By Stepping away from a road racing career, covering five decades, Southern 100 and Oliver’s Mount wins record-holder Ian Lougher, from 2026 onwards will not be in bike racer mode, focusing solely now on his Team Principal, Team Ownership roles with his Team ILR outfit.
Ten times a TT winner, in August, he sealed his final Mountain Course race podium finish, finishing runner-up to TT wins record-holder Michael Dunlop in the Lightweight Classic TT contest.
Widely recognised as Wales best pure road racer of this century and for a fare few of all-time, he-stated recently, why now is the right time to call it quits.
“Forty-four seasons is a long, long time to still be racing, isn’t it! I never imagined after that first outing in 1982 that I’d still be competing more than four decades later.
I’ve been thinking about retirement for quite a while but kept it to myself — I didn’t even tell Asa, my wife — because I thought it might be unlucky.
I’ve always said I’d keep racing as long as I was competitive, and I like to think I’ve managed that. I’m not one for just riding around at the back.”
“I’m 62 now, and while I still don’t get nervous going through the bottom of Bray Hill at 140mph, you can’t go on forever, and I don’t want to put my old body through anymore.
I’ve got a few aches and pains – mostly the knees – not that I’ve crashed too much really, maybe I’ve just been lucky!
I’ve had the privilege to race against so many great riders and meet some of the best people in the sport, and not many get to do that. Racing has literally been my life.”
Twenty-six times combined a race winner at the Northwest 200 and Ulster Grand Prix, equally competitive on two-stroke, Supersport, Production 1000/Superstock, Superbike apparatus, few riders in real road racing’s storied history, have been as versatile as the affable Welshman.
It is a huge chapeau from Road Racing News, happy retirement!
Quotes courtesy of TT Races press team.
Photo credit: Mark Corlett
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
