won the first of his Supersport titles with Appleyard in 2018, Farmer raced the Superstock 1000 series once again, this time with TAS Racing BMW, and took the fourth of his British national championship titles.

In August 2021, Farmer announced his retirement from racing after competing in BSB again in the eighth round of the 2021 series at Silverstone, where he retired from the first race and did not start the two Sunday races. 

Since news broke of Mr. Farmer’s passing on the night of 9 November 2022, and into the morning of 10 November 2022, tributes have come in from those Keith shared the British Superbike paddock with throughout the last decade-and-more.

Andrew Irwin, who raced in 2022 for the TAS Racing team with whom Farmer won his final British title, said in and Instagram post: “Keith, you taught me more about race craft in 2017 than I’ve learnt in my whole race career, you were a x4 British champion that didn’t only have raw talent but also worked hard away from racing. Rest in peace mate until we meet again.”

On Twitter, BSB Race Director Stuart Higgs said: “Awful news to wake up to about the sudden and untimely passing of Keith Farmer. Thinking of his family, friends, and loved ones - may he Rest In Peace.”

The Belfast News Letter reports that Keith’s brother, David, wrote on Facebook: “I’m lost for words our little brother left us at 1.45 this morning with us all by his side. Life will never be the same again, he made us all so proud and he will be very sorely missed.”

A tribute published by the British Superbike Championship reads: "Keith will be terribly missed by all that had the pleasure of meeting him throughout his career. He was a brilliant and successful rider on track, who will be fondly remembered by his rivals, colleagues and fans following today’s tragic news."

Visordown extends its thoughts and sympathies to Keith's family and friends at this difficult time.