Former Irish Supersport champion Ali Kirk hangs up leathers

The Dromara man won the Irish Supersport title in 2008 and finished as the runner-up last season in the Ulster Superbike Championship, when he was beaten to the trophy by Alastair Seeley.

Kirk also enjoyed racing on the roads and competed at the North West 200, Ulster Grand Prix, Cookstown 100 and Frohburg in Germany.

He made the decision to step away from road racing at the end of the 2018 season following a dark year for the sport, when Dan Kneen, William Dunlop and James Cowton were among the riders who tragically lost their lives.

A well-liked figure in the paddock, the Co Down man says he began to lose his desire for racing in recent years after finding it impossible to replicate the buzz of racing between the hedges.

“The roads were the only thing that really spiced my season up and when I quit them it just hasn’t been quite the same buzz,” Kirk said.

“I got a sickener after what happened in 2018 when a number of great lads were killed and I stepped away from doing the roads.

“I always did say that whenever I quit the sport, I wanted to be healthy, fit and still quite fast; I didn’t want to be dragging it on and start to get slower before I finally decided to step away,” he added.

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a year or two now and I just think the time is right. To be just going to two tracks each year wasn’t doing it for me and I feel I’ve had my fill of it.

“Between building the new BMW S1000RR last year and going racing, the cost was over £50,000. I’ve never gone racing for money, ever since I started when I was 16, so I’ve been in debt to motorbikes since I began.”

Kirk – who is now getting his two-wheel fix by riding enduro bikes at weekends – especially enjoyed racing on the Dundrod course at