Veteran road racer Lougher announces retirement

Veteran road racer Ian Lougher has announced his retirement from the sport after a 44-year career.

The 62-year-old Welshman said it was a "long, long time to still be racing" but no rider could "go on forever".

After starting his racing career in 1982, Lougher carved out a successful career on the Isle of Man's Mountain Course, coming third in his debut in the Manx Grand Prix (MGP) newcomers' race in 1983 before switching to the TT.

Over the next four decades, he took the top spot on the podium 10 times in the June races.

His final victory on the 37.7-mile course came last year in the MGP Lightweight race.

But his tally of victories on the island was not restricted to the Mountain Course. He also secured 40 race wins at the Southern 100 races on the Billown Circuit in the south of the island.

The Cardiff-born racer has also been a regular competitor at the North West 200, gathering eight wins at the Northern Ireland meeting.

Reflecting on the longevity of his career, he said: "I never imagined after that first outing in 1982 that I'd still be competing more than four decades later.

"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."

He said while he still did not "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 any more".

"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," he added.

"Racing has literally been my life."

However, he said he would remain involved in the sport with a "focus on the next generation" through his team ILR Racing, which nurtures young talent.

Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook, external and X, external.