By Richard Petrie BBC Sport

The 2005 Irish motorcycling season was overshadowed by the death of popular road racer Richard Britton at the Ballybunion road races in September.

Richard Britton was killed at a meeting in Kerry in September

The Enniskillen rider's untimely death stunned the close-knit bikes fraternity and he was posthumously awarded the Enkalon Motorcyclist of the Year Award.

Ryan Farquhar was the most successful Irish rider on the roads scene, amassing a total of 34 victories.

This included 600cc wins at each of the three international road meetings.

Superbike success again eluded the Dungannon ace at the North West 200, Isle of Man TT and Ulster Grand Prix, but a move to the TAS Suzuki team may remedy that in 2006.

The 29-year-old made history by becoming the first rider to win four races at three successive meetings, at Kells, Faugheen and the Mid Antrim 150 in late July and early August.

Dromore-based Welshman Ian Lougher made his experience count by winning five international races, including a hat-trick at Dundrod.

John McGuinness continued his recent domination of the Isle of Man TT by winning the blue riband Superbike and Senior events while Michael Rutter topped the podium at the North West 200 and Macau Grand Prix.

It was largely a year to forget for Adrian Archibald but Australian Cameron Donald, Martin Finnegan, Raymond Porter and Guy Martin all emerged as forces to be reckoned with at the major events.

Sunflower hat-trick

Darran Lindsay's season started promisingly, including a long-awaited win in the 125cc class at the North West 200, but again ended in disappointment, injury robbing him the chance of competing on his home circuit at the Ulster Grand Prix.

On the circuit scene, Michael Laverty headed a strong Ulster challenge in the British Superbike class.

Laverty enjoyed some notable mid-season results, including a podium finishes at Snetterton and Knockhill, but injury hampered his efforts later in the campaign.

A treble of wins at Bishopscourt in October saw him continue to dominate the Sunflower Trophy races, including winning the feature race for a record fourth time.

Jonathan Rea and Marty Nutt also enjoyed high points in the national series bit it was a season of disappointment for John Laverty, who will hope for better next year.

It was a miserable season for Glengormley rider Jeremy McWilliams, who suffered a shoulder injury just weeks into the season after making the move from MotoGP to the Stobart Honda BSB outfit.

Eugene Laverty excelled in the highly competitive Supersport category, Ian Lowry confirmed his talent in the R6 class and Adrian Coates came close to winning the Superstocks.

The short circuit scene at Irish championship level again played the role of bridesmaid, but Alastair Seeley was a worthy and convincing winner of the tarmac series.

In motocross, Gordon Crockard failed to make any impact on his return from injury but the success of the World Championship round at Desertmartin and the form of young Martin Barr offer hope for the future.