Kildare support for ambitious bike racer

WHEN Edenderry-based motorbike racer Kevin Keyes was attempting a double championship win last September at Mondello Park, his brakes failed at 225km/h and he had a major crash. 

But despite injury and a lot of pain, he continued through the weekend and came away with the Principal Insurance Masters trophies in both Superbike and Supersport categories. 

That's the kind of grit that attracted businessman John Dowling of Dowling Property in Kilcullen to recently become one of Kevin's sponsors.

John is passionate about motorbike racing. He has his own road bike, though he doesn’t race himself, but from now on he’ll be doing it by proxy as his Dowling Property logo graces the racing suit of the 26-year-old champion who has just completed 20 competitive seasons. And if that sounds odd, it's because Kevin has been competing since he was very young.

John feels the champion is a good fit with DP. 

“He’s a winner, he presents well, and he’s a nice guy,” he told the Kildare Nationalist when Kevin recently visited the Kilcullen office.  

With a smile, he added: "It also gives me a good excuse to go to all the races.” 

He's a regular spectator anyway at bike racing events across the island of Ireland, and also to the annual Isle of Man TT, the iconic venue in these islands for motorbike racing. 

"Kevin raced there last year for the first time, and he won the fastest newcomer title there."

Motorbikes have been an integral part of life for Kevin since he was three. 

His father, a keen rider though not a racer, gave him a Mini Moto machine at a stage when most other youngsters would be wobbling on their first tricycle. 

"After that it was just a case of going up through the ranks, from juniors through the different levels," he said. 

"I was always quite quick and having championship wins and just moving on and on."

From 2015 to 2022 he competed in Britain at weekends, racking up five wins and nine podium places in his first year in the British Junior Cup, in what is probably the most competitive track bike racing environment in the world. He transitioned in 2022 to road racing, though that form is in something of an insurance hiatus in this country at the moment.

His main sponsor since 2023 is Daracore Racing, owned by Rathangan-based Daracore Builders Work Solutions which operates in Ireland and the UK. 

They provide the technical expertise and support for the two Yamaha R1 Superbike and R6 Supersport bikes on which Kevin currently campaigns.

Last year he made history by winning both classes in the Principal Insurance Irish Masters championships.

Though now competing at professional level, Kevin isn't yet earning a wage from the sport he loves, and sponsorship is a critical issue. 

"The budget for a season is up to €60,000, so having as many personal sponsors on board as possible is important." 

He plans to put in another really strong season this year, and hopefully attract enough attention to make his dream ambition of going fully professional. 

"My day job in construction is driving a digger, which doesn't give me anything like the satisfaction I get from racing."

It's also a very dangerous sport, unforgiving if there's an incident at flat-out speeds. Kevin, who has a young family, acknowledges this, but says it's part of a sport that he does for enjoyment. 

"I don't think much on the danger," he says. "The way I look at it, if you think of the danger you'll never be fast, you'll never be successful. Being on the edge of life is something that I can't explain but it's just one of those amazing things."

For John, his support of Kevin is a way of giving something back to the sport he enjoys so much as a spectator. 

"The guys in this are a very loyal group, very close-knit, and any support you can give goes down well," he says.

 So if you happen to call him at a weekend about some property or other, and in the background you hear the urgent whine of high-powered engines, you'll know that he's doing his bit to help keep going something that ignites his own passion.